Can You Play Guitar With Fake Nails?

Playing guitar requires the involvement of both hands to produce melodious sounds

that are pleasing to the ear. So, can you play the guitar with fake nails? It is often a question that many people who are learning how to play guitar ask.

And sometimes, guitarists who have never used fake nails to play before but probably want to try wearing false nails for some reason also ask the same question to know if the fake nails will make it difficult for them to fret a clean note correctly.

Yes, you can play the guitar with your fake nails. However, the length of the artificial nails plays a vital role in determining your results. And also, proper maintenance of your nails is essential when playing guitar with fake nails.

Fake nails are also known as false or artificial nails.

Let’s find out more about playing the guitar with fake nails.

How to Use Fake Nails to Play Guitar

To get the best result from using fake nails to play your guitar, it is advisable to keep your nails short. This way, you can still rock your artificial nails and properly fret clean notes.

In addition, you can still play your guitar with your fake long nails, especially if you are a manicurist and need to keep your nails long.

So, will the nature of your job discourage you from achieving your dream of playing the guitar?

The answer will be no, but you may not get the fullest and clearest sound. Also, fake long nails may not easily allow you to switch between different chords when playing your guitar.

However, while playing guitar with fake nails is possible, you must know that proper maintenance of your nails can hugely impact your performance. So keep those nails clean and well-trimmed.

And since natural nails break very easily even when you are not playing guitar with the nails, so it’s most likely to break when playing guitar because of too much pressure applied to the nails.

Consequently, many guitarists find playing their guitars with fake nails more comfortable.

Another thing you must know about playing guitar with fake nails is that fretting notes with false nails that are not strong may give you some problems. So, we advise you to get acrylic nails. All others are good, but acrylic nails do the perfect job.

Now let’s talk about the different fake or false nails available and the best for playing guitar.

What is The Best Fake Nail for Playing the Guitar?

There are different ‌fake nails, but not all of them are good for playing guitar. So to have the best result, get the one that is strong and durable. We will discuss three different fake nails here.

• Acrylic nails
• Gel nails
• Silk nail

1. Acrylic nails

Acrylic nails are the strongest and the most durable kind of artificial or fake nail used by guitarists. Over time, it grows with your normal original nail. For proper maintenance, ‌visit your nail technician every two to three weeks to fill the nail.

Then, when you are ready to take off the nails, ‌visit your nail technician for this, and do not remove them yourself to avoid harming your original nails. Many guitarists prefer to fix acyclic nails than any other nail.

2. Gel nails

Gel nails are equally strong but not as acrylic. They are also expensive and grow together with your original nail. You can visit your nail technician for maintenance every two to three weeks.

The removal process of gel nails is relatively easy. You can remove the nails by soaking them in nail polish.

Gel nails are also suitable for playing guitar, but just like we stated above, acrylic is more durable and convenient when considering wearing fake nails to play guitar.

3. Silk nails

Silk nails strengthen weak nails and aid in crooked nails’ growth. Therefore, you should not use silk nails to play the guitar.

How to Apply Fake Nails – for Guitarists

This guide will teach you how to apply fake nails as a guitarist.

Step 1: Remove the old nail

If you have old nails on your fingers, ‌take them off with acetone or any other nail remover. Wash your hands after using acetone or other polish removers because the chemical content of these products can dry up in your hands.

Step 2: Soak your hands and push back cuticles

Soaking your hands in warm water for about five minutes is essential because it will help the nails to stay long. Then, dry up your hands with a towel. Ensure not to soak your hands in any water that contains oil, as the presence of oil in the water will make it hard for the fake nail to stick.

Step 3: You need to trim and file your natural nails

Trimming your nails is necessary, as keeping them untrimmed will affect the fake nails. So, trim your nails short and use nail filler to smoothen all the edges of your nail.

Step 4 – Layout and match the fake nails

Here you need to bring out the nails and lay them out to match all the fingers in your hands. To do this, the biggest nail goes to your thumb, and the smallest nail goes to your smallest finger. You will repeat this process for all the fingers and ensure you match them all correctly.

Step 5: Start applying the nails with the glue

To apply your first nail, apply glue on your original and fake nail. Then take the fake nail and carefully place it on your fingernail. Ensure not to use‌ lots of glue, so it doesn’t run over to your hand. It will dry off and can be difficult to remove.

Repeat this process for all the nails, and keep in mind that you trim to the length that will enable you to fret the notes of your guitar.

Step – 6 File the nails

It would be best to use your nail filer, file the nails to your desired shape, and give them nice smoothing. Keep the nails smooth, so you won’t find it challenging to fret notes of the guitar.

Step – 7 Apply nail polish

Apply nail polish of your choice. Next, apply the nail polish to each nail, one at a time. Do not be in a hurry when doing this, so it doesn’t look rough.

Step 8 – Wash your hands and apply hand cream

Finally, wash both your hands thoroughly and apply your hand cream to keep them free from dirt and to keep them moisturized.

Conclusion

Playing guitar with fake or artificial nails is possible. And so, if you decide to wear your fake nails, try to keep the particular nail of the hand you intend to use to fret short; then, you can let the other hand’s nails be long.