Strumming Uke With Index Finger

[DungBeatle]

I use my index finger sometimes to strum my tenor ukulele. The nail gets worn down to the flesh and hurts. Is there an index finger pick that goes straight out from the tip of the finger? Is there a good solution. I'm unable to strum that way today because I have no nail left. Thanks in advance!
~Bob

[mr. beaumont]

Clear protective nail polish. If you're gonna use those nails, you gotta take care of them.

Also, on uke, try strumming with the nails of the whole hand, instead of one finger.

[merlin666]

I play a lot of ukulele, most of them with Aquila nylguts and red low G or A strings, and most of my vigorous strumming is done with index and/or middle fingers. I have absolutely no signs of wear on my nails, so unless you have some heavy steel strings on your uke I suspect it is your technique that causes your issues, or you have a health problem that makes nails brittle. So for strumming technique there are many videos on youtube, that you can check out. If reviewing and possibly adjusting technique does not help, then I suggest you see a physician about this.

[mot]

Nails come in a variety of hardness and thickness. I can strum forever on my uke with my finger nails with no noticeable problem. It starts to bother me if I try too long on my steel string guitar though. That's why I try to keep a pick in the palm of my hand to switch fast when needed.

I know someone else who has never cut their nails because they just flake off.

Try polish. That's probably an easy solution. An easier solution maybe is to just use a guitar pick for some of your set/practice.

[ohiopicker]

Originally Posted by DungBeatle

I use my index finger sometimes to strum my tenor ukulele. The nail gets worn down to the flesh and hurts. Is there an index finger pick that goes straight out from the tip of the finger? Is there a good solution. I'm unable to strum that way today because I have no nail left. Thanks in advance!
~Bob

I am in the same position as you. I have thin nails that I cannot grow them out without splitting. Try taking a tortoise shell finger pick, turning it around so the picking portion is on top (the reverse of how it was designed to be used) and trimming it with a file so the curved part is slightly longer than your natural nail. See if this works for you. It will only cost you about a buck to find out!

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by ohiopicker

I am in the same position as you. I have thin nails that I cannot grow them out without splitting.

What do you mean with "growing out"? I keep the nails on my strumming hand as short as on the left hand. And I figured out how to pick single strings with the flesh of these fingers, so no need for longer nails for uke.

[DungBeatle]

I found a solution! It works great and my index finger feels a lot better!

~Bob

[DungBeatle]

I also tried it inside-out so the pips are on the inside and it works great!
~Bob

[ohiopicker]

Originally Posted by merlin666

What do you mean with "growing out"? I keep the nails on my strumming hand as short as on the left hand. And I figured out how to pick single strings with the flesh of these fingers, so no need for longer nails for uke.

What I mean is that in order to strum without a pick or other device I have to have some nail protruding. If not, flesh alone does not produce a clear enough tone. That is why I adopted the reverse tortoise pick solution. Works for me, and I'm just making a suggestion. Since I played guitar more than uke, I needed more nail to both pick and strum.