Finding Compromise on Nail Length For Piano Students

It is typical for students, specifically girls, to want to discover to play the piano but also have lengthy nails. As a piano teacher it is imperative to discuss with students what is ok and what is not concerning nail length. Unfortunately, playing the piano with longer nails can create some unpleasant consequences. For example:

1. Clicking. Have you heard the clickety-clack of a person's nails tapping on a computer keyboard, or at the money register, or on a desk, etc? The exact same thing occurs at the piano too. Lengthy nails make a clicking sound as they come in get in touch with with the keys. So, not only are you hearing the music, but you are hearing the clicking sound of the nails as properly. That is usually distracting and irritating, each for the pianist and for the listener!

two. Slipping. Nails and keys are slippery and it can make it tough to play with accuracy if you're slipping around the keys. This is especially difficult when trying to discover to play scales or other technical workouts which need wonderful speed.

3. Injury. Lengthy nails can get caught in the keys. Ouch! There was a time when I had not cut my nails and I was playing a fast passage when my nail got caught among the keys and ripped. It ripped into the nail bed region...and oh, did that hurt!

If you are faced with a situation where a student wants to learn to play the piano nicely AND have long nails take into account some of the following ideas to assist you reach a pleased compromise:

1. Acquire acceptable opportunities for your students to have long nails, such as holidays, graduations, weddings, and other particular occasions. This provides the student the opportunity to get pleasure from lengthy nails at times, but also spend the majority of the year learning to play the piano in the finest possible way.

2. Host a "nail/spa" workshop at your studio on occasion. Show students that brief nails can nonetheless be stylish, and reward them for creating great piano nail decisions. Pamper your students with hand massages, nail buffing and shaping, nail polish and decals, and so on. And, of course, take the chance to function in some MUSIC studying at the similar time. Whilst they're waiting for polish to dry, play some theory games. Or, listen to recordings of concert pianists playing well-known pieces!

3. Have a long nail month, as soon as a year. Allow students to wear their nails lengthy for 1 full month. And, use the month as a teaching chance - show your students the disadvantages of having lengthy nails, teach them how to cope with the additional distraction, and so on.

4. Compromise on the length. Try to get a student to agree to keep their fingernails fairly brief, even if they have a little bit of growth beyond the tip of the finger.

If you have a student who is strongly attached to his/her lengthy nails I think it is much better to obtain a way to work with them than to turn them away from music! But, it is not excellent to ignore the problem and enable them to attempt to find out to play the piano with long nails, without even realizing the consequences of their choice. Students with lengthy nails will not learn the piano up to their most beneficial prospective. So, speak with your students, and make the situation the top it can be by locating a compromise that will function for both of you.