Playing along to hard rock...

[Warwickman0810]

This maybe a weird thread but i though i'd post it here. I am sre all of you get carried away when playing along to your favourite bands. I've been playing along to iron maiden (by plugging my bass into my computer and plonking the headphones on) and after a 1/2 hour warm up my arms stop cramping up and it feels relly easy to play but sometimes i do play too much and even get blisters on my right hand fingers. now they go within a day but in the first few months it was hell and i could not get rid of them for ages and my doctor has adviced me to stop playing (hell no). What was the most painful experience while/after playing the bass that you've ever had and how did you deal with it. adn how the hell do you get rid of blisters and callouses?

All the best

[xpcapox]

Callisuses are awsome

[bass_player16]

My worst injury was when my left(fretting hand) wrist swelled up, believe it was from to much playing, and the fact I was working in harvest and had to prime tobacco all summer(anyone who's done that know's how much you work your wrist with that. And i think it was to much for it to handle and I might have pinched a nerve somehow or something..all i know is..it REALLY hurt lol...oh and calouses are a GOOD thing, blisters, well ive never gotten those from playing lol

[Bubba Love]

Originally Posted by Warwickman0810

adn how the hell do you get rid of blisters and callouses?

Callouses prevent blisters dude. It's your skins way of protecting itself. If you wanna stop getting blisters, you'll have to live with callouses I'm afraid. Don't worry, if the chicks don't dig you anymore because of your rugged fingers, they'll dig you because you play serious bass!

I remember playing along to Iron Maiden when I first started. Took me ages to be able to tackle Hallowed be thy Name all the way through at full tilt, and that's not one of the fastest!

Practice till your fingers blister, but DON'T let them pop. Lay off the practice a bit till the blisters harden, then start again and practice every day. That's your sure fire route to callouses and painless practicing!

[Warwickman0810]

thanks for the advice chaps, i've never let the blisters pop, dont really want to get sepsis or any other nasty stuff. Speed-wise - try playing along to "The trooper" and even "Run to the hills". One of the most complicated things to play along to is "Sign of the cross", try it, you'll see what i mean...

[timo]

I was trying to do the Victor Wooten double thumb thing for the first time, tried it for ages and cut off a lump of skin on the side of my thumb. I couldn't slap for ages

[Bubba Love]

Originally Posted by Warwickman0810

thanks for the advice chaps, i've never let the blisters pop, dont really want to get sepsis or any other nasty stuff. Speed-wise - try playing along to "The trooper" and even "Run to the hills". One of the most complicated things to play along to is "Sign of the cross", try it, you'll see what i mean...

I'd rate both The Trooper and RTTH as harder than SOTC, just because of the endurance. Maybe you've got much higher endurance than me. The rhythm changes in SOTC can be a bit confusing at first though.

[Achey]

Originally Posted by Bubba Love

I'd rate both The Trooper and RTTH as harder than SOTC, just because of the endurance. Maybe you've got much higher endurance than me. The rhythm changes in SOTC can be a bit confusing at first though.

I find all of them easy but I have been playing for 4 years (even though that's not remotely long.)
It just takes time to buid up endurance of that quaver, double semiquaver rhythm that Harris frequently uses.

[MinorPentatonic]

Well I've been playing for nine months and have lost the feeling in the fingers of my fretting hand and index and middle on plucking hand....my dad who's been playing 6 string for many years says this is just your fingers toughing up....I've also got a beaut of a callous under the palm of my left ring finger........hope this helps? Keep playing that sweet four string.......regards