Yo. I've got a newb question

[Cippola]

I just got my first bass, an ibanez jumpstart pack. I was playing guitar for a few months, and that was my first experience with an instrument. I figured with my love for funk and my bigger hands, bass would be better. I love it already, more than guitar. But I have a quick qestion.

I went to play this morning, and my fingers hurt like hell from yesterday (I played about 3 hours yesterday). My fingers were never callused from guitar because I didn't keep up on practice (It was for school, so I was a little lazy).

I know your fingers are supposed to callus, but I was just wondering, should I still practice today even though my fingers hurt like bloody hell? Or should I not play at all? Like, is this pain good or bad or indifferent for playing at the moment?

I hope I posted this in the right forum. THanks in advance.

[Alec W. Conway]

If it hurts, don't do it.


(but don't be a wuss )

[Tony G]

It will take time to build up the strength and endurance to play bass. If it hurts so much that you can't play, wait a day or two for your fingers to "heal", then go at it again. As time passes, you will find that you can play more often and for longer periods of time before it starts to hurt.

[Cippola]

Well, it doesn't hurt to the point that I can't even play, but it does hurt to the point where it's extremely uncomfortable. So it would be worse in the long run if I played today? Becaus if It's good for developing calluses, I don't mind enduring the pain and playing today.

[Tony G]

If it is extremely uncomfortable, I still wouldn't play it for very long, if at all. I know you are excited, but it isn't worth hurting yourself over. I don't think there would be any long term problems if you wanted to play through the pain, but it doesn't exactly make practicing fun....

[Jeff Martinez]

I say play. Even if it hurts, play for a little while.

I'm a glutton for punishment. If I have the time, I practice until my fingertips burn, or my hands start to cramp. In the long run, it has helped me a lot.

[BadMonk]

Let the pain be your guide. If you have lots of pain, then stop playing and let things cool out. If it's just uncomfortable, then go ahead and play (until you have enough pain to stop).

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by Jeff Martinez

I say play. Even if it hurts, play for a little while.

I'm a glutton for punishment. If I have the time, I practice until my fingertips burn, or my hands start to cramp. In the long run, it has helped me a lot.

Right, you play until your hands start to hurt.. He is saying his hands already hurt.......

[Jeff Martinez]

Basically, I meant to play until you phyically can't take it anymore.

[Cippola]

Thanks for the input guys.

I just practiced for a bit. After awhile the pain just subsided, I couldn't even feel it anymore, and I can't right now. I think I am already in love with the bass, I can't wait for the months to come ^_^

[Thor]

Give your hands a break.

There is a 'break in period' for this. Tomorrow, go for 1/2
hour up to an hour. Stop if you experience pain.

Next day, same thing. Gradually build up your callusses,
your finger muscle strength, your hand and wrist strength.

When you start to play, do a light warm up, practicing
some scales in different positions. Play the practice
period you planned and finish with a light 'warm down' scales
and such, very easy to relax your hands.

This warming up and cooling down is the same as a
professional athlete, you won't see a pro Football player
run out of the locker room and immediately do 5 full out
wind sprints. That is an invitation to muscle injury.

The muscles at the base of the thumb in your palm will
need the same kind of attention until they are fully in
shape.

But since it is painful, it means you overdid it, so take a
little recovery time, as otherwise you are just exacerbating
injury, and it will take you longer to shape up.

[user101]

I haven't been playing for a very long time, but in the time that i have been playing i noticed that there are generally 2 types of pain.

1) The not-so-detrimental-to-health type of pain like fingertip sores on fretting and picking fingers. Thin straps cutting into your shoulder. And some others i can't think of now

2) The 2nd pain is the pain that warns you of wrong technique that leads to injuries. Most commonly experienced in the wrists and lower/upperback and maybe shoulders too. These pains are a warning sign that tells you you better start doing something about your playing technique/bass postioning if you want to avoid corrective surgery later on in life.

I would go as far as to say that the pain in the callus-developing phase is harmless over a long term period. So if your pain tolerance is high, then you could actually practice until your fingers start to bleed. Only thing is, when the adrenaline goes away, you'd be spending a few days recovering.