When you start out playing the ukulele, you may not realize that your nails are an important part of your ability to play. Most experienced players will tell you that they have different lengths on their nails depending on what the hand and the fingers are doing when they play. Continue reading if you have asked, “Can you play ukulele with long nails?”
Nails on Strumming Hand: Long vs. Short
Ukulele players find that using fingernails on your strumming hand can add volume and tones to your music. They need to be long, but they should also be shaped correctly or they can break and become uneven. This will cause a weak or shrill sound, and they can even catch on the strings.
Experts recommend that people who are just learning how to play the ukulele wait to learn how to use the nails. While you are starting out, keep them short. If you don’t know how to use them and they are too long, they can make it harder to learn how to keep your fingers curved. Once you have more experience, you can add in using nails.
When you have short nails on your strumming hand, you can create warm tones. You can also concentrate on how your fingers move while you are developing control and coordination. Once you become more experienced, you can choose whether to grow your nails and use them or keep them short.
If you decide to grow your nails on your strumming hand, you will create a louder sound and be able to strum without irritating your fingers. The most common way to strum is with your index finger. You do this with the fingernail side down. Your nail will touch the strings on the way down, and the skin on your finger will touch it on the way up.
Nails on Fretting Hand: Long vs. Short
It can be very difficult to play the ukulele with long nails on the fretting hand. It is possible, but you will need to make sure that the flat part of your finger can touch the fret. It is hard to master this technique, but it is possible.
It is one thing to try this with your natural nails, but it is nearly impossible to do it with acrylics. It will be hard to hold a minor chord, so you will be limited. It is best to keep your fretting hand nails short so that you can play all of the chords and produce sharp tones.
How Does Dolly Parton Play Guitar with Acrylic Nails?
If you have ever seen Dolly Parton play guitar, you may have noticed that she has acrylic nails. People who notice it always want to know how she does it. In an interview, Dolly Parton said that she takes the acrylics off and files her nails short when she is writing songs at home. She said she can’t use her left hand when she is writing songs and practicing.
She leaves the right hand because she said that her acrylics work well as picks. One way that she has learned to deal with her long nails is through open tuning. She can use just one of her fingers on all of the strings in all of the different sections of the frets. This allows her to create the sound she wants.
Tips for Growing and Maintaining Nails for Strumming and Finger Picking
Even though your nails may be shorter than the length of your finger, the nail can get in the way when you press the finger against the fret. You should keep the nails on your fret hand shorter, but don’t make them too short. You can reach the sensitive part of your nail underneath when you trim them too short. Trim your fretting hand so that there is a small amount of white nail showing. Make sure that you trim your nails and file them regularly, as jagged or crooked nails can interfere with your playing.
You don’t need to worry as much about the length of nails for strumming and finger picking. The important thing is to make sure that you maintain your nails by filing them regularly. You don’t want them to get crooked or break off, as this can interfere with how your ukulele sounds.
When you file your nails, you should make sure that you smooth out any sharp edges. This is important on your fret hand, but it is even more important on your picking hand. When you pluck the strings, your skin will contact the string, and your nail helps to create a platform that has friction so that the string is released from your finger in a smooth fashion. Make sure that your nails on this hand are rounded to mimic the shape of your finger.
