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finger issue - need help

#41
Sounds like this could be related to repetitive work injury. Besides playing bass, do you do other activity with your right hand fingers? What about computer work and hitting the mouse really hard? Trace back the things that changed prior to having your injury. Could be a pinched nerve (carpal tunnel) that is affecting your fingers?
Check with a doctor, and make sure you rest and get into rehab to excercise your hand and gain strength again.
 
#43
CFunk62 said:
I actually just got 2 stitches on the tip of my plucking middle finger... While its healing I've been playing with just my index finger and trying to adapt best I can and tapped my injured finger to protect it just incase instincts kicked in (and when they do I immediately just stop)

I know its nowhere near the same but if the index is good enough for Jamerson, its good enough for me :p So I'm working on my motown chops

Nowhere near the same scenario I know, but if the doctor route doesn't work, maybe explore alternate techniques?
Click to expand...
My right middle finger was all messed up one time. But instead of just doing the Jamerson 1-finger thing, I was plucking with my index and ring fingers for awhile. Wasn't as awkward as it sounds since I often pluck with 3 fingers (index, middle, and ring) instead of just index and ring.
 
#46
It doesn't have to hurt to play bass... let the amp do the work. I don't have callouses on my fretting or plucking hand. I play with the least amount of pressure required to get the job done. It does not impact speed to tone.
 
#47
buldog5151bass said:
Lately, when I play at all hard, my middle finger gets irritated and sore, to the point where I cannot use it for several days without pain (yes, I do have the requisite calluses)
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Is it acute soreness and irritation at an actual contact point or just generally sore due to fatigue? Is it chaffing against an adjacent finger? Could it be a developing allergy, e.g. nickel?
 
#50
Jeff K said:
My right middle finger was all messed up one time. But instead of just doing the Jamerson 1-finger thing, I was plucking with my index and ring fingers for awhile. Wasn't as awkward as it sounds since I often pluck with 3 fingers (index, middle, and ring) instead of just index and ring.
Click to expand...

I actually tried it immediately after I saw your post. Definitely very alien at first, and kinda awkward just pointing my middle finger out of the way lol, but definitely allowed me to actually do the fills.

Can't wait to try 3 fingers when the middle is healed now :P.

OP is a bassist. He/she won't stop, they'll adapt
 
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#51
Jeff K said:
I was plucking with my index and ring fingers for awhile
Click to expand...

CFunk62 said:
Definitely very alien at first, and kinda awkward just pointing my middle finger out of the way lol, but definitely allowed me to actually do the fills.
Click to expand...

Question for you both: How long (in practice hours) did it take to get your ring fingers into condition, that is to say where the attack, tone and control was comparable to your index fingers? I keep 'toying' with it but it is very much a duller flubbier sound compared to my index and middle, which make a firm and well-defined note.
The spectre of "Old Dogs and New Tricks" keeps lurking...
 
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#52
buldog5151bass said:
Soreness at contact point, only on one finger, so an allergy doesn't seem likely.
Click to expand...
I get something similar that comes and goes; it feels like a nerve that's getting bruised sometimes when I play. It doesn't happen often enough or become bothersome enough that I feel the need to see a doctor. If it's minor like that, I support the advice to work on using less force when you play. I'm doing that and it helps quite a lot. Sometimes it's hard to remember to turn up and back off, but it's been helpful to me.
 
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#53
I’m not a doc, but it does sound a bit like a deep tissue or even a bone bruise. They’re slow to heal but they do. If so, only rest will help. Maybe the ring finger idea for a while…?
 
#55
SteveCS said:
Question for you both: How long (in practice hours) did it take to get your ring fingers into condition, that is to say where the attack, tone and control was comparable to your index fingers? I keep 'toying' with it but it is very much a duller flubbier sound compared to my index and middle, which make a firm and well-defined note.
The spectre of "Old Dogs and New Tricks" keeps lurking...
Click to expand...
I'm an old dog as well. For years I just used my index and middle fingers. One day I just decided to try using 3 fingers on some of the busier songs, figuring 3 is better than 2, right?! :D It felt a little awkward at first, but became easy relatively quickly.

You're right about the ring finger plucking not sounding the same as the other two at first. But that too seems to work itself out fairly quickly. Before long you'll have it sounding virtually uniform across all 3 fingers. Some songs will get that way in the first practice session! Others will take a bit longer, but it will come.

That being said, I still play a lot of songs (probably MOST) using only the 2-finger method (index and middle). Let's say I'm sitting around playing along with a CD (or however you play music to jam with). More than likely, I'll be using 2 fingers. Then a song will come on and I'll just automatically find myself switching to the 3-finger method without even thinking about it. I guess the feel of the song just seems to dictate which style to use. So I'm not really "forcing" myself to use 3. It just sometimes feels right to do so.

And all THAT being said, don't give me any kudos. ;) I'm not a slapper, and I rarely play with a pick. So finger-style is comfortable for me. But if somebody asked me to do some slapping, I have no doubt they'd turn to their buddy and say, "Man, he sucks!" :D
 
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#56
SteveCS said:
Question for you both: How long (in practice hours) did it take to get your ring fingers into condition, that is to say where the attack, tone and control was comparable to your index fingers? I keep 'toying' with it but it is very much a duller flubbier sound compared to my index and middle, which make a firm and well-defined note.
The spectre of "Old Dogs and New Tricks" keeps lurking...
Click to expand...

I'm on day 2 using the ring finger so nowhere close for me. It took me about 30mins for it to not feel stupid and today I can keep time lol. Im just practicing, if I had to gig or lay something down, I'd lean on the index and keep my ring for music. I'm enjoying the experiment while my stitches heal though

To have a ring finger replace 15 years (for me) of middle finger would take a very long I imagine. Especially considering the middle finger is still there, so its in the way AND the finger I want to use
 
#58
CFunk62 said:
To have a ring finger replace 15 years (for me) of middle finger would take a very long I imagine. Especially considering the middle finger is still there, so its in the way AND the finger I want to use
Click to expand...

Jeff K said:
You're right about the ring finger plucking not sounding the same as the other two at first. But that too seems to work itself out fairly quickly. Before long you'll have it sounding virtually uniform across all 3 fingers. Some songs will get that way in the first practice session! Others will take a bit longer, but it will come.
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying both. :thumbsup:
I'm nearly 40 years in with fingerstyle, so just a little in-grained! I'm trying again right now in rehearsal. Timing between index and ring is pretty good but oddly enough I'm finding my index adjusting to make the same softer tone of the ring - it needs to go the other way!!

I just captured these whilst playing and might have worked it out - with 1/2 my fingers strike at about 45°...
upload_2022-2-4_21-18-36.png

whereas with 1/3 I have to approach more at 90° to get the tip of 3 onto the string, which shifts my index finger callous away from the contact point...
upload_2022-2-4_21-44-13.png
 

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