A few technique problems I keep having...

[3toes]

And one may be correlated to the other...

Problem #1: I'm not much of a light-touch player, I'd place myself at a moderate amount of digging when I play, not a whole lot, but it suits our music (power blues, hendrix, clapton, etc.). But when I get on stage for a gig, my moderate touch seems to turn into a freaking steam-shovel and next thing I know it's like I'm digging a trench in my strings. I can't seem to figure how to keep my technique consistent from my bedroom to the stage in this regard. Any suggestions?

Problem #2: I've got some crazy flexible fingers including my joints. I find that often during gigs my fingers will lock up on the middle knuckle, bending only at the very tip. As you can imagine this makes it pretty difficult to finger the strings. Every so often it'll cause me to stagger but I can usually calm my hand down enough to return to normal. Is there anything I can do to help prevent this?

[martyman5000]

Don't think too much listen to yourself and learn to moderate your tone.

[RiddimKing]

Regarding digging in on stage: this may be a factor of how well you can hear yourself. If your rig is underpowered, or positioned incorrectly, or the bass in the monitor isn't prominent enough, you'll tend to dig in unconsciously. Use the sound check (or first song) to get a feel for how loud you are and compensate asap. You'll find that your light/moderate touch comes back when you aren't trying in vain to make yourself heard by playing hard.

[3toes]

Originally Posted by RiddimKing

Regarding digging in on stage: this may be a factor of how well you can hear yourself. If your rig is underpowered, or positioned incorrectly, or the bass in the monitor isn't prominent enough, you'll tend to dig in unconsciously. Use the sound check (or first song) to get a feel for how loud you are and compensate asap. You'll find that your light/moderate touch comes back when you aren't trying in vain to make yourself heard by playing hard.

Yeah I've tried that and it does help, but it's not too hard to be heard, we're only a trio. Hell it may just be adrenaline, we get pretty into it when we play. And we're playing high energy music.

[bkbirge]

Originally Posted by RiddimKing

Regarding digging in on stage: this may be a factor of how well you can hear yourself.

+1, I'd add that once you become aware of this (while on stage) you also need to consciously focus on your technique. Sounds like you just let the emotions get you while playing which is great and fun but sometimes you need to remember all that wood shedding you've done. This happened to me the other night, on stage, upright bass, can't hear crap because the sound guy had the mic muted found out later, no pickup, super fun blues billy jam, realized I was digging so hard I blood-blistered one of my fingers. Then it wasn't so hard to just sit back and play with correct technique on my remaining finger, even though I still couldn't hear anything.

[Marcury]

Originally Posted by 3toes

Hell it may just be adrenaline, we get pretty into it when we play.

It absolutely is. I've had this problem and I found that paying attention to my breath, helps. Whenever I realize that I'm digging in too hard I start to breathe deeply and it chills me right out.

[murph.vienna]

Originally Posted by 3toes

And one may be correlated to the other...

Problem #1: I'm not much of a light-touch player, I'd place myself at a moderate amount of digging when I play, not a whole lot, but it suits our music (power blues, hendrix, clapton, etc.). But when I get on stage for a gig, my moderate touch seems to turn into a freaking steam-shovel and next thing I know it's like I'm digging a trench in my strings. I can't seem to figure how to keep my technique consistent from my bedroom to the stage in this regard. Any suggestions?

Problem #2: I've got some crazy flexible fingers including my joints. I find that often during gigs my fingers will lock up on the middle knuckle, bending only at the very tip. As you can imagine this makes it pretty difficult to finger the strings. Every so often it'll cause me to stagger but I can usually calm my hand down enough to return to normal. Is there anything I can do to help prevent this?

I've had EXACT the same problem over years.
#1: have a GOOD monitor setup. get in-ear or really struggle with the mixing guy. when you really hear what you play it's more likely that you will know what you're doing.

#2: warm up slowly. have a pick ready (at the pickup or in your pocket) for cases of emergency. calm down and don't think too much

[3toes]

Originally Posted by murph.vienna

#2: warm up slowly. have a pick ready (at the pickup or in your pocket) for cases of emergency. calm down and don't think too much

Yeah, that's my backup plan. A lot of our stuff I use a pick for anyway, so there's always one on hand.

