Do longer finger nails make pizz. sound different?
 

I've grown my nails slightly because I need to play guitar at work (I teach music to classes of adolescents). The nails are not good for bass guitar playing, but I really like the sound I get with pizz. on the big fiddle. The nails aren't actually brushing the strings but, somehow, they seem to give a bit more attack to the sound. They give a sort of NHOP sound and I like it. Any thoughts?

you now have a new unique selling proposition

what? I should sell my fingernails?

i think that fingernails always get in the way on the bass. they have their place: on classical guitars and chalkboards!

Chalkboards? I thought it was all whiteboards these days.
When I mentioned finger nails, I didn't really mean ones long enought to play classical guitar - I was more thinking of finger reinforcement. There's a length that seems to make your finger tips a little more rigid (no pun on my Christian name intended).

i'm still not sure about finger re-enforcement. i mean, pizz should be played more with the entire finger - not just the tip. that's how ray brown got his massive sound out. finger tips are too weak on their own and i don't think that any nail length will fix that problem. still, its my opinion that fingernails of all lengths get in the way. i keep mine as short as possible at all times!:eek:

Yes, there are certainly times to play with the whole finger. I use three fingers and the nail part is not the whole equation. However it does reinforce behind the pad that is the end of the finger. Though, to be honest, I haven't thought much about pizz. lately as my practice has been almost entirely arco; and I haven't had any gigs for a few weeks.

I can't imagine playing with the inside edges of fingernails.
One thing I do do (that voodoo that you do so well) ;) is something I copped from my mentor Red Mitchell. When I want a different color during a solo I will use the back (or, the surface) of my index finger nail to get a more intense kind of ""zing" on a particular note for color. That attack makes a note stick out real nice now and then.

Interesting.
I've actually got way past the finger nail thing, though I was only thinking of the nail as a finger stiffener (I don't think I spelt that right), not something to actually strike the string with.

I have always found the useing the meaty part of either index finger or index and middle fingers together produces the most fat sound.