I broke a couple of nails today (not sure when) and it sure throws me off. The shorter nail always seems to miss the string or sounds dull and weak. I hate it, now I have to wait for it to grow back to an acceptable length before I can play normally. I watch other people play without nails, I don't know how they do it.
Some people put clear nail polish on to strengthen the nails but I think that may look a little strange to my students and co-workers. The nails aren't weak as I can barely clip them with a nail clipper. They are hard but brittle. I had a glass finger nail shaper that worked well but I can't find it now.
Does anyone else have this problem where the nails have to be just right before you can play? I tend to freak out when I break a nail around people, they look at me like I'm crazy. I guess this qualifies as a first world problem.
