Finger length mismatch

[lowendrachel]

To this day I'm sti trying to improve my right hand technique when playing BG. I do well with thumb and middle finger. Now I'm trying to to incorporate my index and ring finger. Ring finger is doing well but not the index finger.

 

[Ostie]

Everybody’s fingers are different. You do the best you can with what you got. Django did alright with only two.

 

[Stewie]

I’m able to play well after a while, not quite as fast. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine

 

[gln1955]

What you have is really quite normal. If all your fingers were the same length, THAT would be weird.

 

[WilbursaurusRex]

For whatever reason I was under the impression that your index finger was typically your second longest finger

 

[2112]

The middle finger being the longest is standard by a wide margin. We evolved that way because we have a FAR more important communicative function for it than playing bass.

 

[Petethebassman]

Changing the wrist angle slightly is usually enough to compensate for differences in finger length. I pluck the strings with only the index and middle fingers and due to an old accident to the middle finger I sometimes pluck only with the index if the middle finger aches- that happens a lot more these days. I’ve had the hand x-rayed and assessed by a specialist, and his verdict was early signs of arthritis aggravated by previous trauma. I do use pain killers before a gig, otherwise it aches a lot the next day.

 

[Ritter667]

Well, that is normal.

 

[BassBrass]

Chiro or myofascial release therapist can usually sort this sort of thing out. The issue is almost always originating "upstream" of where the actual symptoms are.

I agree but nutrition first. An ex was a physical therapist and a myophascial release therapist and trainer, I doubt you can even find it in some areas, but in my opinion it's superior and less invasive than chiropractic. It will not make finger lengths equal though, that would be magic. Some chiropractors and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioners give good nutrition advice though.

 

[pbass2]

I agree but nutrition first. An ex was a physical therapist and a myophascial release therapist and trainer, I doubt you can even find it in some areas, but in my opinion it's superior and less invasive than chiropractic. It will not make finger lengths equal though, that would be magic. Some chiropractors and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioners give good nutrition advice though.

I'm talking about the numbness, not the finger length of course. I've never been to a chiropractor but myofascial release has fixed me up many many times as an avid and sometimes competitive cyclist and athlete. It's funny how it's still kind of a niche thing in the mainstream PT world, the fascia literally holds everything else together, effects how everything moves and interacts. My myo guy told me that in conventional western medical school until quite recently they wouldn't even study it--they'd toss it away when studying cadavers as if it was some useless junk. Crazy. Now they're starting to finally figure it out. But then again western docs aren't even required to study nutrition either past something like 20 hours. What a joke.

 

[BassBrass]

I'm talking about the numbness, not the finger length of course. I've never been to a chiropractor but myofascial release has fixed me up many many times as an avid and sometimes competitive cyclist and athlete. It's funny how it's still kind of a niche thing in the mainstream PT world, the fascia literally holds everything else together, effects how everything moves and interacts. My myo guy told me that in conventional western medical school until quite recently they wouldn't even study it--they'd toss it away when studying cadavers as if it was some useless junk. Crazy. Now they're starting to finally figure it out. But then again western docs aren't even required to study nutrition either past something like 20 hours. What a joke.

I agree 100%, the finger length thing was a joke. I was practiced on with myofascial release for many hours to my benefit, already a PT, she is in California now and has trained a whole cadre of practitioners. It's amazing that the body's response tells the practitioner where to apply the slow technique next, following the facia which connects everything. Traditional Chinese medicine follows the subtle energy body which is even more dubius to western science. I've found that the western system is procedure oriented dominated by insurance liability (not greed like some say)(I disagree with Kennedy Jr in everything except in the point that Americans aren't doing too well.) Whenever someone on here says "go to an orthopedic surgeon" because they personally benefited from surgical relief of carpel tunnel disorder, I quiver in fear. It's a last resort. And still nutrition isn't mentioned, things like Vit C bioflavonoids & K2 that help collagen to reform and heal.