But honestly, the real reason I keep my nails short is...
You cannot play the piano with long nails.
Case in point...
A student came in today who always seems to have long nails. I am frustrated. I have told this student over and over to cut her nails. Her long nails make it impossible for her to have the finger curvature necessary to play piano. The final knuckle joint in her fingers always buckles. Her fingers are flat and her wrists collapse. I believe I have already addressed the nail issue with her parents. But the problem has persisted for many months. As a result, she plays with a weak sound and sloppy execution. She cannot get her fingers to do what she wants.
Maybe it's time for a sign to go on my wall....
"Leave your ego and vanity at home. Humble hearts and short nails welcome."
I try so hard not to have a punitive teaching approach, but maybe I need to start writing tickets from the Piano Police. Or cancelling lessons if they arrive with long nails (ok, maybe too harsh). Is it that hard? Maybe I need to sell a beginner piano packet that includes nail clippers with the metronome. Or I could put a checklist on their practice sheet...are your nails short?
No - I have it. I will give them engraved nail clippers at the end of the school year as my "thank you for your business" gift.
Here's the deal, folks. Long nails don't make for good piano playing. Long nails make fingers go flat. This results in low wrists and poor technique, leading to a high rate of error in one's playing. Want to do a fast scale run? Want to do anything fast? Well you may as well forget it if your nails are long. Even if you're playing slowly, long nails lead to sloppy execution. So let go of your vanity and cut them. And that goes for boys too! Boys are just as guilty of growing man-claws.
Cut them every week, as short as you can. And please, please, cut them before your lesson! You cannot play guitar, violin, and most other instruments with long nails. So don't think you're the only one subject to this grooming imperative. No matter what instrument you play -- nails just get in the way!
You're not going to pout about your short, boyish nails? This whole post sounds like a long pout.
ReplyDelete"Leave your vanity at the door" signs? Who do you think you are? Beethoven?
Incidentally, my name is Darrin Blake.
She is completely right, though. If you don't want to completely brickwall your technique and develop bad playing habits, short nails are a must. As a college music major, I can attest that bad habits developed young are one of the most destructive hindrances on technique later. Probably more so than having a lesser technique altogether!
ReplyDeleteI'm just a student pianist. I agree long nails really do get in the way. I don't, however, agree with your wording. It's up to that student if she wants to have long nails- and from what you've said, piano could very well be a hobby she doesn't much care for. From her point of view, why should she cut her long, gorgeous nails that she spent months grooming and growing, for a single piano lesson?
ReplyDeleteAnd on that note, why do nails need be cut once a week? Studies show that nails, with perhaps exception, grow at somewhere between 2-4mm a month. 2mm is just enough to begin tapping, and causing a little low performance on occasion.
2 or 3 weeks makes sense. A week is ridiculous.
I'm probably just reventing for no reason, so I apologise, farewell.