Missing finger tips on fretting hand

AndGabrielFell · #1 05-05-2009, 11:09 AM

Hey folks. Not sure if there was a thread started on this anywhere yet. I have a friend who is a carpenter by trade and a bass player for fun. He recently had a tragic accident where the tips of his middle finger, and the first knuckle of his ring and pinky fingers were cut off. He's recovered quite well and is in great spirits as it could have been much worse. He's trying to re-learn how to play bass with this new challenge. I was wondering if anyone knew of any techniques or finger coverings to suggest or recommend.

skeptikal · #2 05-05-2009, 11:18 AM

completely didn't read the subject in the initial reply.

He could just learn to use his index, middle finger. You don't necessarily *HAVE* to fret with your fingertips.

Or he could switch it up and try to play bass as a lefty and use a pick

stylonpilson · #3 05-05-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skeptikal

Or he could switch it up and try to play bass as a lefty and use a pick

You put the smiley face in there, but this is actually a damn good suggestion.

S.p.

Doragon · #4 05-05-2009, 11:22 AM

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is missing the tips of of the first 2 fingers on his fretting hand. I believe he used band-aids when he first started out but I believe he has some kind of covers for them now. I would look into what he's doing and see if it can apply to your friend.

Chickencha · #5 05-05-2009, 11:26 AM

I can't offer any technical tips, but he can always look to Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath for inspiration to continue. Yeah, he's a guitarist, but he suffered a similar injury and seems to have done pretty well for himself. (He lost the tips of a couple fingers on his right hand, but he plays left-handed so it's kind of the same thing.) Apparently Tony in turn looked to Django Reinhardt.

prokfrog · #6 05-05-2009, 11:36 AM

I think Jerry Garcia was missing at least one fingertip as well. Your friend needs to get the bass back in his hands, and assess what he can, and can't do. The solution will find itself.

JMaris · #7 05-05-2009, 12:27 PM

I have a friend who had the exact same thing happen. He was cutting a notch in some wood flooring and it caught a knot and pulled his hand in. I havn't talked to him in a while. Last time I did he hadn't tried to play since his accident.

Space Danish · #8 05-05-2009, 12:34 PM

I'm pretty sure Tony Iommi melted plastic bottlecaps onto his fingertips and covered them with leather...

wildhorse · #9 05-05-2009, 12:38 PM

It going to take practice and he developing his own technique. I knew a great bass player that lost all his fingers on his fretting hand except the little finger. He could play any bass line out there. He has since past away.

138BASS · #10 05-05-2009, 12:43 PM

Tony Iommi uses rubber "tips" covered with leather. He explains it in the "Last Supper" reunion DVD. Also a quick look at the Wiki article on him finds this. . . . .

"After attempting to learn to play right-handed [3], Iommi strung his guitars with extra-light strings (using banjo strings, which were a lighter gauge than even the lightest guitar-strings of the time) and wore plastic covers over the two damaged fingers. He fashioned the latter himself, by melting plastic liquid-soap bottles into a ball and then using a soldering iron to make holes into this ball, putting his fingers in while the plastic was still soft enough to be shaped. He then trimmed and sanded away the excess plastic to leave himself with two thimbles, which he then covered with leather, to provide better grip on the strings. Subsequent tips have been custom-made.

138BASS · #11 05-05-2009, 12:45 PM

Also I believe Jerry Garcia was missing a whole finger on his picking hand, I think his fretting hand was intact.

unclejane · #12 05-05-2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndGabrielFell

Hey folks. Not sure if there was a thread started on this anywhere yet. I have a friend who is a carpenter by trade and a bass player for fun. He recently had a tragic accident where the tips of his middle finger, and the first knuckle of his ring and pinky fingers were cut off. He's recovered quite well and is in great spirits as it could have been much worse. He's trying to re-learn how to play bass with this new challenge. I was wondering if anyone knew of any techniques or finger coverings to suggest or recommend.

I'm missing the tip of my fretting pinky. The bone is all there to my knowledge, but in an accident as a child the tip padding was chopped off making it a little more than 1/4" shorter than the intact pinky on my right hand.

I played with just three for many years, but eventually learned to use the pinky. Now I use it normally, tho my hand is always a little out of position because the pinky is shorter.

I'd say just pick the instrument up and develop your own technique - use whatever you got to mash the strings down. I have enough of my pinky left to pretty much use normal technique tho with slightly modified hand position....

LS

GrindYourMind · #13 05-05-2009, 01:09 PM

Drums

Jazzdogg · #14 05-05-2009, 02:55 PM

Your friend may want to consider emulating Rocco Prestia's left hand style - at least temporarily. I suffered a band saw injury to the tips of two fingers on my left hand several years ago; I was glad that one of the left-hand techniques I'd learned was Rocco's because it was possible for me to start playing a few months earlier than would have been possible otherwise.