my fingers have holes in them...

cloren · #1 05-02-2009, 03:58 PM

my senior recital is coming up and so ive been preparing a few pieces on my double bass. problem is that this bass has serious set-up issues- the gist of it is that its incredibly hard to play (i'll be using my school's bass for the recital which is super easy to play- its like butter)

but i learned my songs and my hands have never felt so in shape...

the problem is that my hands and fingers are pretty messed up- blisters, open sores, etc...

my recital is in 3 days and i wanna play my best, but how do i do this with my hands in this condition?

i need help! any suggestions?

skin care products I should look into, super glue, etc...

EviscerateNick · #2 05-02-2009, 04:07 PM

had the same problem last week recording my bands cd. Krazy glue did the job. i just needed to reaply it every so often. it worked very well.

chop_1992 · #3 05-02-2009, 04:15 PM

You can't get your fingers to really heal in three days. Get some surgical tape (not band aids-- use tape) and experiment with taping your fingers. Do it now, not an hour before the recital. Try it and see if it works for you. Then put talcum/baby powder on your fingers. You can even use it on the tape. The tape, if you put it on well, will not slip off. The powder will reduce friction on the whole area.

Good luck!

vikingur · #4 05-02-2009, 04:43 PM

you could try building up some callouses [sorry if there are any spelling errors] by prolonged playing of a bass guitar, however callouses tend to produce too harsh of a tone for viol bass playing

boogie8008 · #5 05-02-2009, 04:51 PM

super glue. it feels more natural than tape which can sound very harsh. Only thing is that it flakes off and makes a mess on the strings and finish, but as you said, it isn't your bass.

cloren · #6 05-02-2009, 06:08 PM

awesome- i'll definitely get some krazy glue for the recital then. in the meantime i'll also try out some surgical tape

thanks guys!

JtheJazzMan · #7 05-02-2009, 06:53 PM

How about, dont use superglue. You risk putting possible arsenic-containing superglue on your hands, and potentially in your blood stream.

There are specific medical skin glues for such things, check out the local chemist/drug store.

meta · #8 05-02-2009, 07:11 PM

superglue is a bad idea, toxic stuff. that is a completely uneducated suggestion (learn to use google, it won't make you a genious but will prevent you from being an idiot).

if the recital is in 3 days, I'd do the following:
1. not play for 3 days
2. do more ear training instead. at your level (from what I'm intuiting) you don't need to be playing the next 3 days, you probably just need to think about playing. It ain't all about technique. If you are hurting physically, this is the logical choice for sure.
3. the day of the recital I'd play for half an hour or an hour (or 2), a few hours before the recital, just to get the mind-body connection going. that way when you play you won't feel the layoff effects.

your fingers will be better in 3 days than they are now. they will take 5 days to heal properly, so too bad you couldn't stop playing a few days ago... but if the blisters haven't poped, they might heal in 3 days, or at least stick to the underlying skin. no matter what, a few days rest will make you stop worrying so much. just clean the fretboard and strings you will use with hand sanitizer before you play (you know the liquid anti-bacterial stuff), and you won't have to worry too much about your fingers or the cuts when you're playing, as the danger of infection will be mitigated to a great extent. Probably a good idea to clean after you play too to help the next poor sod who playts that bass

anyways, at that point it is: no pain, no gain

maybe it'll make you play better, who knows? like they say, hit every note like it is your last...

good luck! Let us know how it went!

jweiss · #9 05-02-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meta

superglue is a bad idea, toxic stuff. that is a completely uneducated suggestion

Could you please provide a reference supporting this statement? I cannot find anything with Google to support it. A medical grade is widely used to close wounds (e.g., Dermabond).

jweiss · #10 05-02-2009, 07:43 PM

Here you go - I think you'll be safe using superglue (cyanoacrylate):

Nexcare Liquid Bandage (n-butyl cyanoacrylate)

JtheJazzMan · #11 05-02-2009, 07:48 PM

Well the mass produced industrial superglue from china is likely to have toxic chemicals in them, theyre industrial after all and not designed to be used on skin.

Specific medical glues are designed to be non toxic

chris dammann · #12 05-03-2009, 12:20 AM

i recommend two shots of jameson.

chicagodoubler · #13 05-03-2009, 02:48 AM

NEWSKIN. Available at any drug store. I reached into my shaving kit on the road one time and my razor took off the tip of my RH index finger. 5 applications of Newskin later and I got through the gig... Like superglue but sanitary and what not.

Jason Hollar · #14 05-03-2009, 08:05 AM

I suffer from finger splits all winter. Crazy/Superglue works great to get through a show, but for me, it makes the problem much worse in the days following the gig. The glue does not want to come off and actually takes off layers of good skin when it does - seriously delaying healing time.

I use New Skin, it works well and can be applied in layers. It is STINKY though -- so do it outside or way backstage or at home an hour before the gig!

josbroek · #15 05-03-2009, 08:08 AM

keep playing much a day, ur fingers will become hard and u wont feel the pain anymore!!

meta · #16 05-04-2009, 06:22 PM

here is the link, I assume wikipedia is ok as a reference. you can google cyanoacrylate and superglue together too to find other sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

I'll bet some of the products released for medical use are OK, but not "super glue" itself. Or maybe I'm just paranoid, I didn't mean for that post to sound so angry, sorry bout that... it is obviously not a completely uneducated suggestion, so I appologize.

Jazzdogg · #17 05-04-2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meta

here is the link, I assume wikipedia is ok as a reference. you can google cyanoacrylate and superglue together too to find other sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

I'll bet some of the products released for medical use are OK, but not "super glue" itself. Or maybe I'm just paranoid, I didn't mean for that post to sound so angry, sorry bout that... it is obviously not a completely uneducated suggestion, so I appologize.

I must be missing something. I just read the Wiki article and didn't see anything damning, aside from the reference to its noxious fumes.

jfv · #18 05-19-2009, 02:02 PM

I've used the various "glue" solutions, and other than
for very short term or small wounds its just not going
to cut it.

The only real short term approach that I found to work
is to use fabric type bandages, for left hand I've not
seen this to cause any problem at all sound-wise.

If playing pizz and you put them on your right fingers,
well, that is going to effect the sound, you have to
decide if you can live with it. If you can't then just
be ready to clean the blood off them strings at break

Course, I use Anima strings and it doesnt show anyway!

Longer term, for those of us that have day jobs and
don't have gigs every day, I've found two things to be
of IMMENSE help. First, fish oil gel caps, I take one a
day, it helps promote healthy skin, and if you're older
its good for overall health anyway

Second, hemp hand protector, this stuff is the absolute
BEST hand cream I've ever used, it keeps skin from drying
out and peeling but it doesn't soften it either.

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com is the place, its a bit
pricey but worth every penny!! And the smell brings back
fond memories as well

RBrownBass · #19 05-19-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

NEWSKIN. Available at any drug store. I reached into my shaving kit on the road one time and my razor took off the tip of my RH index finger. 5 applications of Newskin later and I got through the gig... Like superglue but sanitary and what not.

Yup, that's the stuff. Went to a med-vol gig several years ago, amp quit and at the end of the gig my RH index and middle fingers looked like they belonged to a zombie. I bought some Newskin a few hours before an afternon gig the next day. It works fine and can be reapplied for the next gig until the blisters heal (pop them first, OP- it's going to happen anyhow and you don't want pus on your fingerboard).

I believe the scientific term is Sodium Benzoate, but don't take my word for it.