Hooked Nail

[Lee Eisenstein]

Hi Folks,

Does anyone know of any way to correcting a hooked nail?

I've developed one on my "a" finger, have searched the net but not found any way of straightening the bugger out.

Mahalo & Aloha,
Lee

[NLong]

This little thing at the bottom of the page is supposed to help. I have the same problem, but nail strengthener fixes it a little.

http://www.mangore.com/thing.html

[Tomas-Lobos]

Soak the offending nail in hot water for a couple of minutes ( as hot as you can stand it) then gently bend and shape it to relieve the 'hook'. This will last through a practice session. I also use pure glycerin to keep the nails pliable. A small drop on each nail morning and evening and rubbed into the nail and cuticle will keep them from becoming brittle, especially in the winter months. Something that has never been mentioned on this forum is the benefit of eggs to nails. Eggs are the most complete form of protein available to us. Two eggs per day in your diet will do wonders for you nails.
Yeah, I know, there's that cholesterol thing. B***s**t! I'd rather live five years less and enjoy my food and play guitar with hookless nails.

[GSI Fan]

...Does anyone know of any way to correcting a hooked nail?...

Yep...Cut it!!! :wink:

[DWPC]

I have hooked nails on I & M. I found the shaping techniques described in Parkening's Vol. II helped me considerably. He recommends holding each nail at a very low angle to and above the file. I lay my hooked nails almost flat on the file to do this. When you file this way, the hook is mostly removed but leaves a squarer than desirable nail shape with a thin knife edge, so you'll need more length to adjust and shape it after working down the hook. Using this technique has reduced my snagging problems considerably.

Considering how this problem seriously affects so many players, its odd that it gets so little attention in guitar literature.

[ricecrackerphoto]

i had hooked nails also on all but my pinky and it was always due to my having soft and thin nails. well after fooling with polishes and strengtheners, i've finally found the solution.

i've been taking calcium-magnesium pills for the past two weeks and man, my nails are like steel now! they grow slower but they are way thicker and stronger. i actually scratched myself this week washing my face because i'm so unused to having strong nails and they're longer than they've ever been. my daily does is 1000mg of calcium and 500mg of magnesium. buy quality pills also, cuz you get what you pay for. my friend was taking these per doctors orders for her teeth and she noticed that her nails were getting absolutely ridiculous.

don't know if this will help out your hooked nail problems like it did mine but its changed everything for me. my tone and attack are both crisper and my golpes are loud and bright!

doug

[Sharstrom]

Just developed hooked nails on my i and m, first time ever after years. Odder still, some days they are hooked and some days not. Hmmmm. In any case, haven't found a solution...just have begun altering the angle and attitude of my fingers to the strings and so far have no trouble. Well, couple times here and there I've caught a string, but then once aware of it I don't any more that day.

[dkj]

Sharstrom

I have a terrible hook on my i finger. It’s plagued me for years. The section on nail shaping in Charles Duncan’s book The Art of Classical Guitar Playing helped a lot--solved my problem actually.

With the hooked nail you file it straight across and slightly round the corners. His approach is that each nail is filed according to it’s particular arch.

I highly recommend this book.

dkj

[Sharstrom]

Thanks for the heads–up. I'll give that book a look. I learned, way back, or started learning, with the old Aaron Shearer Vol. 1, and haven't looked at another text book. So far, slightly altering my attack angle, fingertips-to-stgs, is working tho' it can be a bit obnoxious.

[ClassicalGtrPlyr]

Ive heard alot of solutions for that like heating it with a heat gun the using a spoon to bed it.. but theres solutions out there but i dont have a hooked nail but i heard if you do it rong you will burn yourself so BeWaRe!!! lol





I need members!!!!! www.classicalguitar.proboards106.com

[ally872001]

use a candlelight and a nail file.
lightly warm up your nail in the candlelight, while raising your nail with your file from underneath your nail.