The unavoidable subject every classical, fingerpicking and flamenco guitarist have to eventually deal with.
I used to bite my nails since I can remember... coping mechanism, aggression repression, acquired bad habit, vice... dunno, but not a nice thing to do to oneself.
Luckily, by the time I started playing flamenco it wasn't a serious problem to give up and I hadn't obliterated my cuticles yet.
The issue was that my nails were thin and they would break soon as they got to any length, this, and the misconception that the longer your nails the more flamenco you play turned the whole experience frustrating.
My first guitar teacher, Zsolt, recommended Mavala strengthener and, truly, the sound was better as these kind of products make the nail harder.
The good thing about these products is that they dry super fast, leave nothing apparent on the surface of your nails, and make them hard like glass, but like glass they become fragile as well.
Then someone said toilet paper and superglue and I thought, no way!
I couldn't imagine my idols doing their nails like that, there must be something for the pros, then someone told me they go to beauty saloons and have them made with porcelain, okay, that seemed affordable for them, but for me at that time...
What else, oh yes I even heard the most disgusting thing ever that people grow their toe nails as a reservoir, ugh! so I kept doing Mavala, then when I realized that a hard and dry nail sounds good but breaks quickly I bought a cuticle oil to help locking in moisture therefore making the nail more flexible and that is it! I rather have flexible nails that may not sound very hard but can withstand the abuse of hours of rasgueado arpeggio and picado.
That, I figured out early, then, at one of my first jobs in the UK all the care taken filing them, applying oils and such went down the drain, quite literally as my job was doing the dishes, kitchen porter. Twenty minutes washing pans in hot soapy water was enough. Next day I went to the nail saloon and got acrylic nails done (right hand only, no color)
Dunno, maybe the high I got from smelling the acetone based products, but I came out quite happy with the job and I was delighted when I heard the sound, so bright! and I could play so loud without worrying about my nails breaking! And so, I started wearing acrylic... and playing loud...
(Other designs I tried)
Once in Barcelona for a masterclass with Rafael Cañizares I showed him my nails and he said "that's too much glue" and then he told me that he prefers looking after his natural nails and playing without any coating at all. He also showed me his method for the times when some protection is needed like when playing for dancers a lot or when there is a breakage. He would cut a piece of plastic from a plastic bottle or similar, any similar thin plastic material would do, blister packaging is thinner, table tennis balls are thicker... then shape it to the nail and glue it in place, leaving some space at the base of the nail, then file to the desired length and shape.
(the outtakes so funny, big hug to Rafael, que arte!)
To be honest at first I thought going to the saloon in London and have them done for £10 was way more convenient and so I kept doing it, I just wouldn't ask for a super thick nail anymore. Then I started listening to the sound... what was bright and loud now turned clicky and noisy, also, it felt like all that material was getting on my way to express and feel, quite literally. I had to find a solution, did some research, talked to fellow guitarists and found other approaches. I bought a lacquer/hardener "Quimica Alemana" food supplements indicated for hair and nails with biotin, keratin or something like that, nail files and buffers, oils, creams...
Natural nails sound, well, natural, and feel natural and are natural and well, you get me, if I ever aspired to be a nature boy... that's what I want for me, so the challenge is how to keep them and look after them, also to accept the inevitable: they will break, and find a consistent solution when that happen.
So, first thing, how I look after my nails: Every day I have to file them a bit with my crystal file followed by a 4-way buffer, this just to keep the shape and burr off some kinks that might be waiting to get stuck on any piece of cloth, then I apply a small amount of hand cream, like pea-sized, over the nails and massage it in until done, and that's it! well, I omitted the obvious step to make sure they are clean with hand soap and a nail brush. This is always a good thing to do every time after doing the dishes, gardening and similar activities where nails are in contact with water, dirt or after manual work, like, I dunno, changing strings...
The next part is when, even after all that care given, I have to deal with a chipped, sliced, broken... nail, I adapted master Cañizares method, I do essentially the same he teaches us, I just don't bother heating the plastic, I give it shape if needs to by rolling it with my fingers. What I do different is that I add a layer of glue plus a piece of tea bag paper on top of the plastic append, I find it gives a better result, smooths the slope between natural and made-up nail and perhaps rasgueado sounds a bit better. Then file, shape and polish.
(tools of the trade)
In this way I can keep playing until the nail has grown back to length, the fix is almost always holding up until then and if anything happens just a little drop of glue under will hold it back in place. This fix tends to be most of the time on my ring finger, and that is because of the soundboard strikes we like to do in flamenco guitar, and I'm pretty sure that happens at times were I've been careless or by a lack of finesse, I believe that focusing on playing with a good sound and good technique paired with constant nail-care is the best way to stay away of glue and stuff like that. Also, with constant practice, the small traumas that the nails go through will inevitably force the body to react by sending more resources there, growing the nails faster and stronger.
Like the great master Carles Benavent mentioned in an interview how Paco de Lucia told him, flamenco is all about controlling the emotions:
Yes, but, who doesn't need to dig in and bang on the guitar sometimes?
Anyway, I hope this helps fellow guitar players in their quests.
Now wash your hands, stay out of trouble, stay hydrated!
Love,
Adrian.
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