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Obviously we need to have short enough nails to play the fiddle without the the nail touching the string. Some people cut their nails and others bite them 
I actually don't like my nails to be too short because it causes pain where the nail cuts into the skin, therefor I cut mine often. In other words I try to keep them at the optimal length.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
What an interesting question!!!!
I am almost ashamed to admit this, but I am one of those people that bite my nails 
I guess this makes me a little like you Fiddlerman, keeps my fingernails length consistent. Also if I bite them too short I feel that pain that you were talking about.
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Except that I don't bite my nails
Don't feel ashamed, I know lot's of people that do it
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Every two-three days
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I guess you don't get much dirt under your nails either
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That is the intention to cut them so often
It is rare that I actually cut my nails. Instead, I file them everyday just to the point of some sensation of pain. The hope is to desensitize the finger tip to allow even more filing but I don't know if this will work.
The right hand is , of course, business as usual.
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I've heard of others that have sensitive finger tips as well. I am blessed with insensitive finger tips and never have problems with intensive long playing sessions. Sometimes I find myself needing to cut my nails at the break because I notice that the nails are almost touching the fingerboard.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I was wondering why it's always the ring finger that's super sensitive. Sometimes I hit the nerve and actually jump. This doesn't happen with other fingers. Do I need to cut the nails shorter? I wish I could grow a callus, like I did when I was playing guitar way back when.
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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I don't know much about the hitting a nerve thing since it has never happened to me. I don't think that cutting your nails shorter will affect that in any way. If you play a lot you will probably get a callus. Hopefully over time your ring finger will desensitize a little.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I cut my nails at least once a week. I wear high voltage rubber gloves a lot at work. These gloves are very thick, and we wear a leather glove over the rubber to protect the leather from cuts and punctures. Moist and clammy environment. Makes the nail very soft, more prone to fold over. (can you say, "ouch?") When not wearing rubber gloves, we wear company provided leather gloves for safety reasons. We do not do any work without some kind of gloves on. Needless to say, my hands are very soft, almost no calluses at all. Not the image of tough-guy lineman!
Dave
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I cut mine at least once a week. Can't stand the feeling of long nails, plus my fingers are wide and extra nail gets in the way when I'm playing, just not enough room for strings, wide finger tips and finger nails too.
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Once in a week like 'd majority, but I have a problem w/ my pointing finger because it is not wide and meaty, that's why my nail(pointing finger) is always touching the string even though it's very short and it's really a hard time to vibrato w/ my first finger. 13
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David Burns said:
I cut my nails at least once a week. I wear high voltage rubber gloves a lot at work. These gloves are very thick, and we wear a leather glove over the rubber to protect the leather from cuts and punctures. Moist and clammy environment. Makes the nail very soft, more prone to fold over. (can you say, "ouch?") When not wearing rubber gloves, we wear company provided leather gloves for safety reasons. We do not do any work without some kind of gloves on. Needless to say, my hands are very soft, almost no calluses at all. Not the image of tough-guy lineman!
Dave
I've found since beginning piano my nails have become harder and grow quicker. But I'm a nurse, and I wash my hands about 500 times in a shift, and wear gloves for most things. I would've thought they'd be softer too, like yours.
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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They are only soft right after you take off the gloves after 3 or 4 hours of wearing them. Catch a thumbnail on you pants putting your hand into your pocket, OUCHIES!
I don't play violin, at least not yet. my violin is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
I work with little children, I don't like to scratch them with long nails by accident so I cut my nails at least once a week, an as needed. I wash my hands not 500 times like robyn does, but at least 50 to 100 times a day. my hands are really dry no matter how much lotion I put on them. Therefore, i have a lot of dead skin around my nails, and that scratches, too, so I cut those as well. However, I do grow my thumb nails longer -- to peel oranges:)
i cut my daughter's nails once or twice a week, to keep it short and keep germs out so she would not get sick too often, she used to get sick once or twice a month.
Both my daughter and my nails grow very close to the finger tips. The first time her teacher taught her how to hold a bow, she made a comment that her thumb nail was too long. On the way home, I took a look at it, it was less than 1 mm long. I guess she and I will both have problem to keep our fingernail off the finger board.
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I got it! We could change the name to the Fingernailboard! Problem solved.
Dave
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Over the years my nails has grown to a point where is seems impossible to cut them deep enough so the nail doesn't protrude out. The skin under the nail has somehow pushed itself outward and I have difficulty playing the violin with full confidence because of that. I cut my nails weekly. Im always scared to scratch the ebony on my fingerboard and the wood on my bow!
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Try using flatter fingers on the fingerboard. Not too much on the finger-tips. I think you will find it works better.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
As i said, my nails are all very close to the tip of my fingers but I haven't had any problem on the finger board; hopefully I am doing it right. I have kept my nails short when I play piano but kept my thumbnail long for playing Chinese zither and for doing chores. I started to clip them shorter, especially my right thump, after my daughter's teacher made a comment about my daughter's thumb nail was too long. I kept it about 2mm long but since I had kept it long it was pretty sensitive. The 2mm long thump nail still bothered when I do a correct grip on the bow so I cdout it really short this morning; i felt the grip is better but my nail is still in the way. Does any one know if you keep your fingernail short, it will eventually grow away from the tip?
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