Great advice! From what I can tell, you play with quite short nails. I go back and forth between very short nails and no nails touching the string at all, and prefer just enough nail to strongly support my fingertips. Do you have any comments on this topic?
Thank you for your comment, Gary. Yes, I play with short(er) nails. I find that it allows me to get more of the fundamental in the tone, and less of the higher partials. Nail length is largely a personal issue, with the shape of your fingers determining the optimal length and contour. Basically, I adhere to Scott Tennant's advice about nails from his book Pumping Nylon. I agree with his "ramps" logic. Hope that helps!
This is great, what to do with my thumb when playing rest or free strokes with my fingers has always bothered me and it's never mentioned or discussed in tuition books.
Thanks you! The "Rest Stroke (probably more ridged ) is where the fingers extend downward and the thumb anchored. In the "Free Stroke " the fingers are more curved and the thumb follows. Now after 8-10 years of playing the Phrygian scale, I can try to figure out what I'm really using.
