• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Callous=good player?

#21
i think i'm concient of what you are saying here.
i'm currently working in lightening the effort of the whole arm, so the natural weight of my arm do the job, i also get better sound when not do innecesary force, because if you press in a wrong way the sound don't go out well.
the good thing is that my teacher seems pretty concient of what i'm doing wrong... and then i seem to understand his idea, so i'm working on it.
 
#22
PEEL WALLPAPER said:
When Don Thomson was with Shearing, he would come over to my house and hang. Nobody spends more time in the thumb positions than him...you guys should see his left thumb. Holy ****!
I said something about it once and he said: " I made a whole career outta playin' in the thumb position"
Then he'd get up and play the piano.......
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention Don - he and Red are two of the "double threat" guys that I'd like to emulate. I think the bass and piano are wonderfully complimentary instruments for one person to study, since studying either one gives a ton of new perspective on the other. Those guys are demigods.
 
#23
Paul Warburton said:
By catching an edge, I mean if you have a rough edge on a callous and it gets caught on a string, it can tear away, exposing that inside sensitive meat ( i'm getting excited ) where a new blister can start. Then you have a blister under a callous, and that can be real bad!!
I've had to cancel more than one gig because of that.
That's a good reason to keep them nice and smooth.
Click to expand...

Paul

Ouch! That sounds like pain. Luckily that's never happened to me yet. Have you ever used cloth tape or something similar on the ends of the fingers in an emergency? I've seen old pic's of guys with tape on the ends of both right hand fingers. Those 24hr dance marathons must have been hard.

Jon
 
#25
I feel like such a newbie... Because I dont have any callouses except small one on my first finger (Left) and on my thumb from bow~ But of course I am a girl who puts on hand creme all the time so that probably why I dont have any. I've noticed that callouses eventually heal and just become tough skin. :) Maybe you boys should start using hand creme? jk
 
#26
kawaeegirl said:
I feel like such a newbie... Because I dont have any callouses except small one on my first finger (Left) and on my thumb from bow~ But of course I am a girl who puts on hand creme all the time so that probably why I dont have any. I've noticed that callouses eventually heal and just become tough skin. :) Maybe you boys should start using hand creme? jk
Click to expand...
I actually have pretty moist skin to begin with. For me, it's always a game of trying to keep my hands dry enough! I can kill a callous if I stay in the shower too long.

And I've never had to file mine down. Everyone's hands are so different!
 
#29
kawaeegirl said:
I feel like such a newbie... Because I dont have any callouses except small one on my first finger (Left) and on my thumb from bow~ But of course I am a girl who puts on hand creme all the time so that probably why I dont have any. I've noticed that callouses eventually heal and just become tough skin. :) Maybe you boys should start using hand creme? jk
Click to expand...

k-girl, if you're a girl, how come it says male in your profile?
And please complete your profile so we know something about you. Thanks.
 
#30
HAUL QUARRYBOULDERS said:
If you are a jazz player, or whatever genre,...I should say if you pizz alot, you don't want to be putting cream on your hands. You need nice, dry, hard, ugly callouses!
Click to expand...

Unless you have really dry skin. I think it's okay to do the lotion thing as long as you let the lotion dry before you play - I use lotion a lot...when I don't, the parts of the callouses that come into contact with the nails get pretty painful.
 
#31
I have to use lotion, since I spend quite a few hours in a normal day working around my ol' house, concrete, grout, painting, just general hand killin'. I have to get them to at least flex a bit. It's has to be non-greasy and odor-free, so as not to mask my delicate jazz man-scent. :rolleyes:
 
#33
LaForteo said:
What is a steroidal nail file? Is it different than the files on nail clippers?
Click to expand...

It's actually a giant emory board, about 6 inches long and 1/4" thick, and black on both sides. One side is very rough, and one side is very smooth. I can't remember if the original intent was for women's nails or feet, but it works wonders on bassist fingers.
 
#37
It's kinda like LDAVE says, it doesn't REALLy mean you're a better player. But it DOES mean you've put in a lot of time on the instrument. You know the original "black" belt in martial arts was just the beginner's white belt that darkened over time with repeated tyings. I'm gonna attach some pitchers (or at least a link) of my hands. If this works you're gonna be looking at the pinkies (fingerboard hand to the left), index fingers (fingerboard again to left) and the the "business" ends of my pizz hand...
MVC-744F.gif

MVC-745F.gif

MVC-746F.gif
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back