Nothing worse than being out of action because of a broken nail. Mine were always pretty strong but the one thing that screwed them was swimming. I went through a phase of swimming a couple of miles a day and during that period my nails were always tearing or coming apart. I don't know whether it was just the water or a combination of the water and the chlorine, but I ended up giving up swimming because of it (guitar is more important )

sharke
Nothing worse than being out of action because of a broken nail. Mine were always pretty strong but the one thing that screwed them was swimming. I went through a phase of swimming a couple of miles a day and during that period my nails were always tearing or coming apart. I don't know whether it was just the water or a combination of the water and the chlorine, but I ended up giving up swimming because of it (guitar is more important )

Nothing better than swimming.......so I can understand this......but you are correct....it is the chemicals in the water that soften the nails....and keeping them in the water does not help much either.....
 
nails are a funny thing....I have my roughest time keeping them when the weather changes from fall to winter and spring to summer....for what ever reason the weather drives my nails nuts....but I live with it.....found a few solutions that help....does not cure it and I only do them if I have to but other wise.....I am so used to it all and I just try to take it all in stride.....
 
Clifford

RobertB
No rules indeed. I love playing with my nails and the pads of my fingers. Like Clifford, I've found short and shaped to my figertip very comfortable and effective. Several months ago, I shut my thumb in the door of my work van. Even as the colorful expletives were flying, and it was turning a lovely shade of off black, I was thinking of how this was going to affect my playing. Of course the nail fell off, but I'm about 6-8 weeks from a decent edge again. I can't wait.
Anyhow, on the acoustic, nails and pads almost always.
On the electrics, anything goes. It just depends on the mood and the song.
With slide (electric) I prefer a flat pick, but do a lot of palm muting.
I've tried to get used to finger picks with the lap steel, but they make me feel like a cat walking on fly paper. Someday I'll get it.
Whatever works, it's all good.

Sorry to hear about that thumb....
 
I know that had to hurt!!!!!   Make me winch just thinking about it.....ooowww...
 
Hope you are back up and playing soon!
 
Clifford

I play acoustic mostly 3 ways, with a flat pick, with the back of my nails or with the pads of my fingers.  All three give you distinctly different sounds.  The back of the nails tends to have a mellower tone that a flat pick does and on some songs, it just sounds better to me.  When I play with the pads of my fingers, sometimes I like to pull just slightly from underneath the string and give it a little snap, which adds to the tone.
 
When I use picks, I am very deliberate about the choice of pick, because they also produce different tones.  I use a real soft nylon thinner pick for light strumming.  I use a thicker harder pick when I want a palm muted rock tone.  I use thicker picks for single note soloing.  This is all for recording purposes of course, to get specific tones.  Live, I just use my favorite pick for everything.
 
On electric guitar, its picks and pads of fingers.  On bass, it can be fingers, thumb, or pick.  In all circumstances, the tone that fits the song is what I am after.

This post reminded me of my new table saw........
I like using all of the above but mostly just use my fingers cause it's easier. Hope I get to use em all for many years to come. Picks are becoming more and more alien.

MakeShift
When I play with the pads of my fingers, sometimes I like to pull just slightly from underneath the string and give it a little snap, which adds to the tone.
 

 
Bert Jansch was the master of this. 

I started out on bass so when I learned guitar I have never used a pick.  It's strange because I play metal and really like to shred on some high speed solos, so I think you can make anything work once you get the hang of it!

sharke
 
Bert Jansch was the master of this. 

Nice to see Bert mentioned, he and Renbourne had a major influence on me back around '66 to '71.
 
I think I use almost all of the above techniques. The past 7 years or so I was doing hybrid with a flat-pick and fingers, very good for jazz stuff. The last few months I've gotten back to all fingers again and using the pads in almost all cases except where I'm trying to pull the string up a bit as mentioned above.
 
I love playing guitars...and truth be told guitars themselves. 
 
Regards,

Mike, "Behold..."

 I use both but more often than not the pick ends up in my mouth. If they had bacon flavored picks...that would be the cats meow.
 
 Hey band19..sorry not sure what your name is. Nice collection you have there.You have lots of things with strings.