Nail Care Tips & Advice

Those of you who love to enjoy a challenge and like to do creative crafts and therefore making your own music box can contain lots of fun. Here are directions to make a unique music box called “Around the world.

Things you need

Unfinished recipe box of 5 ¾ wide * 3 ¾ “deep * 4″ high 18 note key wind musical movement T bar winding key, ¾ ” De’ coupage sandpaper wood sealer. Decorative accessories for music box such as assortment of stamps, greeting card or postcard with traveling photo 2 brown ultra sued strips, 1/2″ wide * 16 ½ ” long 2 buckles, ½ ” 4 brass corner brackets, 5/8″ hasp catch, 1 ¾ * 5/8″ small padlock.

Acrylic paint color: blue- gray, adhesives and spray sealer, industrial strength glue tacky glue gloss spray sealer, tools and brushes, drill with ¼” drill bit hammer old paintbrushes paintbrush ruler scissors X-acto knife.

Gather step by step

1. Use sandpaper, sand box and use an old paintbrush, apply wood sealer to the box by following the manufacturer’s directions. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Use a paintbrush, paint the box inside and outside with blue gray acrylic paint.

By using an old paintbrush, apply a thin layer of decoupage to box and sides of the lid, working an area of about 3″ square at a time. Place stamps on the box and lid sides, overlapping them as desired. Stamps should be placed over opening between lid and box so that it could be cut open later. Use a ruler and an X-acto knife, cur greeting card to fit top of the box. Apply a thin coat of decoupage to lid top and place card in position.

By using an old paintbrush, apply a thin layer of tacky glue to wrong side of one ultra suede strip. Start from the bottom front left corner, ¾ “in from side and 1 ½” from bottom, press strip to the box. Slide a buckle on and make a small hole to accommodate the stem of the buckle at center 1″ from the end. Using scissors, cut corners of ultra suede strip on a 45 degree angle. Repeat the process for remaining ultra suede strip on a 45 degree angle. Repeat the process for remaining ultra suede strip on the other side of box. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Now use the X-acto knife and carefully cut the opening between the box and lid, starting the back.

Next drill a ¼” hole at the center back of box ¾” from the bottom. Use industrial strength glue, glue musical movement inside box, making sure the winding key shaft is centered in hole. Allow it to dry thoroughly.

Carefully hammer the corner brackets on the box. Turn the box back side down, center hasp catch and carefully hammer in nails. Then pull padlock on hasp catch and wind on winding key. Fill your box with favorite vacation photos.

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Most stringed instrument players prefer to use a plectrum, or pick, to provide the percussive force that causes the strings to resonate. A number of performers, however, prefer to use their naked hand. There are distinct advantages to using one’s hand. The same articulation and precision that can be achieved with a pick is possible, though it requires a great deal of practice. Those softer parts of the hand, the outside of the pinky and the pads of the fingers and thumb, can produce gentle, muffled tones. Of course, the entire hand can be used for the loudest passages, providing more volume than a pick can usually pluck out of the instrument.

For a ukulele or any plucked, stringed instrument player, the nails are one of the most important parts of the hand. In most cases, performers who use a finger-picking style will grow out the nails on their right hands to their preferred length. It’s important to note the term “preferred length”. There are any number of sources that will try to say what’s too long or too short where nail length is concerned. This is entirely up to the performer. Nail length affects how an instrument is played and its sound quality, so there is no choice to be made here that is not aesthetic and individual in nature.

One’s nails will increase in strength as they’re used. They may split and break at first, but keep them filed and trimmed and they’ll rapidly increase in the amount of work they can perform. Remember to keep the entire nail smooth. People tend to have ridges and depressions on the back of their nails. These can be filed down to make the smoothest possible surface. Nails should be trimmed and filed to eliminate bends and hooks.

