Fingernails - picking hand

[spybeach007]

On the picking hand. I would like to know if everyone has long nails, and/or just on the thumb?
I am new to this and the videos show long thumb nails.
I would like to play without that as I have been
complained to from a job before when I had them long for banjo.
(and I dont like it myself)
What is the common practice and any thoughts?
I am ok (it seems) without long nails.
But what do I know?
Jim

[johnguitar]

Just my way and opinion, long on the thumb and 1-2mm long on the 4 fingers. Just my way.

[Sal Bonavita]

Hi Jim,
You can still get a reasonably strong sound without a long thumbnail. Like many other things about guitar playing, it's more a matter of training and how accuracy you play than the actual length of the nail. I have broken my thumbnail a few times and found I just had to play more carefully, closer to the string, and at a slightly different hand angle. After a while your hand gets used to adjusting the hand angle to compensate for shorter length.
Sal

[at_leo_87]

sal has a great six part series on youtube about nails

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[Howard]

Hey, I want to sound off on this. My fingernails always break under stress. So therefore I have gone to having very short fingernails on my picking hand, but a long thumbnail.  Well you don't want any huge long thunbnail like these gay classical guys have. Just long enough.  My fingernails break off all the time. So the solution for me is to keep them fairly short  and adjust. You don't need gay ass long fingernails to play the guitar.  You just got to have a little, and it needs to be strong. Some Sally Hanson stuff or something similar is in order.

Happy strumming!