One of the most common questions that arise when discussing fingerstyle is if you should use nails or flesh when playing. 

Nails require you to either grow out your fingernail or apply acrylics whereas flesh doesn’t require any additional maintenance except for cutting the nails.

You may be asking, what are the main differences and advantages/disadvantages between the two?

Nails

Right off the bat, nails are going to provide a brighter tone due to the material that is striking through the string. With proper shaping and filing technique the nails could provide a warmer tone. This requires several adjustments with the filing of the nail in order for the nail to come out just right for your specific right hand technique. There are many different angles & approaches but all have the same principle.

This picture demonstrates a good nail length and shaping to start with:

Flesh

This route is the most common to start with, as it doesn’t require any additional work in order to play fingerpicking guitar. If we forget the nails and disregard any artificial product we use our flesh to fingerpick. The flesh provides a much warmer tone and less volume as well as dynamic range since it’s not likely to project as well as nails. 

Here is a video on nail shaping I recommend:

Deciding on your nails or flesh is based on your personal taste and the sound that you’re trying to achieve. If you were a fingerstyle player or classical guitar player it is recommended that you at least try the nails and see if they’re a good fit for you. If you have brittle nails, there are hardening products and vitamins that can help to be able to strengthen them.

Learn more about technique through our FREE Fingerstyle Workbook!

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