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AAGH - hand injury Sunday - gig on Friday!!!

richntiff

richntiff

Sep 13, 2012
4,343
8,459
Northern Wisconsin
#1
Yes - I am an idiot.

I'm finishing the basement - so yesterday, I'm hanging drywall - cutting a piece with a razor/utility knife. The blade jumps the drywall and up onto the drywall square - where my left hand happens to be. I cut the side/tip of my pointer finger clean off. OMFG. I go in, get a compression bandage put on. It wil be fine - but it's going to take some time to heal as I cut off a decent chunk...

Get back home - pickup the bass right away to see if I can play without, oh, the MOST IMPORTANT FINGER..... :rollno:
I think I can do it - but I'm going to have to simplify my parts quite a bit - I just have no range without that finger. Have a gig Friday - as least I have a few days...

Anybody else out there as stupid as I am?? :rolleyes:
 
#3
UGH! I feel your pain! Years ago, in my trumpet-playing days, I worked in a sawmill. Long story short, I removed the pad of my right middle finger almost to the bone due to abrasion from a steel cable(!). :eek: :bawl: :rollno:

This threw the timing for valve combinations WAY off, :hmm: and it took quite a while to get it back, but it DID come back. The body/mind connection may take a while to readjust, but hopefully in your case it will, sooner rather than later.

I take it there was no hope of reattaching the severed bit? In my case, all that was left was basically the consistency of hamburg (sorry) and no way was that going to work.

Now, plucking the strings, since I learned it with the finger already the way it was, timing isn't an issue. I do have to file my nail a bit more - I don't use the nails for pickin' - but otherwise it is all good.

Heal well, heal soon, my friend!
:bassist::bassist:
 
#5
There's enough meat left at the end of the finger to pluck. It was most of the pad that got ground off. That said, it still would have an effect on my timing if it happened today. You get used to the timing doing it one way, and when this happens, even though it is in reality only a fraction of an inch of skin that goes away, it changes things.

And I do use my thumb sometimes as well as a pick, depending on the requirements of the song. Still working on that "slap" thing... ;)
 
#7
I once had an injury that put my ring and pinkie fingers out for a few days. Had a gig that night, played with two fingers on the neck, like Django Reinhardt(sp?). It was challenging and I had to change a few parts. If you have till Friday, you should be able to take care of the changes needed. In fact, it might be giggable by then, especially if you experiment with some padding and those finger protectors that look like little condoms. Maybe cloth tape over that so they won't stick to the strings.
Good Luck!
 
#9
The week of my first gig with my previous band Im out playing Dodgeball as I did every Sunday.
I get hit by a ball on my left index finger, dislocating it at the knuckle a full 45 degrees.
I still manages to play with the band, and another band I was fronting at the time. I hardly used the injured finger, but it never completely recovered.
 
#10
When this kind of thing happens I just use a pick. Eq the bass up a bit and the mids down a touch and it should sound the part and not kill your healing process. I'm a commercial painter though, I know the genre of injuries you're talking about, haha.
 
#12
I tore the tendon on my ring finger which made it droop at the last joint.The specialist says if I splint it straight for 9 WEEKS and it doesn't bend (if it does you have to start the 9 weeks over again) it will reattach it self. Seeing I have had schedule gigs between that time I put the splint on top of my finger for gigs and it works enough to get by. Two more weeks wish me luck. :hmm:
 
#13
sheesh - good luck!

I have my bandage off and am 'air drying' my injury. Pretty darn sore, but I think there is a decent chance I'll be able to play with that finger by Friday. I plan to cover it in liquid bandage or maybe even superglue. I'll be good to go I think... If not, I get to get really creative with my lines... :-)
 
#14
Hi,

richntiff said:
. I cut the side/tip of my pointer finger clean off. ...

Anybody else out there as stupid as I am?? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

ACK! This makes me cringe!
Hammer3.gif


I wrecked my motorcycle a few years ago, shattered my knee cap, and broke the pinky finger on my left hand. Like many players, I use my pinky A LOT. It wasn't set straight and the orthopaedic surgeon who operated on my knee wanted to perform surgery on my pinky.

evb_SAUNDERSCLIFFORDBKNEELATLOW-EXM.jpg


finger_xray_071709.jpg


Unfortunately, my insurance would not authorize the surgery on my pinky. So it healed slightly, but noticeably, crooked. I had to adjust my playing technique to compensate once I started playing again.

But, like you said, it will take time to heal and adjust. I hope you don't do any more damage by playing on it so soon. You just might want to sub out and give yourself a chance to heal some more. Best of luck to you, Mr. richntiff. Take care.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
#15
Not sure if this will help. I basicaly pulped the entire tip of my index and middle finger of my left (fingering) hand in an accident with a floor mount belt sander. I had to gig, in desperation I cut up a silk tie into small patches and glued them over my finger tips with super glue. Still sore but barable. The fix held up for the 3 hour gig. The patches fell off about three days later in the shower, just replaced them for the next gig. Not sure of the health issues but have used super glue to "stick" finger cuts for giging a couple of times.
 
#20
i would say that if its open DONT USE SUPER GLUE.try and keep it in the air and sterile and practice using your finger with a gauze bandage and just a little padding.it will hurt a bit but you'l live. i have done the exact same thing before. however i will say that with the way i play i could prolly cut ally fingers off and i wouldn't sountd any worse.
 

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