I love my bass, but I play it a bit tooo much. (w/ video)

AmazingGracePlayer · #1 12-26-2006, 06:29 PM

Well, for the past four or five days, I've been playing bass 4-5 hours a day everyday. I wasn't just simply walking bass, but I was thumping hard. My most comfortable bass, Ibanez SR500, (great bass for anyone looking to buy a bass that costs 500) had to take some beating. My Christmas vacation started last friday, so after Saturday and Sunday, I experienced a lot of pain in my thumb and index finger.

This is not just a regular I-played-too-much pain (although I did play a lot). After a night of sleep, the pain in my fingers was gone, and I continued to play 4-5 hours a day. This morning, I got up, played bass (and a little acoustic guitar). This afternoon, my dad took me to my local guitar center to pick up an amp head and cabinet for Christmas. There was no way to know if I like an amp or not if I don't play through it. So there I go. I thumped about 3 hours today afternoon at guitar center. Found an Ampeg SVT-3PRO and Ampeg SVT410 that I really like, but the stubborn salesman at GC refused to bargain with me, so I just left, thinking 1. I could get a refurbished on zzounds.com or 2. I could get my mom (a good bargainer) to buy it for me. To tell you the truth, 1600 for an amp and a cabinet is a bit more than I wanted to spend. My family's not that rich, but it did support my music career; so I felt bad if I kept on egging my dad to get me the amp even though it was very expensive.

After I got home, guess what I did. I played bass until dinner time. After dinner, I noticed a big bump on my thumb. It seemed like a calis (sp?) was forming, and probably one was forming since I played so much; the bump seemed to have some liquid inside it but I did not pay much attention to it. After dinner, I kept playing, and all of a sudden, the bump just popped. what I saw flowing out of my thumb was this clear-ish liquid and blood. I didn't know what to do, so I took some bandages (a lot of bandages) and wrapped it around my thumb. Half an hour later, I'm still bleeding, so I took even more bandages and wrapped them around my thumb. Luckily, my bass's top is not holly or maple, or else it would be stained.

Now it stopped bleeding out blood and the other stuff. It stopped about fifty or so minutes. I just noticed I have a bump on my index finger too... I guess I have to stop playing bass for a while. The bad part (like what happened weren't bad enough) is that I have a New Years Eve show this Sunday, and I never really gotten a chance to sit down with my band and practice all the songs. (We actually practice standing up) Oh....... man......

I just thought I should share that with everyone. Happy bassin'

And for those interested... me playing part of Sinister Minister with bandages and gloves on. (You can hear me screwing up 0:11 into the video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyE503mUncw
Enjoy, and feel free to criticize. (Also, I'm not playing as aggressively as it seems)

ScottyAx800 · #2 12-26-2006, 06:33 PM

You got yourself a blister man. Sounds to me like you gotta take it a little easier on your plucking hand. I wouldn't recommend using your right hand until it heals up. Do some left hand exercises!

hartke20g · #3 12-26-2006, 06:37 PM

play with a pick for now, and probably for the show too. it sounds like you developed some blisters- that usually happens when you play too much at one time before getting a callous. try to play in shifts, like maybe cut your playing in half- 2 hours in the day and 2 at dusk/night.

disregard all this if i'm talking about the wrong hand- i assume it's your picking hand?

btw, you have a lot of enthusiasm- a lot of people here will admire that.

lemur821 · #4 12-26-2006, 06:55 PM

Haven't you heard of blisters before?

AmazingGracePlayer · #5 12-26-2006, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyAx800

You got yourself a blister man. Sounds to me like you gotta take it a little easier on your plucking hand. I wouldn't recommend using your right hand until it heals up. Do some left hand exercises!

One handed tapping technique =) Or I could just hang around talkbass =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by hartke20g

play with a pick for now, and probably for the show too. it sounds like you developed some blisters- that usually happens when you play too much at one time before getting a callous. try to play in shifts, like maybe cut your playing in half- 2 hours in the day and 2 at dusk/night.

disregard all this if i'm talking about the wrong hand- i assume it's your picking hand?

btw, you have a lot of enthusiasm- a lot of people here will admire that.

Thank you for the compliments. I will definitely try playing with a pick (for the first time in my life). Will pick sound better with steel or nickle strings? By better I mean less pick-picking sound. Come to think of it, it'll be hard to play open-hammer-plucked stuff with a pick, hehe...

AmazingGracePlayer · #6 12-26-2006, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemur821

Haven't you heard of blisters before?

