playing with blisters, what to do?

Loempiaketzer · #1 05-26-2007, 12:59 PM

well..

i had a peek into the "welcome to slap and pop" thread...

played the slap it! funk studies first example for about half an hour or an hour or something like that...

and i can already feel the mighty blister army gathering forces in my plucking indexfinger. wich will make a nice blister tomorrow.

so... how can i play with a blister? do bandages work? :P
or is my technique off? *i think i might be to enthausiastic with pulling strings :P but otherwise i might miss the pop and just make a clear-non-popped sound... which i dont want.

Is this probably my technique or could it be a the gap between my fretboard and strings which could be too far appart? *measured it = 5 mm*

For the background info:
i slap/thumb/pull and all that kind of stuff at the end of my fretboard @ the last fret... so... thats not the problem..

or do i just need to build up about an inch of extra hard skin? *dont know the english word for it*

waiting eagerly for your responses,
and picking up the sword and shield to fight the mighty blister army...

theshadow2001 · #2 05-26-2007, 02:08 PM

When a blister comes up. I think it's wise to take it easy. Maybe not play for a day and then go back at it. The skin gets a chance to heal and toughens up a bit. As to whether to pop or not. Well just start experimenting with that yourself

JLW · #3 05-26-2007, 04:06 PM

Take a rest for a day if you have blisters.

the english word you were looking for is callouses.

Eventually your finger will toughen up and become hard and calloused so you won't get blisters anymore. But for that to happen, you have to take a day's rest and let it heal over first.

BassChuck · #4 05-26-2007, 04:18 PM

I agree with taking it easy. Let your finger heal on its own. I don't think you should pop though. Eventually the blister will pop on its own and the skin will peel off. The longer you wait for this to happen the sooner the skin underneath will heal, at least that's been my experience.

Also.... there is a product that you might check out. I think its called NuSkin and it basically puts a coating over the wound and protects it until it can heal. I've never used it, but my sons have for their blisters. Years ago I used superglue (not reccommended) or white out (a mess!).

Dave · #5 05-26-2007, 04:33 PM

Why dont you recommend superglue? Ive used that before, and besides it wearing off after about an hours worth of play, it worked fine.

LM Bass · #6 05-26-2007, 08:23 PM

Tincture of Benzoin

I believe it's called. You soak a band-aid in it and then put it on overnight. DB beginners always have blisters, so I've seen my share of this stuff! Seems to work.

LM

PrimusNut · #7 05-27-2007, 12:06 AM

Last time I got a blister (which was also my first time getting a blister from bass playing) I used a pick. Using a pick really pissed me off so I ended up playing too hard and broke my E string (not reccomended). I eventually just popped the thing, went to bed, and it dried out overnight and didn't hurt at all in the morning. Just make sure if you pop it to squeeze all the puss out of it, or else it won't dry fully.

Hoover Johnson · #8 05-27-2007, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

Why dont you recommend superglue? Ive used that before, and besides it wearing off after about an hours worth of play, it worked fine.

Superglue has saved my life on many occasions

morf · #9 05-27-2007, 06:24 AM

You open it, drain it, superglue it, dry it, and let it rip.

Loempiaketzer · #10 05-28-2007, 11:35 AM

OK!

*was on vacation for a weekend...

so there are basicly 2 options

wait for it

and

pop it and superglue it

thnq

i will be fine. blister doesnt hurt anymore after a day of relaxing. now im going to pop it and superglue if i want to play. but since it's almost dry unpopped i gues ill wait for it :P

thnq

Dave · #11 05-28-2007, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoover Johnson

Superglue has saved my life on many occasions

Me too. I was wondering why BassChuck didnt recommend it.

repyoset609 · #12 05-28-2007, 04:04 PM

Drain it from the side with a needle, drain out the puss, and just let it harden. Make sure you drain it on the side so you dont open it back up the next day.

iceshaft07 · #13 05-28-2007, 04:18 PM

I couldn't stand my blisters. Against what doctors recommend, I popped every one, drained them, and then tore the skin off. I let that heal while I tried my best to still practice (not slapping and popping though). The ones I didn't pop, ended up breaking open anyways, and actually turned out worse.

You might also get a bloody thumb. Unfortunately, I had to suck it up until it all calloused. And even then, I still got a blister or two.

Now I am dealing with a finger nail that has split into two pieces (almost like two finger nails, one on top of the other), just to give you a heads up.

Loempiaketzer · #14 05-29-2007, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshaft07

I couldn't stand my blisters. Against what doctors recommend, I popped every one, drained them, and then tore the skin off. I let that heal while I tried my best to still practice (not slapping and popping though). The ones I didn't pop, ended up breaking open anyways, and actually turned out worse.

You might also get a bloody thumb. Unfortunately, I had to suck it up until it all calloused. And even then, I still got a blister or two.

Now I am dealing with a finger nail that has split into two pieces (almost like two finger nails, one on top of the other), just to give you a heads up.

what do you play for instrument? a real-life-dragon? :P

uturnbass · #15 05-29-2007, 06:08 AM

I just played through my blisters, it was so bubbly and tough they didn't pop when I popped the strings, it was just tender, but once I started plaiying the tenderness would go away and I'd just play.

Blisters do make some nice callouses though =)

Askia · #16 05-29-2007, 06:24 AM

If you want to get "Money for nothing" and
"Play The guitar on the MTV" then
"Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb..."

toaster2k3 · #17 05-29-2007, 01:40 PM

My friend plays jazz guitar. He had a blister the day of a show so he put Superglue on it. Unfortunately, he didn't let it dry before getting on his computer. When he showed up at the gig, he had the "H" key from his keyboard stuck to his index finger.

PrimusNut · #18 05-29-2007, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toaster2k3

My friend plays jazz guitar. He had a blister the day of a show so he put Superglue on it. Unfortunately, he didn't let it dry before getting on his computer. When he showed up at the gig, he had the "H" key from his keyboard stuck to his index finger.

LOL!!!!! And a lesson was learned by all.

As for the blisters, if you pop them, DO NOT RIP OFF THE SKIN! This will make it take much longer to heal, and then you will have an indentin your finger where the skin was ripped off. Just drain it and let it dry.

eedre · #19 06-05-2007, 12:34 PM

Blisters from popping? Those must be pops from hell!!!

Big_Fat_Dynamo · #20 06-05-2007, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by repyoset609

Drain it from the side with a needle, drain out the puss, and just let it harden. Make sure you drain it on the side so you dont open it back up the next day.

lol i wish i had thought of that

When i started playing Double bass, i just had to fight through the blisters, they would usualy ripp off while playing, and then a blister would form right where that blister was. iT was a mighty painfull ordeal