Dealing with a Broken Nail

Dealing With a Broken Nail

A torn or broken nail can be quite a problem for a classical guitarist. Fortunately, there are many options for handling it.

1. The most preferable option is to preserve the nail if at all possible. When you partially tear a nail, immediately protect it in some way until you can deal with it properly. If you're out somewhere and tear the nail partially, put a band-aid or even a piece of tape over the nail to hold it in place and make sure it does not tear completely. When you get back home, use superglue to put it back together. Leave the bandaid on it 24 hours a day until the nail has grown out completely.

2. If the tear is on the right side of the nail, often times that piece of nail that is loose can be simply clipped off and filed smooth. You would be surprised at the size of the nail chunk that you can remove from the right side of your nail without affecting your sound.

3. If the nail is torn completely off, you must replace it somehow. There are several options for suitable (or rather somehow workable) materials.

My first choice is a product called "Player's Nails." These are small pieces of plastic that are in the shape of fingernails and that can be glued into place. I bought my package of Player's Nails many years ago, and still haven't used them all up. They live in my guitar case along with a tube of superglue. I don't know if Player's Nails are still available on the market.

Other possible choices for good nail material are:

Grow your own. You can grow and clip left hand thumbnails and also toenails. If you do this occasionally, keeping the nails in a safe place, you will have a supply whenever you need them. Don't let your friends see that you have a baggie of toenails. They might misinterpret your purpose and think you odd.

Ping Pong balls. Some players have good luck with clipping ping pong balls into tiny nail shaped pieces and gluing them in place.

The preferred glue for replacing nails is Superglue or Crazyglue. Superglue sets very fast, and you can very easily glue your fingers together with it, so be very careful while using it.

The real trick to handling broken nails is to change the way you use your right hand so that you don't break them in the first place. Learn to be careful with your nails when you are opening doors, zipping up your pants, playing sports, picking up small objects, prying packages open, doing yard work, etc. Buy a good pair of leather gloves and wear them every time you do any sort of outdoor or repair work where you might break a nail.