Tips Of Fingers 1 & 2 Getting Rather Painful...

Mr Antt · #1 10-23-2011, 01:29 PM

Hi there.

These past couple of nights I've been working on Victor Wooten's Amazing Grace, using the notation book he wrote out. I know when playing harmonics to play closer to the bridge. However, my the fingertips of my right hand (Picking Hand) are beginning to hurt.

Is it just because the string is tighter there? Or am I in need of new strings? Or is it something else?

Any answers, or solutions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Anthony.

FretlessMainly · #2 10-23-2011, 02:06 PM

There is less give in the strings near the bridge. If they don't look like this yet, don't worry:

Bricesedge03 · #3 10-23-2011, 02:20 PM

yes the tighter area will make them hurt. Best advise i can give you is to stop and let your fingers rest for a few days, then get back into it. My fingers have never looked like above but they do have go calluses.

Mr Antt · #4 10-23-2011, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FretlessMainly

There is less give in the strings near the bridge. If they don't look like this yet, don't worry:

Oh, that looks nice.. I don't want that. I'll rest them, thanks.

FretlessMainly · #5 10-23-2011, 03:58 PM

The above has happened to me about 10-15 times over the course of 30+ years of playing (mostly in the first five years). Resting them for a few days, unfortunately, is not the solution. Steady playing but not overplaying is the key. Where you say you're at right now, I wouldn't take more than a day off - you need to fight through some pain (this is surficial pain, folks - no danger of injury) and develop the callouses and then maintain them.

I was able to go about 5 years of steady playing before the above happened about a month ago. I took three days off, trimmed the excess skin, and I've re-developed some pretty nice callouses which I plan to keep intact for several years if I can.

Tips to maintaining them is to avoid prolonged water contact (use a soap brush for doing dishes, for example) and play at least a little bit every day. What takes several weeks or months to develop can be lost in a matter of a week or two of neglect.

Mr Antt · #6 10-23-2011, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FretlessMainly

The above has happened to me about 10-15 times over the course of 30+ years of playing (mostly in the first five years). Resting them for a few days, unfortunately, is not the solution. Steady playing but not overplaying is the key. Where you say you're at right now, I wouldn't take more than a day off - you need to fight through some pain (this is surficial pain, folks - no danger of injury) and develop the callouses and then maintain them.

I was able to go about 5 years of steady playing before the above happened about a month ago. I took three days off, trimmed the excess skin, and I've re-developed some pretty nice callouses which I plan to keep intact for several years if I can.

Tips to maintaining them is to avoid prolonged water contact (use a soap brush for doing dishes, for example) and play at least a little bit every day. What takes several weeks or months to develop can be lost in a matter of a week or two of neglect.

So what you're saying is callouses are a good thing? I've no problem with pain, I've just always assumed that getting callouses was a bad thing. No vanity, or anything daft like that. I don't care, ha!

FretlessMainly · #7 10-23-2011, 06:06 PM

I feel that some degree of callousing is a good thing. If they get too thick and peel unevenly they can be a hindrance, but your first posts indicates that you have a need for some callouses. That fingertip pain is a sign that you need to toughen up that area a little bit to allow you to play for extended periods of time without any pain.

Just be aware of the pain - surficial pain from fingerstyle play is common and not generally a problem - but learn to differentiate that type of pain from internal pain that can be a sign of trouble.

Mr Antt · #8 10-23-2011, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FretlessMainly

I feel that some degree of callousing is a good thing. If they get too thick and peel unevenly they can be a hindrance, but your first posts indicates that you have a need for some callouses. That fingertip pain is a sign that you need to toughen up that area a little bit to allow you to play for extended periods of time without any pain.

Just be aware of the pain - surficial pain from fingerstyle play is common and not generally a problem - but learn to differentiate that type of pain from internal pain that can be a sign of trouble.

Yeah, it's not the first time they've hurt. I can handle pain, and I've never had internal pain in my fingers. I'll be just fine, so basically I should push through the minor pain, thicken up the finger and deal with it? Ha. Maybe not quite like that, but you get what I'm saying?

Usually I can play for hours and be fine, it's just since I've moved positioning on the string that I've had the trouble.

