Advice please.

I have a piano student who has been with me for five years now. She has always been very conscientious in the way she learns and practises, resulting in good grades, and she is currently learning pieces for Grade 6.

As she morphs into a confident young woman, she is becoming more fashion conscious, and her finger nails are getting longer with every passing term. This is inevitably resulting in a very flat-fingered style of playing which is becoming a bit of a problem. She is a very nice person, and I have no wish to upset her.

How do other teachers address this problem?

I point out that it can be a hindrance (and that clicking nails don't really enhance the sound) and demonstrate how this is so.
I also point out that when you play a fast run and your nail gets caught between the keys it hurts!
Apart from that I tell them it's up to them. Those who go off and discover (sometimes slowly) that they actually really like playing the piano do come round to finding out that long nails are not really compatible.
The days when we could insist and even produce nail scissors for immediate use are long gone....

It must be pretty difficult to play at grade 6 level with long fingernails. When she gets rid of them she will probably be even better than before.

I am surprised you have to convince her though. If my music teacher said 'no fingernails' then God help you if you had fingernails, no joke. If she said the world was flat, then it was flat

One idea is to say that fingernails grow back quickly, so would she be prepared to cut them off and just try. Maybe she will be so pleased that she won't go back to long nails.

A second argument is to remind her that she could keep short fingernails, but use false ones for important nights out. Lots of women do that. But I think there has to be a minimum nail length to glue them on and they can damage your original nails.

Oops, I realised you were asking other teachers, I am not a teacher but that's what I think anyway.

A student of mine had false nails for a party.
Shortly after she had a mock exam with my teacher.
I was a bit shocked when my teacher's first comment about how it went was 'What's with the fingernails?'
It was hard to believe that she'd not removed them for the mock exam...

I had a piano teacher at secondary school, a few moons ago, who threatened to cut my nails for me if I didn't cut them before the next week's lesson. I've never had long finger nails and was usually very good at keeping them at an appropriate length. One week when I'd forgotten to file them/hadn't got round to it, my nails were clicking on the piano keys and my teacher had a real go at me about it. I remember her as quite a draconian character... not just for that incident!

Ah yes, unfortunately so..although I do keep nail clippers handy just in case the student wants to take it upon themselves..
I try to keep my own nails looking nice hoping to convince female pupils you can have the best of both worlds. I am lucky in that my nail-beds start quite far back so my nails still look quite long even when they are not, so better to convince students with. When I can be bothered I'll wear clear varnish and have been known to use bright purples or greens in order to get a reaction from pupils "I like your nails" so that I can reply "yes, and look, no click!"

I try nail varnish occasionally but I don't like the feel of it on my nails. It makes them feel like they can't breathe and it changes the weight of my fingers.

If, as you say, she's morphing into a confident young woman, then I think with the best will in the world, you can only point out the facts why long nails are a problem for pianists and see what comes of it. In the end, you can't do anything else, and she has to make the decision. If she continues with them as you describe, then piano playing not going to much fun

REALLY??
Wow..

I don't like it particularly. It gets chipped and looks tatty very easily on me
And if it comes into contact with another string while you're playing it makes a funny zingy noise.

I point out all the same drawbacks as in the earlier replies, and furthermore, that while their nails are long they will have to use the rather tatty upright piano at their lessons, rather than the very nice Steinway B.

This is one of a few issues with one of my v. musical and potentially v. able players. She's lost focus, discipline and enjoyment sadly. Nails and avoidance of 4th and 5th fingers are starting to limit her.
Re the nails as a bloke I can't be a role-model, but I did think that if only she had someone at school a couple of years older and a couple of years better that might lead to change more than my gentle comments.

Ive never considered having long fingernails !

Mine are given two alternatives - scales on the synthesiser or theory. Now I know perfectly well it is considered bad educational practice to use aspects of work as punishment but I am not going to have their nails caught and their fingers bleeding on my piano keys. I have never had any persistent offenders because they get the point quite quickly. There are few things about which I am really rigid but this of one of them. They can choose - long finger nails or piano lessons. You can't play football in high heels!

I am fairly gentle in my warnings as young teenagers start getting fashion conscious, I do go about it gradually but after the third time I get tough. I'm not a great fanatic for fashion any way , stiletto heels and the rest. I find it very hard to take long nailed women seriously.

My daughter's cello teacher keeps a pair of nail scissors hanging on a piece of string outside her teaching room, with a note inviting pupils to use them...

