flamenco\classical players...

[skydigger]

Uh, do you grow out your fingernails??

And if so, do you use any "products" on them to strengthen them or to keep them from breaking?

I've got terribly brittle nails and i was wondering if some enamel might be useful lofu

[darreneedens]

I hate growing my nails out.

hate it... So I dont. My teacher used to always bitch at me but I got by...

[Harvest]

I'm fortunate enough that my nails are pretty strong naturally. I don't keep them super long, just long enough to get that nice clear tone. If you keep up with buffing them out they seem to stay pretty strong. I've only heard of a couple of ways to strengthen them if you find that they're breaking. One way is to eat lots and lots of jello (the gelatin helps to strengthen the keratin that composes the finger and toenails), and the other way would be to use clear nail polish...

[skydigger]

One way is to eat lots and lots of jello (the gelatin helps to strengthen the keratin that composes the finger and toenails), and the other way would be to use clear nail polish...

I don't suppose that Jello pudding would work...:banana:

[sneakypete]

I once read vitamin C is a good way to harden nails...not sure if it`s true but I`ve been taking both C and E regularly for about 30 years, a long time before I began playing guitar and my nails are very hard, in fact I use them for steel strings as well as my nylons. One thing though...I have to be careful not to cut those around me to shreds, I don`t keep them really long just slightly over the flesh on my finger tips...too long and I find they get hung up on the strings, I use very find sandpaper to keep them in shape and kind of pick shaped at the tip.

[Warren]

Stay away from hardeners & polish. The chemicals in them can lead to weird curves in the nail and wreck the shape.

Keep them buffed and at the correct length so they don't get caught on things. Eat Jello, gelatin helps strengthen the nail. In the winter the dryness will make them brittle so another trick is to rub cooking oil (olive, vegetable, etc) into the nail bed.

[zontar]

When I took lessons I grew them slightly longer than my fingertips and shaped them according to the Aaron Shearer book. I've never used anything on them to stop them from breaking--but I seem to have tough nails.

But I learned a combination of nail & finger--and also learned to use just the fingers.

I do sometimes play my electrics with my nails in a downstroke--as if I was holding an invisible pick. No breaks that way either.