What is the best material for guzheng nails?

Tortoiseshell, horn, celluloid (plastic), ivory, pangolin, nylon are the common nail materials for guzheng, each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you can choose the one that suits you best according to your own situation.

01. Tortoiseshell shell

Tortoiseshell shell is recognized as the best material for the koto, with moderate hardness, good elasticity, clean sound, and bright and clear tone in the high notes and wide and thick tone in the low notes. However, tortoiseshell is gradually endangered and is the second class protected animal in the country, and the process of taking shells to make nails is too cruel (including raw peeling and boiling to take nails), so there are fewer and fewer tortoiseshell nails in the market and more and more counterfeits, and the price increases every year, so good tortoiseshell nails are hard to come by.

02. Ivory and tortoiseshell nails

Whether ivory and tortoiseshell nails are less seen in the domestic koto world, ivory nails were once circulated in the Japanese koto world (but now the Japanese koto masters also seldom use it, mostly for the imitation of it), and it has a high degree of ornamental value. Ivory koto armor is tougher, and the sound of the strings is also clear, but the elasticity is weak, and the price is higher. It is mostly used with steel wire strings, and its use has been basically outlawed. And wear mountain shell armor is slightly astringent, not enough rebound, not wear-resistant, low service life.

03.cow horn

Cow horn nails are widely circulated in the market, and it is the closest substitute for tortoiseshell nails, which is harder and more resilient, and the sound is clear and transparent when playing.

04. Nylon and synthetic resin

Nylon and synthetic resin nails are wear-resistant and slightly elastic, so they are suitable for practicing finger shaking. Therefore, these two materials of the nails on the strict requirements of workmanship, professional and meticulous polishing of the sound quality in order to clean and sharp, strong sense of grain. Most of the common "finger shaker" on the market is made of these two materials.

05. Plastic (celluloid)

The plastic material is poor overall, with rough edges that make it noisy and easy to wear and tear, and there may be scratches after playing for a while.