Need help and advice about fingers...

[kantian7]

Okay guys, I'm a new member, so go easy on me.
I taught myself to play about 11 years ago, and started with a pick learning songs by my favorite artists. I've always gravitated towards the sound of finger picking, but I have a health condition that creates a symptom known as "clubbing" in my fingers. The result is a finger nail that is shaped differently than a normal finger and a nail that is not as "recessed" on the tip of the finger. If I hold a finger up and point directly to the left, looking at the side of my finger, even when my nails are trimmed as short as possible, the nail is even with, or just a hair past the tip of the pad of my finger.

Does anyone have any experience with this, and is this something that anyone has found a way to get around in a manner that will preserve the soft sound/tone of finger picking but incorporate quick finger picking motions?

Thanks for the help. I searched and didn't see anything that fit the description.
Thanks,
Brandon

[funkygroover694]

so are you saying that your nail is hitting the strings when you play...?

[kantian7]

Yep, my nail hits the string, but i'm really starting to believe that this is more a function of the shape of my finger...
if you google "cf clubbing fingers" some of the first images you will see show the different shape of my fingers, primarily the tips...

[kb9wyz]

Originally Posted by kantian7

Yep, my nail hits the string, but i'm really starting to believe that this is more a function of the shape of my finger...
if you google "cf clubbing fingers" some of the first images you will see show the different shape of my fingers, primarily the tips...

Can you use the thumb method or is your thumb the same way?

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by kantian7

Okay guys, I'm a new member, so go easy on me.
I taught myself to play about 11 years ago, and started with a pick learning songs by my favorite artists. I've always gravitated towards the sound of finger picking, but I have a health condition that creates a symptom known as "clubbing" in my fingers. The result is a finger nail that is shaped differently than a normal finger and a nail that is not as "recessed" on the tip of the finger. If I hold a finger up and point directly to the left, looking at the side of my finger, even when my nails are trimmed as short as possible, the nail is even with, or just a hair past the tip of the pad of my finger.

Does anyone have any experience with this, and is this something that anyone has found a way to get around in a manner that will preserve the soft sound/tone of finger picking but incorporate quick finger picking motions?

Thanks for the help. I searched and didn't see anything that fit the description.
Thanks,
Brandon

The problem in your sound is two different materials, skin and nail. Because you can't cut your nails back to allow the finger tips to play on just the skin, and i would not suggest you try and play with your nails you need to find a solution that gives you one option to play with a consistant covering.

The fact skin regenerates itself due to the wear and tear of friction on the strings you need to find a glove like covering or protection for your fingers. Soft enough to allow movement, feel and let the skin breathe, but durable or cheap enough the the cost of replacing it all the time is minimal.

An idea to consider and work from is a golfers glove. They are soft enough to allow the player to have feel, let the hand breathe, they are available in many formats and materials, easy to get a hold of, come in many sizes to cover a range of hand sizes etc. In this way you have the consistancy of covering, the amp EQ will soften and shape the sound.

Not a perfect solution, but it does offer that consistancy and it may also make you think of a similar product that is better than this option.

Good luck and please let us know if you find a solution..always great to hear players beating adversity.

[tZer]

I have used cloth band-aids in the past when I had a cut on one of my plucking fingers and I found that putting one band-aid over the tip from nail side to pad side, then a second wrapped around the tip to secure it worked really well and didn't sound too different from my non-band-aided finger.

If you wrapped two fingers like that - with the cloth style band-aids, I think after a few minutes of playing you'd get used to it pretty quickly.

[Dave in LB]

The old Saying :"If you can't fix it duct it." comes to mind. I had a really horrible case of blisters a while back and used duct tape like mentioned above and it worked good. I would say that a cloth tape would be nicer or try Flex Wrap style bandage cut in strips. The cloth will give a more natural sound.

[kantian7]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've debated trying to get something surgically done. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but i can pick moderately fast with my fingers, but the inconsistency of the notes due to the frequent nail hits drives me bananas. I'm going to check out some golfers gloves and see if that would work, and also the bandaid idea...
Thanks again,
and I will let you all know if I come up with a good solution!
-Brandon

[Marty Forrer]

I'd be inclined to forget about using fingers and work on a good pick sound. Carol Kaye and Anthony Jackson can sound pretty damn good with a pick. Just my opinion.