Anyone else play with a Handicap? If so what is it?

ibanezcollector · #1 07-12-2008, 06:12 PM

Ok since I was born my two pinky fingers do not extend fully, if you watch any of my youtube videos you will see my pinky folds under the neck.

Now this isnt so much a issue with 4 strings but lately its become a real problem with my 5s and that sucks cause one is my best bass..

It just becomes uncomfortable and sometimes cramps which isnt good. Leading me to not play as long or often on the 5s.

Anyone else play with a handicap that prevents them from certain things?

lunker · #2 07-12-2008, 06:22 PM

I've got pretty bad hand tremors. Not a huge problem on bass, but when I was a violinist it was a different story all together.

I have really good vibrato though

wkbryan · #3 07-12-2008, 06:48 PM

I don't have as much hand strength as I think I should and my wrists/arm don't rotate as much as everyone elses. Makes some things a little trickier on bass and prevents me from making bar chords and a few other things on my acoustic 6 string. It also makes it difficult when the cashier tries to hand me change at a drive-thru.

That said, I've been told my primary handicap is an underlying lack of talent. :-)

Wootsticks · #4 07-12-2008, 06:53 PM

I cut off part of my pointer finger in seventh grade and learned to play on it. But it really has no effect on my playing on any of my instruments, except for the fact that what I have of my last knuckle doesn't bend the right way. It bends backwards a bit and doesn't bend the correct way as much. But that's no biggie.

EDIT: Right hand.

Darkstrike · #5 07-12-2008, 06:56 PM

I have Athritis, but I wouldn't really call that a handicap. More a minor annoyance.

Thingus995 · #6 07-12-2008, 07:06 PM

i degloved my left pointer finger and got in a fistfight in middle school and destroyed the knuckle of my left pinkie, the pointer is ok, its hard to stretch and gets really stiff, but the pinkie has no strength and the knuckle still gives me problems, so i feel your pain... i have to practice extra hard on the two fingers... picture of the degloving available on request

zenman · #7 07-12-2008, 07:15 PM

Not really a handicap, but I lopped off about half of the index finger on my right hand about ten years ago. After plucking with my index and middle fingers for about 15 years, I suddenly had to switch to using my middle and ring finger. It took a while to get back up to speed, but now I'm playing better than ever.

Dennis

M@ddest_H@tter! · #8 07-12-2008, 07:18 PM

When I played Baseball in highschool, I went to scoop up a fast hit grounder....smashed right into my right middle finger.....made the bones look like the florida keys. The tip of the finger is still swollen today...not extremely noticable unless I compare the two. Sometimes When I strike the strings with my middle finger I hit two instead of one. Not such a bad deal, but it does scuk when I'm trying to do really technical stuff.

On the bright side...I have two fingernails on the finger....its kinda creepy!

anonymous1225111 · #9 07-12-2008, 07:24 PM

When I was 10 I use to be into rocket building kits, I managed to have on go off while working on it and the result was many many hours under the butchers knife. After alot of microsurgery and months in a cast I had use of my hand again.

Although now I have tendinitis fairly bad in that hand, in the cold 1 of my fingers go complete numb and 2 others go about half way, And I can't play very long sets without my wrist and middle of my hand hurting.

I've also broken the collar bone on my left side twice, The first break was a basic fracture. The second break pretty much shattered it, It broke in 2 places and left bone fragments here and there. A couple years after that happened is when I took up bass, And noticed right off of the bat that wearing a bass for too long is going to kill me. (Yay for Comfortstrapps)

That's all I can think of for now.

benjo09 · #10 07-12-2008, 07:54 PM

All my fingers point in towards the middle finger so I can't cover the fret board as well but get by with a bit more movement than most.

Also I have problems with my middle and ring fingers not being able to work indepenently. I move one and the other one moves as well. Causes problems with fretting but I have to move anyway so makes little difference to my playing style.

They're not really handicaps but they do affect the way I play.

Curtybob · #11 07-12-2008, 08:00 PM

I'm retarded. But other than that, there's nothing wrong with me.

danomite64 · #12 07-12-2008, 08:04 PM

I'm worse than retarted. I thought this thread was about my golf game.....

Honk'n_down-low · #13 07-12-2008, 08:12 PM

I have a huge Johnson and that is distracting when playing live - people look at my massive bulge instead of listening to me play. Lost a few girlfriends too - guess it hurts and while they enjoyed initially - they later decided they could not take it daily. Worse things could be wrong I suppose. No missing fingers or **** like that.

D.Don · #14 07-12-2008, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honk'n_down-low

I have a huge Johnson and that is distracting when playing live - people look at my massive bulge instead of listening to me play. Lost a few girlfriends too - guess it hurts and while they enjoyed initially - they later decided they could not take it daily. Worse things could be wrong I suppose. No missing fingers or **** like that.

It's not a huge johnson, it's a too small strap ...

D.Don

Honk'n_down-low · #15 07-12-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.Don

It's not a huge johnson, it's a too small strap ...

D.Don

Gotta look for a bigger Thong

ibanezcollector · #16 07-12-2008, 08:20 PM

come on guys lets keep this clean, there is a few of us on this site that have to work around certain things to keep the low end going so lets just keep it on track..

fenderhutz · #17 07-12-2008, 08:21 PM

An alcoholic guitar player. I have to play with him once a week.

CraigG · #18 07-12-2008, 08:33 PM

My thumbs are kind of stubby and I the second joint in my left hand ring finger that likes to lock when my hand is tired. Not really handicaps in comparison to those that some have to contend with, but their certainly not ideally suited for bass playing.

danomite64 · #19 07-12-2008, 08:34 PM

My pinkies 'lock' sometimes, but after 25 years of playing bass, my fretting hand pinkie is fine. It might still give me issues on guitar, but I probably learned to work around it there, too.

Beej · #20 07-12-2008, 08:40 PM

On a job site years and years ago, a full skid of 1 1/8" plywood dropped 4 feet down onto the sheet I was moving below it, both my thumbs were crushed from the knuckle to the tip. The ensuing healing process caused a fungal infection that permanently screwed up both nails. It doesn't matter at all on my left thumb, but my right thumb is affected enough that I had to modify my playing in order to use it for slapping, and I can't play that way for very long before it becomes painful. Its the main reason I use a pick most of the time. Double thumb technique is right out of the question for me.

So that's my handicap. Well, that and I'm mentally ill.