Sorry I don't really know the correct term.

vindy500 · #7 12-26-2006, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htotheh

One handed tapping technique =) Or I could just hang around talkbass =)

Thank you for the compliments. I will definitely try playing with a pick (for the first time in my life). Will pick sound better with steel or nickle strings? By better I mean less pick-picking sound.

erm, better less pick picking sounds. im just at a complete loss of what to say here,

g00eY · #8 12-26-2006, 06:59 PM

you must not do any heavy work very much. that bumps called a blister, but i guess you know that now.

AmazingGracePlayer · #9 12-26-2006, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g00eY

you must not do any heavy work very much. that bumps called a blister, but i guess you know that now.

I don't do work but I do work out quite often, but my thumb is not as strong as I would like it to be. It's not weak, but the skin is not like metal...

And yes I guess I learned a new word today. "Blister"

rjny36 · #10 12-26-2006, 07:07 PM

Sorry to be off topic, but Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is an excellent book.

AmazingGracePlayer · #11 12-26-2006, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjny36

Sorry to be off topic, but Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is an excellent book.

Haha I agree! I also like the one that says that if you want to offend a woman, call her baby it. That's not how it goes, but it's something like "ask 'what's its name?'" Great essays.

g00eY · #12 12-26-2006, 07:15 PM

put a bandaid on it and keep playing. or stick your hand in saltwater if it tears open. hardcore

.

nonohmic · #13 12-26-2006, 08:22 PM

I wish I had that problem. I am in a massive playing rut at the moment and cant get motivation.

jasonbraatz · #14 12-26-2006, 08:44 PM

Pop the blister, fill it with superglue, play the show.

That is, if you're man enough.

Modulrob · #15 12-26-2006, 08:55 PM

blisters suck...Stevie Ray Vaughn used to put superglue on his other arm, press is fingertips in, and rip off some new flesh. I don't recommend that...I've gotten away with a wrapping of some paper towel and masking tape (seems to work better on bass strings than band aids)

good luck,
-rob

Bardolph · #16 12-26-2006, 08:56 PM

Definitely a good time when you get the huge bulging blisters. Funny thing, I could play my electric all day and probably not even be sore. Not bragging, I just don't play very hard. But upright absolutely demolishes my fingers, cause you gotta dig in with some flesh on upright. When I used to play more upright jazz gigs and I hadn't played in a while I'd just feel the blisters forming and growing bigger and bigger throughout the gig, and then suddenly the strings would be all wet. Good stuff.

68Goldfish · #17 12-26-2006, 11:13 PM

I used to be in a cover band and no matter that I'd been playing for ten years and had as many callusus as anyone, but by the end of the first night of a two night gig my picking fingers were shredded. I guess I'm to physical of a player at times. One thing is picking over the back pickup near the bridge. The strings are so much tighter there and it's more likely to cause a blister where as playing over the neck pickup is less hard on your fingertips. I'd all ways pop the blister with a pin just enough to let the water out but leave the skin over the top of it. It will fall off eventually but this lets the pressure off of it and it feels better imediatelly and the left over skin is better than the raw meat underneath. The bass is a very physical instrument and blisters are bound to happen especially if you play rock.

JoshK · #18 12-27-2006, 12:51 AM

Oh man...I kinda wish I had your problem too...I really need to play more. But seriously man...I love my sr505, I just got it today but it is a lot like my brother's sr1305 which I have loved for a VERY long time.

AmazingGracePlayer · #19 12-27-2006, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshK

Oh man...I kinda wish I had your problem too...I really need to play more. But seriously man...I love my sr505, I just got it today but it is a lot like my brother's sr1305 which I have loved for a VERY long time.

SR505 is a great bass just like 500 and 506. I think I'm playing the show with my 505

That is, assuming I can play by the time New Years Eve comes.

Now I'm trying to do open-hammer-pluck with a pick and my middle finger. I would hit and open string with a pick, hammer on a note, and pluck with my middle finger. This is not working out really well, very disappointing...

And I don't think I'm man enough to superglue my finger.

JoshK · #20 12-27-2006, 08:31 AM

Man...I'm glad I'm not a super aggressive player. My left hand gives out way before my right hand feels sore at all. But...I then again I am used to my EDB, and that thing has a warped neck, so the action is EXTREMELY high, that thing sure does take a lot out of your left hand.

So what, are you playing for your church on New Years? I happen to be doing the same as well.