[CraigD30]

Maybe you have trigger finger. I've only seen it a few times, and I don't remember if they were able to articulate the tip of their finger, but it kind of sounds like what your fingers are doing. Here's a link about it.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigger-finger/DS00155

It's kind of like carpal tunnel, except it hits the tendons in your fingers instead of your wrists. It can be a repetitive strain injury (playing like a steam-shovel could be to blame). The bad news is that it's recommended to take 4-6 weeks off, and rest your fingers. A lot. You could also try Aleve (naproxen) or Motrin/Advil (ibuprofen - go with the generic, it's cheaper), but rest is the best thing.

[mutedeity]

Firstly I would say treat any medical advice given here with caution. Consult a doctor before you go off trying anything anyone here tells you.

Mostly I think your problems are one of or a combination of two or three things. Firstly I sounds like a monitoring issue live. That is to say that you probably aren't hearing yourself properly when you play and are over compensating by playing harder. There are various solutions for this, get some more bass through your foldback if you have one, turn up a little on stage and try to remember to play back as a result, in ear monitoring as someone else suggested, etc.

Secondly nerves might be getting the better of you and you are letting the old adrenaline take over when you are playing. This leads me immediately to the third factor which has to do with what you are doing when you practice. Sounds to me that if your fingers are bucking and locking when you fret that you haven't developed enough strength to control what you are doing under pressure. The solution to this is to practice drills, and scales as often as possible with a metronome to condition yourself to have greater strenght and control. The more you condition yourself offstage when you practice the more strength, control and ultimately confidence you will have onstage.

[elpelotero]

part of the underlying problem may be that you have way too much tension built up in your arms and shoulders, which inevitably gets transferred to your hands and fingers. Next time you practice at home, stop in the middle of a piece and check yourself. Are you too tensed up in your body? If so, you got to let that stuff free. Your stance may be a factor.

[3toes]

Originally Posted by mutedeity

Sounds to me that if your fingers are bucking and locking when you fret that you haven't developed enough strength to control what you are doing under pressure.

Sorry, I should have clarified in the first post... My fretting hand has no problems, it's my fingering hand that the 2nd knuckles lock up on me.

This may be a little gross for some of you, but here's a picture of what my fingers look like when they "lock up" (yes I am able to do this at will, but it is inadvertent when playing too hard at gigs).

[Vengoropatubus]

Originally Posted by 3toes

Sorry, I should have clarified in the first post... My fretting hand has no problems, it's my fingering hand that the 2nd knuckles lock up on me.

This may be a little gross for some of you, but here's a picture of what my fingers look like when they "lock up" (yes I am able to do this at will, but it is inadvertent when playing too hard at gigs).

Pff, that's nothing. I can get nearly 90 degree angles out of all of my fingers. Also, my ring finger can bend in such a way that it's parallel to itself.

[MoreMoose]

re: Problem #1: I like what some folks are saying about focusing, breathing, etc. to consciously ease up on the pressure. I'd like to add another possibility, that in the past I've had this problem (as a guitar player) when I've had guitars that didn't really have a good tone, or not the tone I was seeking to get out of them anyway. I would just play harder and harder because I wasn't really hearing what I wanted to hear. Eventually strings would break. I got rid of those guitars - problem mostly solved.

On the other hand, some heavier blues and rock music just naturally lends itself to a heavy approach. Daryl Jones, bassist with the Rolling Stones, said that he changes his left-hand posture to more of a "paw" because of the simplicity of the Stones' songs - it helps him think more simply. I agree! Sorry if I'm being vague here - what I mean is, fretting notes with one's whole hand, not just a single finger - does that make any sense? In any case, there are certain songs on which this is an appropriate technique; others, not so much since it limits your mobility and articulation.

[3toes]

Originally Posted by MoreMoose

re: Problem #1: I like what some folks are saying about focusing, breathing, etc. to consciously ease up on the pressure. I'd like to add another possibility, that in the past I've had this problem (as a guitar player) when I've had guitars that didn't really have a good tone, or not the tone I was seeking to get out of them anyway. I would just play harder and harder because I wasn't really hearing what I wanted to hear. Eventually strings would break. I got rid of those guitars - problem mostly solved.

Well I absolutely love my tone (even when playing harder), and it's a Lakland, I'm not getting rid of it (except for a Modulus)

[mutedeity]

Looks like your fingers hyper-extend, or are double jonted. I can't do that with those joints on my figners at all, although my wrists elbows, shoulders and big toes are all hyper-extensive. I would come back to doing a series of drills in your practice to strengthen the muscles in those fingers.