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my request for advice. Your contributions have made fascinating reading. Clearly I'm a bit of softy and should take a tougher stance, or should I....

If I had the space for, and could afford, a Steinway grand, the idea of restricting access would appeal greatly, but the threat of studying theory would not work as all of my piano students receive theory tuition as a matter of course, and the girl in question is very conscientious about her theory work.

Perhaps leaving nail scissors and a file in a prominent place, and glancing at them from time to time...

And I did wonder about printing off this thread for her to read, but then again....

I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not at all sure.

It's nice that you care so much about not putting her off. It sounds like you have a good relationship with your student and she has stuck with you as a teacher for a long time.

I don't think there is any harm in asking her to try it, I don't think it's on a par with making demands or being a 'scary music teacher'. If she is growing up then she should be able to make the decision, she might choose not to cut her nails but at least she will have given it consideration.

Having said that, you're absolutely right that a tiny criticism or comment can feel like a big deal when you are that age. I should add that I re-read my first comment about one of my old teachers and reflected that that approach didn't turn out so well in the end after all...

It is entirely your perogative how much you wish to force the issue, but it is absolutely your duty to spell out the issue in no uncertain terms to her, so that she completely understands the problem and can at least make her own mind up about it in full posession of the facts.

Tiptoing around the issue, saying nothing or just dropping subtle hints actually shows your pupil a lack of respect, however kind your intentions.

Confession time!!! I have short nails as a piano teacher. Because of the design of my fingers, some of my nails still click softly on the keys anyway, but it's not as obvious as when they all click.

However, I do quite like longer nails. So, at the end of every school term (I work to school terms) I allow my nails to grow a bit, and paint them if I feel like it (not very often). Then when it comes to the start of term, whoosh - I'm back to short nails. My nails are not so long it prevents me from practising in the holidays, I just have more clicking to listen to.

I know what sbhoa means about the feel of varnish on the nails - I'm not sure it's the actual weight but I always play differently because I'm conscious of chipping the wretched varnish.

To the OP - you could always suggest that she allocates a week during school holidays to let the nails grow a bit - of course it would only work if you teach during term time and not during school holidays.

The solution to long fingernails is simple : cut them !
Their clicking on the keys makes an ugly sound interfering with the music, and they have no place on a pianist's hands.

Tell her how it is - you can have long fingernails or good technique but they are mutually exclusive. If she want's long fingernails her music will suffer: Her call.

Not just nails in this bolshy teen category either. At least bling and piano are not too problematic! She usually keeps it on for piano. But her teacher has always had a completely understandable rule re bling and harp. Anything that might damage the finish of the harp or alter the finger movement is a no no. So that is dangly necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. So with some reluctance DD removes her bling for harp lessons and most of it for her practice. Small rings stay on but doesnt seem to be a problem. Then she met 2 Italian harpists - both professional - for whom the no bling (and nail polish which some harpists feel strongly about too) rules clearly didnt apply. Although I note both cut down a bit for performance! So now she is extra bolshy about it.

She has however got the link between long nails and piano clicking and inability to play the harp strings without buzzing so at least her nails are short.

And our latest discussions in this teen saga were around the unsuitability of short skirts and harp up on a stage performance. She thought thick tights solved this issue and I was adament they did not.

I await with interest whether tats and piercings are going to be on the agenda in the future. She is quite unkeen on pain so maybe not. They may not affect your tone but they sure would look a bit unusual for a classical harpist!

Actually once i found out how long fingernails was making my fingers slip off the keys and getting frustrated i went to cut them. Actually, you should just tell her directly how long fingernails will affect her playing. I don't think there is much of a problem really, as long as she sees the problem with long fingernails. Why do you assume she would be resistant to the idea?

Somehow mock fingernails seem quite appropriate for a mock exam!

Personally, I can't play with long fingernails!

Quite aside from the practicality aspect, does anyone else agree that long nails are vile anyway? Especially when they get long enough that you can see them curling under like claws. It's just gross.

On a man or a woman, regardless of whether they are a musician, I think nails look best when they are short, clean and well looked-after. It looks healthy, and healthy nails look beautiful with or without polish.


I was reading an interview with the great Joan Collins the other day, and in it she said that long nails are passe. If Joan Collins thinks that, I for one am sitting up and paying attention!! Given your pupil's age, she might not know who Joan Collins is, but this interview was published in Glamour magazine, so perhaps you could get a copy and unsubtly leave it open for her to see.... A fashion-conscious girl might be tempted to have a read.