Broke a nail...

My favorite nail... middle finger, strumming hand, and I broke it down into the quick, so even after trimming it all the way, there’s more break that has to grow out.

And I use all the fingers on the downstroke and my long thumbnail on the upstroke...

BUT, I decided to trim them all way back. Yeah it will make playing less joyful, but I figure my hands will be a lot easier to clean thoroughly now.

And being a 62 year old diabetic with a history of pneumonia and one lung that has a paralyzed diaphragm, I’m gonna be a little more proactive.

I've used both Alaska Piks and Fred Kelly picks. They're not perfect, but if you get extra and experiment with a file (and an heat gun in my case) you can get the next best thing to fingernails. Good luck.

Thanks for your input.
Back in my clawhammer banjo days, I experimented with some different types of picks, but that was limited to one finger for the most part. Knowing me, by the time I bought, modified, fitted and got used to playing with picks, my nails would be pretty much grown back.
Fast growing nails? Nope.... I’m just a slow learner

Time to buy fake nails lol. I'd say mani/pedi, but you need toake sure everything's sanitary right now.

Seriously though I've been meaning to try finger picks because I love my banjouke

TaoCat said:

I've used both Alaska Piks and Fred Kelly picks. They're not perfect, but if you get extra and experiment with a file (and an heat gun in my case) you can get the next best thing to fingernails. Good luck.

Click to expand...

I too like the Fred Kelly finger picks when I badly break a nail.