Hey Kai et al,

The bent-thumb rasgueado position is difficult for me due to an extremely "hooked" thumbnail. Believe me, I've tried to ramp the nail with my nail file, to no avail. I'm not one for artificial nails. Watching Kai on the videos, his thumbnail seems lightly anchored on the sixth string. As much as I try to rest my bent thumb on the sixth string, it just doesn't provide much of an anchor for rasgueados. Any recommendation for those of us afflicted with hook nails? Thanks.

Fred

Hey Fred!
First off, if your thumbnail is that hooked I'd recommend getting used to keeping it as short as you practically can. You'd be surprised how short you can go and still have an effective nail.
But for the rasgueados you don't need to anchor the nail on the sixth string. You can absolutely have the flesh of your thumb on the sixth string, since the rasgueado position is completely separate from the position you want in order to play a note with your thumb. The only trick is to spend some time practicing the transition from rasgueado thumb to playing thumb. This is one of those things that players sometimes neglect to practice because it seems like it should be easy. But like anything else, a bit of practice is almost always really helpful.
Give it a try with just the flesh of the thumb and let me know how it goes!
Cheers,
Kai