Clipping your nails

[allchopin]

Have you ever played a fast and intricate piece and you caught a fingernail in a crack?  Ouch- worst feeling ever.  Ive found that clipping them before hand is a good idea- anyone else do this>?

[Hmoll]

Have you ever played a fast and intricate piece and you caught a fingernail in a crack?  Ouch- worst feeling ever.  Ive found that clipping them before hand is a good idea- anyone else do this>?

Not just cathching a fingernail in a crack - btw, that's far from the worst feeling in the world - keeping your nails short will keep them from clicking on the keys, which is very annoying.

[Wired]

I have a horrible habit of chewing them, so they're pretty short most of the time  :-/

[eddie92099]

I have a horrible habit of chewing them, so they're pretty short most of the time  :-/

Just don't chew them too short or you'll be playing through pain!
Ed

[Wired]

Just don't chew them too short or you'll be playing through pain!

Don't worry, after this much time, it's down to a science. They're always picture perfect

[dj]

hey my fingernails actually start 2 crack if i leave them for too long. that gets pretty annoying

[erak]

I have the same bad habit as Wired  :-/. But I'm not as evolved in the art of fingernail chewing as him, and I tend to bite in the flesh or pull out a piece of flesh. This hurts like a *** when I have to play. And, I'm too lazy to clip them... Oh well, I learned to live with it, and try to be more careful when chewing:D.

[rEdundant]

From my point of view, I find the chewing method to be much more effective than the conventional clipping. Risky, but achieves a better finish if done correctly...

[erak]

And, you can do it right before a concert so no need to bring a clipper! tadaa, all your nail problems solved! :p

[rEdundant]

Fantastic.

[ylling]

Talk about nails, I have started to teach a friend piano. She is keen to learn but refuse to trim her nails, she keeps long nails. Should I persuade her on cutting her nails short, or should I just ignore the "rule" where nails should be short for piano playing ?

[erak]

She has to cut her nails short! It can be SOOO very painful, and it messes up your hand stand. You start playing with flat fingers if you have long nails