What do you do when you break your strumming nail?

addicted2myuke

addicted2myuke

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I broke my fingernail on my strumming finger and cannot get a nice bright sound from my uke now. I'm not willing to listen to muted playing until my nail grows out which can be weeks. I have a felt pick, but it is too hard on my strings and does not feel natural. I have seen guitarists wear some kind of metal thingy on their index finger, but I fear it may be the same as playing with a pick. So what do you do when you break the nail?
 
addicted2myuke said:
I broke my fingernail on my strumming finger and cannot get a nice bright sound from my uke now. I'm not willing to listen to muted playing until my nail grows out which can be weeks. I have a felt pick, but it is too hard on my strings and does not feel natural. I have seen guitarists wear some kind of metal thingy on their index finger, but I fear it may be the same as playing with a pick. So what do you do when you break the nail?
Click to expand...

I've been worrying in the same vein, and came across banjo picks (http://banjoteacher.com/Gear/Thumbpicks/indexthumbpicks.html) back when I didn't know that ukes and picks don't often travel together.

Are those what you saw?
 
I grieve my loss and keep strumming.

My thumb nail, on my strumming hand and an integral part of my strumming technique, split right
at the 'growth line'. I generally strum with my thumb and index fingers (sometimes add the pinky)
so, after a brief grieving session, I just played with a little less gusto.

I hate to hear that you will not play until said fingernail grows out again, but that's your choice.

If you're performing, well, that's a reall bummer for sure.

If you're playing for pleasure, I suggest just go for it, perhaps with a little less gusto. :)

whatever you do, keep uke'in',
 
Oh, I still practice, but it doesn't have that bright sound like it does when I am hitting the strings with my fingernail. I just keep clear nail polish on it to give it strength and prevent future breaks. My sister is a nail tech, and she suggested putting a synthetic nail on until mine grows out. That's an option.
 
addicted2myuke said:
Oh, I still practice, but it doesn't have that bright sound like it does when I am hitting the strings with my fingernail. I just keep clear nail polish on it to give it strength and prevent future breaks. My sister is a nail tech, and she suggested putting a synthetic nail on until mine grows out. That's an option.
Click to expand...

There is endless discussion of this topic on guitar forums. What I retained was that once you go synthetic, your natural nail gets weakened and you're committed to staying synthetic.Don't know from experience.

I tore my all-important right thumbnail a while back in a horrible bedmaking accident, and did a sloppy repair job on it that is holding up really well. I bought superglue for nails (more liquid than regular superglue?) and first cleaned with alcohol, then worked a tiny drop of glue into the split, and let that set while holding it with tweezers. then wrapped a tiny strip of teabag paper around the area and glued that in place with a drop or two, top and bottom. I then filed off the protruding bits and I have a nail that's ugly, and stiffer than I would like. It took a minute to get used to but I have a nail.

There are dangers in working with cyanoacrylate (superglue) including gluing body parts together and absorbing it through your skin, getting it in your eyes... Also I'm not sure what the end game is going to be as the nail grows out..

I did this as a what-the-heck experiment and it's working for now. I got the idea from a forum post out there somewhere.
 
I'm mostly a fingerpicker rather than a strummer, but I went through a few months after a surgery last year during which my nails wouldn't grow out without breaking off at the growth line every time they would get a little length. The first few days after one would break off was pretty bad, especially when it was my thumb nail - but after a few days, I noticed that somehow I was able to adapt and do whatever it took to get the sound I wanted. So, not sure if this helps or not, but my advice would be to echo Uncle Rod and keep on keepin' on.

As for the synthetic nails - I considered it and decided against it for the reason peewee stated: once you start, it's a commitment. I can barely bring myself to get a haircut several times a year, so the idea of having a regular (gasp!) salon appointment of any kind really put me off :)

And your mileage may vary, but I found that clear nail polish actually made the breakage worse - I think the harsh stuff in the nail polish actually weakens the nails.
 
addicted2myuke said:
Oh, I still practice, but it doesn't have that bright sound like it does when I am hitting the strings with my fingernail. I just keep clear nail polish on it to give it strength and prevent future breaks. My sister is a nail tech, and she suggested putting a synthetic nail on until mine grows out. That's an option.
Click to expand...
Please ask her how the nail will be after your nail grows out and you have the fake nail removed. Ive not ever had fake nails because it's my understanding they cause A LOT of damage. They make the real nail really thin and soft. Not worth it in my opinion.

My strumming thumb cracks and I now superglue tissue paper to the inside part for strength. It works really well. Somewhere on YouTube there is a video from James Taylor -- yes, THAT James Taylor, showing how to do it.
 
I have to ask you all some nail questions.
When you are strumming, which nail are you strumming with?
I always assumed you would use your pointer finger, but I can't use mine due to an accident I had a couple of decades back.
But I see here that people are talking about thumbnails.
Do you strum with your thumbnail?
For those that do, are you shaping or altering your nail in some way?
Sorry for the newbie questions. :eek:
 
finkdaddy said:
I have to ask you all some nail questions.
When you are strumming, which nail are you strumming with?
I always assumed you would use your pointer finger, but I can't use mine due to an accident I had a couple of decades back.
But I see here that people are talking about thumbnails.
Do you strum with your thumbnail?
For those that do, are you shaping or altering your nail in some way?
Sorry for the newbie questions. :eek:
Click to expand...
I really strum with my pointer finger. My teacher is trying to make me go to the dark side -- using my thumb more. He's right, the sound is nicer. He will eventually win. I really use my thumb for picking. (again, that dang teacher advice). I don't shape my thumb nearly as much as I shape my pointer and middle fingers. I have no certain shape. I am still experimenting with shapes. However, I can tell when my middle finger nail needs shaping because it gets caught up or kinda drags if not nice and smooth.
 
When I strum with my thumbnail it's almost always down strokes, and usually on slower songs or
as a 'one-finger' picking style ala Ohta-San and the late, great Uncle Bill Tapia.

Sorry to read about your index-finger accident. I hope it doesn't dampen your ukulele enthusiasm.
It seems like it hasn't :)

keep uke'in',
 
Always strummed with ALL FOUR fingers and
occasional thumb, so one broken nail wouldn't
be a problem for me!
 
Try a Fred Kelley Freedom pick.
I use them when I have a damaged fingernail or to protect my index finger when I am strumming for a long session.
 
I have been struggling for over 2 months with a vertical split in my thumb nail. I finally tried brush on super glue and acrylic nail powder. Works like a charm. Here is the YouTube video demonstration.

 
just use another finger...middle thumb or ring.. finger picks take time to get used to for me..but I like them too,,
when I first started, I used to break my nails real often....as I kept playing it started to get stronger and harden.
I did try the superglue method too, but I used worn down thin sheets..you have to keep maintaining them and you
cannot cut them with a clipper....also the like fake nails, your nails doesn't breathe and becomes thinner..one real
good thing is that the super glue dries almost instantly and in about 10 min ..you can fix the breakage and play.
real good for emergencies...warm water does break it down in time..which can be good in a way to get it off...
 
Just do what everyone else does when they break a fingernail...





































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