Can You Play Bass With Long Nails

Whether you're switching from playing guitar to bass or just desire to give up your long nails, It's very obvious to ask whether or not I tin can play bass with long nails to go a prissy-sounding tone?

Here's the deal:

Yous could play bass with long nails and get the desired sounding tone merely it required to make some serious adjustments in your playing technique. Longer nails let y'all to burnish your sound with a squeamish boost in book as compared to playing with fingertips.

Let'due south become into some of the ways that will help you to play bass without giving up on your beautiful long nails.

How to Play Bass with Long Nails?

Here're some of the constructive strategies that I used back then to play my bass guitar with long fingernails:

1. Alter your Playing Technique

Instead of strumming with your long nails or even pick, try to fingerpick the strings of the bass. Although in the showtime, you require a bit of time to get used to the fingerpicking technique, but information technology allows you to pluck one string at a time and pull information technology out with the other two fingers.

Also, if you want to utilise a choice, endeavour property it like a pencil, so your nails won't go far the style of it and prevents unwanted hits on the strings. This way, yous don't accept to rub your nails confronting the bass strings.

What virtually the Nails on the fretting hand:

While it is possible to play chords and fret notes with the flat part of your fingers but as you're non directly playing with your fingertips, it's a bit harder to get a clear-sounding, fullest tone from the bass. that'due south why many bassists adopt to keep their nails short – at least on the fretting manus.

two. Endeavour Filing your Nails

Filling your nails is another great way to enhance your playing experience. If you're only starting out, you tin file your nails in a round shape that helps you to get a fuller tone while fingerpicking.

One more than nail shape you might desire to try is slopped nails or a share where your nails resemble the shape of the pick. You tin choose the slopping angle as per your comfort, just make sure your nail is smooth and there are no hard edges.

Notation: if you use your nails instead of a pick on heavy gauge strings, you might terminate up breaking your nails.

3. Use Alternate Tunings

This is another great option that can assist you to play bass with long nails by allowing you to adjust the shape of the power chords, then they can accommodate your manicure.

For Ex: In a Driblet D Tuning, you downward-tune your instrument from Eastward-A-D-G to D-A-D-G. It non only increases the tonal range of the bass merely also allows you to for faster fingering. Here's how you can achieve a Drop D bass tuning on your bass easily.

Disadvantages of Playing Bass with Long Nails

If you're looking for a clearest possible sound from your bass guitar, yous demand to trim your nails upto fingertips. If you take a short fingernails and fretting the notes with your fingertips, it avoid damaging your fingers while making it much easier for you to switch between chords and move around the fretboard.

As I already mentioned, you need to make an adjustment in your technique. In the process, your nails are going to rub against the bass strings, and non only information technology is bad for your nails but likewise creates unwanted noises.

Can You Play Bass with Fake Nails?

You tin play your bass by wearing fake acrylic nails. Although fake nails can allows yous to go crisp and consistent notes while existence much less clunky than a clothing finger picks, simply it required a lot of practice to get used to with adjustment in your playing technique.

Terminal Thoughts on Playing Bass with Long Nails

Although mastering all the playing techniques I mentioned above will going to accept a lot of work merely It's possible to play even a professional person-level bass guitar while keeping your nails.

The only thing you need to decide is: What is more of import for you, the Bass guitar or your Long Nails? Or do you like to get into the sweet spot to find a balance between them?

I desire to know your stance? Accept you ever tried playing with long nails? What is your feel? What do y'all recall, which technique is more than efficient?

If you detect this article helpful, please share it with your beau bass players. Happy Music!

You May Also Like to Read:

How to Melody your Bass without Tuner?
Exercise Bass Players Use Pedals?
Do yous Need a Bass Amplifier?
What is the Weight of Bass Guitar?

Most Author

Vishal

Hii, My name is Vishal Dorge and I am from Bharat. I am the Creator of this site and want to help people merely similar you and me who enjoy music through the heart and want to acquire it, especially near the guitar. Read More than About Vishal Dorge Here