Tone production on the classical guitar is perhaps one of the most important, and most challenging aspects of learning the instrument. Many of us were attracted to the instrument in the first place because of the beautiful sound the guitar can produce.
Creating a good sound on the classical guitar requires the player to work on a variety of aspects. There are many variables that will change the way you sound and it is important to understand all of them.
Nail shape and texture
Nails are normally our first point of contact with the string and they have a lot to do with how the sound will turn out. Therefore, it is very important that the surface of the nail that makes contact with the string has an even curvature (or straight line if you prefer) and is smooth. Everyone has different hands, and nails, so it is important to realize that there will be a lot of experimentation that has to happen before you settle on the right shape that suits your playing. In general I like to advise my students to shape their nails in the contour of the finger tip. This is always a good starting point which offers control and a fair bit of room for the angle of attack to vary without the sound changing too much. The length of one’s nails will vary from player to player as people have different types of finger tips. As a general guide I would say they should extend a few millimeters out from the finger tips so you can see them protruding when you have your fingers stretched out and are looking from the palm side of your hand.
To get your nails nice and smooth, you will need to use either a nail buffer, micro mesh, or some very fine sandpaper (1200 grit and up). After buffing the nails sufficiently the edge of your nail should shine and you will likely hear an immediate improvement in your sound.
You can normally get all the tools you need from your local chemist/drug store. I like to use a diamond nail file and a 4 way buffer.
Micro-Mesh Buffing Pads – These were really hard to find for a while, they are actually used for polishing scientific equipment! I love them and they never seem to wear out. Best way to improve your sound is to take care of your nail surface.
A question I get asked a lot from students is whether or not you need long nails to play the classical guitar. The short answer is no (no pun intended), you do not need to use nails to play the classical guitar, you can use your flesh/the pads of your fingers. What nails provide is more volume, a faster action and arguably more tonal variation. However, for many it is impractical to have long nails due to work, sports or perhaps they just don’t want long nails. You can get a perfectly beautiful sound without nails.
String activation
The sound from a guitar is made by vibrating the strings. The way you activate the strings will determine what kind of sound you get. I am using the word ‘activate’ instead of ‘pluck’ because most people associate the plucking motion with an upward, pulling movement when in actuality you need to push the string down, towards the face of the guitar to get a full sound.
Your instrument
The old saying goes ‘a poor tradesman always blames his tools’ and to an extent, there is truth in that. However, a good guitar will really help you develop a better sound. There is only so much projection you can get from a Yamaha C 100 and the tone of cheaper instruments can vary drastically because they are made to inconsistent standards. My advice is, get the best instrument you can afford. Remember to try out many instruments as you will find that certain instruments suit your playing style more than others. Just because your buddy sounds great on his guitar doesn’t mean its the one for you.
Your strings
Strings come into the mix when creating sound and when it comes to finding the string for you, experimentation is the name of the game. These days, with online shopping, strings can be bought very cheaply so its not too difficult to order a selection of strings and see what works best. In my experience different guitars function better with different strings. All of my lattice braced instruments seem to sound great with D addario but my fan braced guitar loves Savarez.
The acoustic space
Many of us spend a lot of time playing in the bedroom/living room and these spaces are not really optimal for sound. So, if you want to give yourself a little ego boost, find a little church with lots of stone and try playing in there. It is also good to vary the places you play as it is easy to develop a small sound when only practicing in your room. By playing outside, in bigger halls etc you will learn to project more.
For an in-depth look at this topic you can take the Cornerstone Method in CGC Academy.
Hi I play a lot of early lute music so i don’t use nails . so true to get a good instrument and try to get wood top to the period of music u are playing. Cedar vs spruce is good for Early music.
I have very short nails by comparison, but when I use a rest stroke, I get too much nail sound. how can I correct this?
Hi John,
It’s very hard to tell without seeing your nails and how you are producing the stroke in person, but it may be actually that your nails are a bit too short. I find that I get more of a “clicking” sound—is that what you mean by “nail sound”?—when my nails are too short. Like I said, however, there are other factors that could be producing an undesirable sound. How do you shape your nails, if I may ask? Not only what shape are your nails but how do you go about filing and then shaping the nails—do you use micro-mesh or some other buffer to smooth the nail as much as possible? And when you say “very short,” can you see any nail protruding from your fingertip when you look at your nails palm-side? Sorry to ask questions in reply but this is something that requires a bit of trial and error.
Peace,
Dave B (CGC team)
Try using a really high grit sandpaper to smooth your nails. Usually, when your nails make too much sliding sound it’s either because of rough or too long nails. Use sandpaper of 1000+ grit to smooth your nails. See if that helps you. I currently use a grit of 1100 but a friend of mine(who is extremely good) prefers much higher grit. But around the 1000 area should be good, just make sure it’s at least 1000.
I have been using 1200 grit, followed with a 3/4″ x 2″ leather pad. The ruff side of the leather is embedded with jewelers rouge. Then after practicing for a little while when it becomes a little harsh again a quick buff with the leather pad and the tone comes right back. I’m sure this is nothing new, but its easy to find and last for years.