GUITAR TIP: How to play classical guitar without nails

Most classical guitarists today play with nails, but was this always the case? What does the no nail technique sound like? How does the technique work?
In this video we'll explore these interesting questions and more!

➢BACKGROUND MUSIC: William Croft-Ground in C minor

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:27 History of no nail playing
3:40 How to play with nails
4:34 How to play without nails
6:17 No nail performance
7:42 The guitar I'm using
8:05 Nail vs. Flesh comparison #1
9:12 Nail vs. Flesh comparison #2
10:00 Nail vs. Flesh comparison #3
12:13 Tremolo without nails?
13:01 My take-aways
16:45 Send-off

#classicalguitar #guitartip #guitar

A huge thank you to my patrons on Patreon who keep this channel alive!

"Producer:"
-Sally Zimmerman

"#1 Fans: "
-Javier Artiles
-Musical Crusader

"Super-Patrons:"
-Håvard E Danielsen
-Tianhong Zhou
-Lyn Dawson
-Tony Dawson
-Mark B Garnick
-Christian Hirschmueller
-Matt Hefko

[brandonacker]

Get $30 OFF with the code GRANDOPENING

[andyhambletonfingerstylegu]

"You start off playing the guitar to get girls, and end up talking to middle aged men about your fingernails."
Ed Gerhard

[shitmultiverse]

This guy is so powerful he can extract and retract his nails at will

[Crovax]

you nailed it...


i'll show myself out

[googiwaumer]

I work with my hands as a metalworker -- goldsmithing, machinist, etc. So my nails have always been a trainwreck and I have to keep them very short. I simply can't ever grow and maintain 5 beautiful ramped nails on my right hand for the length of any work week. I've been a classical guitar student for 15 years and have always been told I'll "never get it right" since I don't have nails. However I've been playing "wrong" despite my "handicap" for all that time because I love the guitar. I'll never be a concert player -- just not in the cards. But I'll never stop loving to spend time playing for my own enjoyment. This video has been incredibly liberating to see that there are great classical players like you and MacKillop out there developing a body of technique for nail-less playing that stands on its own and to hear that there is such a long history of giants who played nail-less. I look forward to seeing ways toward improving my nail-less playing and developing toward a technique that needs no apology. Thanks very much!

[pindakaas]

You and Adam Neely are literally resposible for my persistent practicing for two years, after not having played for 15 years or so. Thanks.

[josephhubbard]

Title translation: 'People are onto the fact that I'm a vampire lord so I need to change things up'

[HardTourVela]

I've been a no nails player forever, just gonna watch to learn how wronh i've been doing it

[patrickcon]

I just can't get over this guy's technique. How can he possibly comb his hair that way?

[DH-fubx]

The no nail playing makes me really nostalgic. Basically the sound when I started to play the guitar as a kid

[WRPTechnology]

I am a long student of classical guitar. My teacher senior Hector Garcia taught me to play with no nails. I have always felt the lack of volume was traded with the full control of tone and softness of the intrustment. Growing up, other players I would see would play with nails, and it always seemed a bit of a controversy but i always maintained the guitar sounded more romantic without nails. Very happy you did this video.

[RheaBorja]

This is the best and most comprehensive video on how to play beautifully with no nails. As a pianist, I have to keep my nails very, very short, so I wondered whether I would be able to learn and play the guitar well with a no-nail method. This convinces me. Thank you, Brandon!

[vinhbuidoi]

I used play with nails, and I hated it because it is very inconsistent because the nails are changing. Last year I watched your video, I loved the idea. I started play guitar (acoustic, classical, electric) without nails and I love it. No more dependency. Now I watch this video again, this is a good chance for me to say thank you.

[mertinibus]

Y'all should really check out Rob MacKillop, he plays masterfully without nails. I fell in love with his rendition of adelita especially

[stevenqirkle]

I had a teacher named Phillip DeFremery in college who played classical guitar with no nails. His tone was just hauntingly beautiful and 20 years later it’s still what comes to mind when I think of the ideal guitar tone.

[nickspitzley]

I'm a steel string folk player. I play with a thumb pick and my fingers without nails. I find this warms up the higher strings and the thumb pick brightens up the bass notes.

[amaterasu]

As a no nail guitar player with 10+ years of experience i can say that for me personally playing with nails is much better. You dont appreciate nails until you have them. 2 years ago i decided to finally grow the nails and that was the best decision in my life in terms of guitar. Nails give you the sound. Of course, if you have no intensions of playing for any kind of a crowd playing without nails is totally fine. But if you want to have a loud attack with a great accuracy - nails is what you should have. Cause you just cant really control your attack with no nails. And another aspect is, when you perform in front of a crowd and adrenalin starts to kick in - your fingers are starting to sweat. And this is probably the worst thing about playing without nails. The skin on your fingers can hit multiple conditions throughout the perfomance and you always need to adjust. When with nails you're just playing with no adjustments. Anyway, just my opinion:)

[MrJennety]

as a chronic nailbiter, I gotta admit it's nice to see that a bunch of historic Classical composers were like
"nah, y'know what? Flesh is pretty cool actually"

[swman]

Nails sounds like it's played as a performance, and no nails sounds like it's being played for someone intimately

[MiloMcCarthyMusic]

I just love the no nails sound. It’s so much warmer.