Popping has my index finger in pain

waytoodeep03 · #1 03-09-2005, 06:30 AM

I have really just started slap and pop with the Slap bas program and my index finger is sore to the touch. What do you recommend to overcome this?

bassicinstinct · #2 03-09-2005, 06:33 AM

More of the same

Develop those callouses.(sp?)

Mitchell Royce · #3 03-09-2005, 07:50 AM

Yup, that's totally normal. I actually had blisters on both my index and middle finger once I started popping. It's a pain but after a few weeks you'll be so calloused up that it won't matter anymore. Also, initially I popped with too much force which wasn't good for my fingers and strings at all, so you might want to look into lightening up your attack while popping as well.

Whafrodamus · #4 03-09-2005, 07:59 AM

You could slap the "thumbs up" method, where you don't put your index finger under the string and pull up, instead you make a thumbs up, and your scrunched up index finger pops the string.

waytoodeep03 · #5 03-09-2005, 09:48 AM

SO what you are saying is play through the pain and my finger will get used to it?

Is there a certain type of string that are easier to pop and easier on the fingers as well?

bassicinstinct · #6 03-09-2005, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waytoodeep03

SO what you are saying is play through the pain and my finger will get used to it?

Is there a certain type of string that are easier to pop and easier on the fingers as well?

Correct.

MarztekMilita · #7 03-09-2005, 09:26 PM

i started really popping about 3 months ago, and it was pretty hard for me, but i have like egsama on my index finger. its from like the middle of the tip tp the 2nd joint,...anyway. its hard at first but if you tough it out, the reward is sweet

lowphatbass · #8 03-10-2005, 02:56 AM

Try a couple of things:
Make sure your elbow and forearm stay still, the movement you want is the rotation, like the "hang loose" sign type of movement. This will keep your finger from slamming into your pickguard.
Try popping the high strings with your middle finger also. It can give your index a rest, it will also start preparing you for when you want to pop two strings at the same time, i.e. index finger pulls the D string and middle finger pulls the G string to form a chord..

StreamerDavid · #9 03-11-2005, 08:14 PM

I've been slapping for a while now and my thumb joint pops several times a day. All I do is kind of move my thumb and it snaps/pops several times a day. Slapping and popping is hard on your hand. Get used to the abuse. I've taken to not doing it so much.

stompfrog · #10 03-29-2005, 05:21 AM

I also got blisters on index and middle fingers when i started popping.

Use one finger till it hurts too much then use the other for a couple of days while the other heals a bit.

This way you get to practice with both fingers at different times and dont get too sore.

My thumbs also click but it is on both hands so i am not convinced it is anything to do with slapping.

Joe Martin · #11 03-29-2005, 02:41 PM

Yea the first time through doing it it'll blister, then hurt for a week, then blister again, then hurt some more, then calluses start to develop and you won't even feel a thing once those are there

. In the meantime, you might wanna pickup a set of flats and practice with those while your fingers are in pain, and see if that helps you out at all.

The best things to do it to just play through the pain, the harder you go at, the faster you get calluses, the less pain you'll have to suffer through.

random bassist · #12 03-30-2005, 09:56 PM

You can also "cheat" by getting a thinner diameter set of strings, though they're easier to break. Also, maybe I'm just insane, but i was always tought to slap with the thumb and pop with the ring finger. This way your hand isn't as crunched up, there's more space between the two working fingers. This also allowed me to learn to use the middle and index finer equally well. I have to say that through experience the best way to get rid of the pain is to play through it. I didn't really have any pain when I started playin bass guitar, but this is probably due to the fact that I played Double Bass for a couple years prior. That hurts.

Sandman1278 · #13 03-31-2005, 12:59 PM

i never really got pain in my index finger when i started doing slap/pop my fingers had already blistered and calloused over b4 hand from playing normaly, my thumb on the other hand got blisters and those were pretty bad