The end of my bass playing? Thanks to my pinky?

[micximus]

Wait-wait-wait,

You use your pinky to play bass?

[electracoyote]

Django.

It's never over.

[standupright]

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Giving up is easy. Fighting through, that's what makes you a man...on bass, and in life.

A bit of inspiration :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY

Note his fretting hand.

Best of luck to you.

or even this guy for that matter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucu-VRUOzc8

[cmlax21]

Originally Posted by redstrand

My pinky doesn't work right...I just use the other three and slide up or down to compensate.

Me too I just keep it curled up when I play because it does by its self anyway even when I'm not playing. I also broke my thumb on my fretting hand real bad a couple times so it bends two ways and it actually makes it easier to put my hand around the neck.

[unclejane]

I have a piece of the tip of my fretting pinky chopped off. I've eventually learned how to use it though my hand is always ever so slightly off because that finger is shorter than it should be.

But I played for years with only the other 3 before I figured out how to use my pinky. You can do a surprising amount with just 3 and of course others have mentioned Django Reinhardt already.

So even if you can't ever learn to use it, you can still have a full career...

LS

[J. Crawford]

Man, I know your pain.. I dont have finger problems, but I do have spondylolisthesis, meaning I have an extra lumbar vertebrae. I cant stand with a bass for super long, and I cramp up sooo easy. My knees, and back, are supposedly 20 years older than they should be, in a physical sense.

But dont give up man, you can play without your pinky. But if your parents wont take you to the doctor (Kinda off, IMO) see a school nurse.

[JimmyM]

I'm not trying to bust on your parents, but your parents need to get you to a doctor. It's not nothing...it could be something. They need to take it seriously.

[So Low Bass]

I think a doctor is a waste of time. Be patient!
Sometimes the best way to advance is to walk away...put it down. Let you body recover. The pinkie is tricky, and if it's rebeling, stop using it for a while. Try stretching before you start...perhaps squeezing a tennis ball.

You'd be EXTREMELY lucky to find a doctor that has a clue!

[Byzcat]

+1 on ice, and on finding a good instructor. I had stopped playing for a decade, and when I picked up the bass again, I had to deal with quite a bit of hand pain, and icing the sore places down can help a lot- I once spent the better part of a day soaking my left hand in ice water.

Also, to help with the healing, you might want to try taking MSM. Do some research beforehand, though, to make sure there are no issues with allergies or interactions with medications you may be taking. Ask your doctor when you go- I understand docs in the UK and Europe are more open to alternative and nutritional supplements.

MSM saved my left thumb and pinky. When I started playing again, I had gotten a cheap bass with a neck like a baseball bat and a severe case of neck dive, and could never get the action low enough to play comfortably. I pretty well thrashed the flexor tendon in my left thumb and was working on chewing up my pinky as well. For a couple of months after I got my Ibanez, I still had pain when I played. Then I remembered MSM- I had taken it once before after getting a nasty cut on my finger- and my thumb and pinky were much better within a couple of days, and now I can play for as long as I want with little to no pain.

Bottom line, stop playing for a while to let the finger heal, learn proper technique so you don't reinjure yourself, and, if your doc says it's OK, try MSM to heal it up.