Fingernails and tone

[g.]

Uh, thankyuh, thankyah, Randy, it's always nice to get at least half a round of applause (and a new set of half-round strings).

 

I came over to the "let the amp do more of the work" school of playing for this reason and others (I gots the juice). I still really dig in at times, but having some horsepower lets one get a lot more tones and dynamics from the hands without having to clobber oneself or suffer unevenness.

 

...The other 'nails trick I've occasionally been throwing into some lines lately (works nice on repeating eighths sections ferinstance) is to downswipe with the thumb while simultaneously upstroking the same string with the pointer or flipper 'nail.

 

You get the ZZTop (guitar parts) effect of a pinched harmonic overlaying the string's fundamental tone, and can vary the balance between the two by how you connect. And you can go to false harmonics by picking at harmonic node say an octave or an octave-and-a-fifth above where the other hand is fretting. If you follow the fretting hand's movement you can play entire lines transposed up accordingly.

 

This is really pick player territory on a guitar, but with 'nail it works surprisingly well on bass and allows you to quickly shift to other fingerstyle techniques. It sounds pretty cool set back to back with palm muting too : }

 

<-- greenboy ---<<<<    hears purists rolling over in their graves but hears bar audiences diggin' the guy on the "longneck guitar"

[bass_lover]

Although I've found that the sound of bass played with fingernails hard sounding,

and lacking some bottom it does provide a more defined and percussive attack.

Listen to Bernard Edwards and Chuck Rainey to hear players that use fingernails

to define their tone.

 

I think that Chuck Rainey mentioned that he started to use his nails as an answer to the the pick-

style players that were part of the studio scene when he started out.

 

I've found that it's frustrating to develop a sound using your nails

and having to constantly deal with them breaking, chipping and wearing down.

It becomes a real nuisance after a while. On more than one occasion, I remember

just saying "screw this" and just cutting them short.

[jeremy c]

if you break a nail, you glue it back together with nail glue (which is really the same thing as super glue). I do it all the time. and it always works.

 

Just don't glue your fingers together, otherwise you will have to cut them apart with a knife, which is not as painful as it sounds and much less painful than pulling your fingers apart.

 

I did have to have someone "cut me free, why doncha babe" between sets at a gig once...

[davebrownbass]

Yeah, all that superglue stuff scares me, since of what happened to that all night radio guy Art Bell.

 

Now this guy broadcasts from his studio in his home. He was doing a superglue project during a break, and the superglue top was glued stuck.

 

So he bit it and twisted, and glued his lips together, and glued fingers from both hands to his lips. While he was one the air.

 

And he frantically tried talking through the side of his mouth, telling his audience in a mumbling way, that he had glued his lips together and was gonna put on a tape and go to the ER.

[patrick_dont_fret]

Speaking of super glue... Has anyone here seen American Pie 2? Y'all were hoping that no one would bring it up, too.

 

As for tone, I always play with a jackhammer. Really brings the shake out. Cool harmonics, too. And slap doesn't get much better.

[KikkyMonk]

This might be OT, but does anyone have a nail strengthener tip?

try super glue as nail polish?

 

I dunno

 

Its the crack

 

Dave