my poor fingers

CelticBass · #1 03-17-2006, 11:03 AM

Hi all

Been playing electric guitar now for 3 years and thought my fingers ( left hand) had developed pretty tough callouses.

I've had a desire for a bass for a while so indulged myself the other day - got a Schecter Diamond Series Extreme-4, love it.

However, I've got a blister on my left hand index finger that's crippling me just now, I can only play for about an hour, then when I take a break it's just too painfull to start again.
I really thought my fingers would've been a bit tougher.
Saying that, I've noticed that it's not the VERY tip of my fingers I use to fret on the bass, but just below, is this normal?

Most annoying thing about this is that I'm dying to get practising, but it hurts too much to play any longer than an hour at a time just now.

I'm also surprised cause I've decided to ditch the plecky and learn using my fingers - from reading previous posts I thought it would be these fingers that would suffer.

Great site btw, been on a few guitar forums and it's cool to see everyone here seems to get on and act with a bit of maturity ( hey - maybe thats the bottom end groove thang

).

**BurningSkies** · #2 03-17-2006, 08:35 PM

Sounds pretty typical for a start up...especially if you're playing a lot. I would guess that your bass also has stainless steel strings which can be tough on the ol' fingers...if this becomes an ongoing problem, consider switching to nickel strings...and remember to keep your left hand action light...you don't have to kill those strings or strangle the neck.

mothmonsterman · #3 03-17-2006, 10:04 PM

i find if my fingers are worn out i take a week or two break and i come back and i'm better than ever.

Bassist4Life · #4 03-17-2006, 10:20 PM

How hard are you guys playing?! Do you play thrash metal 24-7?

Just curious...
Joe

mothmonsterman · #5 03-17-2006, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassist4Life

How hard are you guys playing?! Do you play thrash metal 24-7?

Just curious...
Joe

myself, it depends on how much i play, but yes i play in a metal band.

PaulMacCnj · #6 03-17-2006, 11:16 PM

What kind of strings are on the bass? Stainless steel strings feel like files under my fingers, they get painful quick. That's why I like nickel. Also, the string construction is a factor. The outer winding can be rough depending on the make and model. Go to a store where you can play a few different basses and see if you can find strings that feel more comfortable to you. Then just buy a set of whatever they may be and re-string your bass.

Paul Mac

CelticBass · #7 03-18-2006, 10:15 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys.

However I think I've got to the root of the problem.

Don't try to hammer out riffs by Jack Bruce and Flea when you've only had a bass for a couple of days

Fair enough, I can play these riffs on an electric no prob, but the combination of bigger frets and heavier strings is a bit much right now.

Just finished trying out a few Stone Roses tracks, always liked Mani's stuff, also with Primal Scream. Much easier on the old fingies

Not the most challenging, but hey, I figure it's it's quality over quantity and I want to develop a bit of technique.
Gotta work on the right hand finger discipline most I think, finding it hard to keep it tight, but it's getting better.