Nail separation in plucking fingers

[Insederec]

is that Index finger plucking in the picture? if so move your hand up.

No, I was just demonstrating the general thing the joint does when plucking.

Here is a video of the floating thumb by Adam Nitti

The "rest stroke" versus the "free stroke" is what I meant when I said that I'm trying to avoid my nails hitting the string. I'm trying to angle back my hand but when I do it collapses. I'll keep experimenting though.

(snip)
You shouldn't need to put any more force into your picking fingers then that.

This is a great way to look at it, I'll try that.


Thanks for the replies everybody, I really appreciate the advice. After finals this month I'll really get to work on all this and hopefully come out the other side more relaxed and controlled. Wish me luck.

 

[Spacecase]

Play lighter. That happens to mine only when I play way too hard or too much. You need to have a good setup that is low enough.

Try the "floating thumb," where your thumb extends down over the strings you're not playing (like if you are playing a note on the D string, the thumb is what is muting the E and A). I find that straightens out my wrist more and puts my playing fingers at a more natural curve. Lowering your whole hand closer to the bass means that when you're playing , and pulling your finger across the string to land on the next (you are doing that now), it doesn't back-bend that joint as much.

Exactly what I'd recommend. If you do it well, your hand is very relaxed and the thumb is available for fingerpicking.

As for playing with fingernails, I like the attack and note definition. My nails are pretty wimpy, so I reinforce them with fiberglass and crazy glue. It takes time to develop the technique to cut and apply the fiberglass, but you'll eventually get the hang of it.

 

[Insederec]

(snip)
As for playing with fingernails, I like the attack and note definition.
(snip)

Personally, I don't at all. I prefer the Geddy Lee approach. I like the attack to be fully on the pad.

 

[Stumbo]

Good luck with finals!

Check in later.

 

[Watchootognbout]

My right hand technique is an odd case. I've got a 90 degree hitchhiker's thumb, the last joints in my right hand collapse (I have tried a more "proper" bent fingers approach which does work but no matter how I trim my nails all I can hear is a very bright and sharp sound of my nails and I can't get any sort of volume out of it without slowing down to a crawl, so instead I angle my hand back to get the meat to hit it, which collapses the joints, which slows me down also but not as bad), and (sort of the heart of the issue?) my fingernails separate from the nail bed, at least from the way I play. It's mildly uncomfortable but it never becomes inflamed or bleeds or anything like that, I can just see the white part that extends out of the nail bed creep inward about a millimeter or so. Sometimes it just makes me want to play with a pick so it doesn't hurt, even if I'm playing funk. I think the separation is not because when I hit the string the string pulls it, but more like the pad of my finger does some unknown thing and it pushes the skin in just the right way. I do think it happens to a bigger degree when the tip of the pad of my finger grazes the string though.

I've played for 9 years and it's always been this way, although the nail thing is in the past couple years because I've gotten confident enough to really dig in when I pluck. Can anybody give me any advice to fix my technique, and does anybody else have the problem with the collapsing joints? Maybe I just haven't practiced the "right way" enough and once I work on it it will be fine.

I don't have a "Jaco thumb"but my nails stick out just enough

that it sounds like I'm using a pick!!
On fretted that's OK.
But for fretless I don't want that!!It destroys that fine "Mwah"!

So I have to do this

to my plucking finger nails.
I use a double cut file to file down the end and corners of my nails.
So it takes the hard edge off my plucking sound.