Broke my hand dammit.

You could tap with your left hand?

 

Sue the guy who did it?


Lost gig wages plus mental anguish... Seems like a case to me.

 

Take it easy and let it heal for one.

I was lucky not to break it, but I got my left hand fingers caught in a sliding door about a month ago. Ripped a chunk of skin(and a bit of flesh) off the bottom side of one finger and a gash right to the bone on top.

Had it wrapped up like a sausage for a week and it took two weeks to heal to the point where I could play on it again, and even two weeks without drove me batty, so I can sympathize with the downtime you are facing.

 

Look at the bright side, using your left hand instead will feel like a whole new woman.

 

I broke the bone in my hand behind my right index finger once. It hurt like YKW and the doc put my hand in a cast. I had to play about a week later and it felt much better so I soaked the cast off and played that weekend, then went back and got another cast that monday morning. The doctor was pissed and my hand was kinda swollen and tender around the area of the broken bone, but returned to normal pretty quick once another cast was put on.

 

Can you pluck with your thumb? Don't use to much pressure though, as to not irritate the break.
How about using a pick?

Maybe this experience will lead you to acquiring a new skill set?

Just don't do anything t mess up the break that is healing!

 

Study some theory, listen to (the bass in) a lot of different music styles.

 

Sorry to hear, man! Hope everything heals okay. Maybe it'll heal better, and you'll be called "Broken Fist" and people from all over the land will make great journeys to challenge your Broken Fist Technique, and you can develop a really awesome maniacal laugh and grow a cool evil mustache, and get a horde of minions that call you Master Fist and bring you stuff, like tea and dumplings.

Er. That's all I got.

 

Hammer ons. Good Luck.
Let it heal.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your injury. Eight weeks is a long time!

I don't know if you gig or not, but if so, you could play keyboard temporarily. I sliced a tendon in my wrist about ten years ago and had three gigs the following week. They put my right arm in a cast with my hand bent back toward my body at 90 degrees. My bandmates borrowed a keyboard for me and I learned the bass parts to about 50 songs in three days. I don't play keys, so I kept a green piece of tape to indicate the key I was playing in. It worked fine and no one complained, although singing was difficult. Luckily, once I had surgery, I could play with my cast on, since the cut tendon ran to my little finger, which I don't use when plucking.

Don't jeopardize your recovery by going back too soon.

 

Some advice from someone who servery broke his left wrist to the point that if it had not been treated correctly I would not be playing now.

I am still recovering after working with a world renown hand and wrist surgeon.

1. DO NOT try to use the bone for 6 weeks!!!
It takes 6 weeks for the bone to heal and it is strongest at 8 weeks. That is a fact for every human.

2. You will not lose your mental/physical ability to play the bass!
It will take time for your muscles to recover, but they will recover after the splints and cast are removed.

3. 6 weeks will pass quicker that you think.
I am sure that you have gone more that 8 weeks without playing in the past. The difference this time is that you have no choice in the matter if you want to heal properly.

I am sure my current situation and recovery would be better if another musician sat me down and gave me a good talking to about these three items.

I do know how you feel, my wrist was broken on Christmas eve 2012.

This will pass.

I hope that your rehab flies by.

If you have any questions, please PM me and I will respond.

Dimitrius

 

Had a car hood fall on my fretting hand back in 1978 shatter the pinky knuckle and broke the bone in half right behind the pinky it was so bad it was facing down like a triangle into the palm of my hand I was so freak out that I grabbed it and set it myself in fear. When I got to the hospital xray person said it looked like I chopped my hand in half with and axe I had the pinky in a foam and metal splint jammed against the hand bone moved out from my other fingers like you are reaching for the fifth fret my wrist was facing downward and in a cast. I went 12 weeks without touch the bass I was crazed. Never thought I would be able to fret with my pinky but after many painful attempts in came around good luck I feel for you!

 

Learn to sing, it's very valuable.

 

You could try using a pick temporarily - thumb, and 1st finger only. Just a thought.

 

LISTEN TO THIS ADVICE!!! Proper treatment and conditioning in the recovery will go a LONG way.

This. Even if the fingerstyle takes a bit longer to get back, you'll at least be able to play with a pic sooner rather than later.

THIS was me a few years ago. It was well into the next autumn before I could fret anything again and nearly a year before I could really get back into playing anything. Some things even still cause me discomfort because of the way things healed, so DO NOT take the recovery process lightly.

 

Woot!

 

Wait 'till you need to wipe. It's like your three yo again. Haaaaaaa

 

This is but temporary