To avoid splitting and breaking, it is ideal to use methods to help strengthen the nail itself.  For instance, vitamin E oil can be applied to the nail.  Daily vitamin use is also ideal for good nail growth as well as strengthening them.  Vitamin rich lotion is also an ideal way to keep your nails strong and looking healthy.

If for whatever reason you have problems with nail growth and keeping them strong, you have other options to consider including acrylic nails and Lee Press On Nails (Yes, they are still available if you don’t have any leftover from the 80s!).  Both can be applied to the nails to provide you your ideal ukulele playing nail length as well as provide you with the strength you need to play effectively. 

Is it possible to play classical guitar without nails? I guess so as I often do it myself. Many guitarists today and in the past have also done the same. Let me tell you the advantages of no nails playing and give you some tips!

Sharon Isbin in her Classical Guitar Answer Book wrote…

“Classical guitarists can play without nails, but they should be aware that in doing so they are sacrificing certain possibilities of tone color and projection – all of which affect interpretation and musical presentation.”

I have played classical guitar and also improvisational jazz and blues guitar for many years and have been teaching others professionally. I have played with long nails, shorter nails and no nails at all.

I have seen guitar students struggling with their tone on the guitar. Guitarists with problem nails, guitarists not taking care of their nails and subsequently with a terrible tone and some guitarists with perfect nails and still not a good tone because of faltering technique.

I have also met guitarists that were playing without nails and I have seen electric guitarists finger playing without nails like Mark Knopfler and others.

As with nearly everything there are pros and cons with the different approaches. I like playing without nails for these reasons:

1. It’s a challenge to find the tone and get the most out of the guitar playing without nails. You have to play with more force to find the upper harmonics and you have to work even more with the guitar technique. No sloppiness is allowed!

2. I like the sweet sound of my fingers touching the strings. The sound created is mellow but the volume will still be satisfying if you play with force and with calousses developed by practising.

3. There is a special feeling involved in letting living flesh touch the strings on a guitar. You will come nearer the instrument somehow.

4. Of course you’ll have the advantage of not risking to have your nails broken as you don’t depend on them anymore.

5. You will be able to play piano with correct finger posture.

6. You can play electric guitar with your fingers without risking to destroy your nails.

I will now give you some of my own advice and experiences from playing without nails.

You might find some more information on the net as there are many other classical guitarists and lute players who want to play without nails. Here are my personal hints:

1. It will take a week or so to build callouses on your fingertips after having filed down your nails. This will improve your guitar playing and tone but until then you have to be careful not to play so intensely as to get blisters.

2. A way to build callouses is to play finger picking on electric guitar or steel string guitar. I have experienced that my blues guitar playing is much more musical and more dynamic as I play with my fingers instead of with a pick on my electric guitar. Sometimes I use to alternate between my thumb and index finger when playing scales and licks and other times my index finger and middle finger or in another classical guitar playing way.

3. You will get a softer and in many ways a more beautiful tone if you cultivate your playing without nails. However you might miss some of the higher frequencies. To compensate for this you can see to it that you

always play with fresh new strings and if you are a rich man you might purchase a classical guitar with more treble and less bass.

4. When you use your nail sharpener (you should instead of just clipping the nails off!) to keep your nails short you might as well give your fingertips some grooming with the nail sharpener. This will improve your

tone and stimulate your finger tips to become harder.

5. As you practice exercises on your guitar you need to play slowly and with a little more force to get a good tone. It is important that you don’t build tensions as you play. All musicians benefit from learning

relaxation techniques and stretching to prevent injuries.

6. Practice especially playing apoyando (support strokes) with all your fingers and listen to the tone and try to improve it as part of your playing.

If you feel that playing completely without nails is to hard for you, you might after this test period let them grow but you can keep them a lot shorter as your technique has improved. They will then work as the claws of a cat. Mostly not used but still affecting your tone and supporting your playing. As with long nails you will have to polish them and take care of them.

There are many more things to say about playing guitar without nails but personally this technique gives me a tone I like and an exciting and rewarding challenge.