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Blisters, HELP!

T

ticker

Jul 27, 2009
16
19
#1
Hi,

I am a semi-pro bass player and normaly play 3-4 times per week.

I recently went on holiday for 2 weeks, swimming most of the day every day.

It must have softened my skin as after doing 1 rehearsal and 1 gig already this week I have 2 Giant Blood filled Blisters on my 2 main plucking fingers!

The blister on my middle finger is about 1cm diameter and they both hurt very badly. I have drained them and they are a bit less sore.

The trouble is I have big a gig tomorrow night and I don't know how I am going to play, I hate using a pick. The second half of last nights gig was so painful my hand was shaking and i didn't play well.

Does anybody know any cheats or hints to temporarily harden up my fingers in 24hrs ?????

HELP!:crying:
 
#2
There really isnt any way around the fact that your fingers lost thier callus's. In 24 hours they wont be able to callus over. You will have to use a pick if its too painful. However you could try putting chalk on your hands for a couple hours and don't let any moisture at them. Rinse your hands and dry them well and your hands should be pretty dry. The do some basic warm up patterns and see if your index and middle finger hold up. Good luck.
 
#4
Thanks Guys,

I am considering covering the blisters in super glue! I know this sounds daft and fraught with images of sticking my fingers together, but i know they use it in medicine and it would produce a hard skin over the the damaged skin, like a fake calous! I have heard of people doing it before.

I will wait and see how they are tomorrow afternoon.

Any more advice still apreciated.

:eyebrow:
 
#8
Yeah I had to duct tape my pluckers once. Put a band-aid on first and then wrap. My blisters were so bad that the whole finger tips were filled with fluid, even under the finger nails. Wish I had a pic. Took a good week or two to heal. :rollno:
 
#9
Don't put any tape on your fingers that would expose your skin to a possibly unsafe adhesive. Duct tape is designed to be sticky, not to be wrapped around raw skin.

If I know I'm going to do a lot of playing and my callouses are weak, I will take an emory board (disposable nail file) and "sand" my fingertips until they are smooth (supposedly a Stanley Clarke tip). Wipe off the dust, then I'll wipe fingers over my nose (or behing my ears) to pick up some natural lubrication (will do this part several times during the session as well). This helps reduce friction or drag on the strings, and it helps prevent getting blisters in the first place. It's not a silver bullet if you're totally unprepared for the gig, but it does help.

I struggle with maintaining my callouses as well... they can be either too much (and actually protrude, causing even more friction) or not enough (which leads to blisters). It's hard to find that middle ground. Try using flatwound strings, lightly sand down your fingertips occasionally, and wear gloves when you wash the dishes, car etc.
 

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