Thanks though, I've got callousing to do!

TFunkadelic · #9 10-26-2011, 02:12 PM

Holy ****, you guys need to play lighter. You could hardly even tell I'm a bassist by looking at my hands.

stepswork4me · #10 10-26-2011, 02:37 PM

I play a lot of tap style and callouses are necessary. Actually, my finger tips on both hands are calloused.

FretlessMainly · #11 10-26-2011, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TFunkadelic

Holy ****, you guys need to play lighter.

No, thank you.

TFunkadelic · #12 10-26-2011, 04:09 PM

Play how you like, just know you're greatly increasing your risk of personal injury in playing with more tension and force than you need to.

At any rate, your tone goals can probably be realized playing lighter than you are and I'd only suggest that you give it a try.

stepswork4me · #13 10-26-2011, 04:14 PM

Don't get me wrong. I play pretty light if the piece calls for it but there are other times when I dig in. I see no way around it when tapping, though, especially on an acoustic.

The Hawk · #14 10-26-2011, 04:24 PM

I rarely post on here and I took off about 5 years of playing to go through the beginning and end of marriage.
Now I am back and trying to get my chops back up.
Callouses are what I call a necessary evil. I remember mine from back in the day, and I have finally started to develop new ones. The level of thickness is what to watch for. Too thick and it can interfer with playing, since you lose too much "feel" for the strings. Not enough and you get blisters from over playing- depending on your playing style. ( this is especially likely if you are having to "compete" with your bandmates to be heard, of if your really enthusiastic during a show.

henry2513 · #15 10-26-2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TFunkadelic

Play how you like, just know you're greatly increasing your risk of personal injury in playing with more tension and force than you need to.

At any rate, your tone goals can probably be realized playing lighter than you are and I'd only suggest that you give it a try.

I agree, in the past couple of months I've really lightened my touch, turned up my amp and since then I haven't had any pain at all.

Prior to that I was having pain, tightness etc. I was afraid it just wasn't for me anymore. I quit for 15 years, came back and started playing with the same tension and attack as I used to and the problems surfaced almost immediately.

I can play for 3-4+ hours nonstop, repetitive exercises etc and feel fine. On occasion I've played all day (drive my wife batshit crazy, she's awesome) but still no pain. My tone hasn't changed one bit.

KingRazor · #16 10-26-2011, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stepswork4me

I play a lot of tap style and callouses are necessary. Actually, my finger tips on both hands are calloused.

I thought mine would be too by now but after 3 years of playing my left hand fingers show no sign of callousing.

stepswork4me · #17 10-26-2011, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingRazor

I thought mine would be too by now but after 3 years of playing my left hand fingers show no sign of callousing.

I also do lots of chordal stuff, slide quite a bit, and play on steel rounds. I'd say that has something to do with it.

Mayers · #18 10-27-2011, 07:08 AM

I don't have callouses after 12 years of playing/studying at college and DB playing.

My fingers tip are harder than normal but no callouses. I had some blisters for practicing slap for one hour a day. But playing finger style never. During my college degree I was playing 5 hours a day minimum and no callouses, my finger were sore at the end of the day but it is ok.

I took a 3 years break, I was sick and couldn't play. My fingers are still harder than normal.

KingRazor · #19 10-27-2011, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stepswork4me

I also do lots of chordal stuff, slide quite a bit, and play on steel rounds. I'd say that has something to do with it.

I slide a lot but I use nickel rounds. They're pretty soft compared to the D'Addarios I used to play on.

maxgrant · #20 10-27-2011, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TFunkadelic

Holy ****, you guys need to play lighter. You could hardly even tell I'm a bassist by looking at my hands.

I'm sorry I just play heavy. The bass has a very wide dynamic range and I like to explore all of it. I don't get this "light touch" thing.

Of course I also played double-bass in college. I was unable to keep the rental bass I had since I moved right after I graduated, but I have always intended once I get to a certain point financially that I'm going to get back into the DB, even if it's just doing one-off parts for a rock band.

At any rate, there's no talk of a light touch in the double-bass world. It requires hand strength.