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Missing fingers!
- Thread starter joshmickelson
- Start date
Not accurate, mi amigo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumb#Other_animals_with_opposable_thumbs
Agree with the rest, though.
It is in the spirit of human development not a physical capability. It defines us in the sense that the human hand helped develop the physical and neurological senses we have to day, or was it one of the catalysts for it? The more the hand could do the more we used it, the more the brain and the physical needs to have this were developed, or was it that we developed the physical and so with more movement available the brain had to grow to accomodate these new workings? A bit like a computer, adding a new hardware needs new software, new software need the power to run it, the more new software you add the more power you need.
In writing for example, its no just about hold, its about having the muscles for the movement, the neurology to support such movement, the brain size to understand it and develop the movement, the visual to see it, the function of idea to speak it, the vocal chords to make that so, the auditory to hear the spoken word etc, etc, etc.
We tend to see the hand for what it is today not what it was and what it was originaly.. the end of a front limb for walking on.
The question we ask is why and how did we end up with a hand in such a design as we have today? The body mechanics of the hand have taken millions of years to develop and in the last 20 years or so we have increased the use 20 times over before we even leave school with the amount of use we give the hands. From keyboreds to phones, gaming controls digital devices we are increasing that use in a way that the body cannot handle in such a short period of time.
So it is inevitable that injury and problems occur when the function of the hand is over used...playing bass for example was not in the development of the hand so it is a compromise when we use it for that purpose. That compromise is technique verses ability verses aspiration.
It is in that sense that it defines us, where we are to day as a race and species, not for the loss of any function, or the lack of the development of any function, sorry for the confusion.
I like the concept of a positive feedback loop driving human intellectual progress through an interplay between cognitive function and manual dexterity. I'm not sure it's accurate, but I do appreciate the elegance.
I can recall a speculative fiction story I read some time ago that postulated future humans evolving gigantic eyes and ears for processing the entertainment we bombard ourselves with constantly, and grossly overdeveloped thumbs for pressing the myriad buttons we use to interact with our electronic world.
Which brings up an interesting question - if every person played bass guitar, how would humans evolve? Longer and more dexterous fingers on the left hand, beefier thumbs and more powerful plucking digits on the right? Overdeveloped shoulders and upper-body musculature from supporting the weight of ever-larger extended-range basses? Deeper auditory range to appreciate the lower frequencies to begin hearing what are now sub-aural notes?
If you were a genetic engineer or cyborg surgeon, how would you design the ultimate bass player?
I had some fingers mangled in a motorcycle accident. It's near impossible
to play some chords on the guitar. Luckily, I always wanted to play bass anyway.
My ring finger doesn't bend at the last joint and it's kind of boney on the
pad side. I always get a blister there even after years of playing.
Hammer-ons are really weak with the ring finger. But this is trivial
compared with what others have to deal with. I thank God that it
works as well as it does.
to play some chords on the guitar. Luckily, I always wanted to play bass anyway.
My ring finger doesn't bend at the last joint and it's kind of boney on the
pad side. I always get a blister there even after years of playing.
Hammer-ons are really weak with the ring finger. But this is trivial
compared with what others have to deal with. I thank God that it
works as well as it does.
This is why we have debate and study, our idea of human development changes when Lucy, Astralopithecus anamemesis, who lived some 4-4.2 million years ago, was discovered.
She had an opposable thumb hand and a small brain. It would seem un-likely she could use the hand as we do, because the neurology and mechanics would not be present to support it.
Being a tree dweller the whole neck and shoulder development would still be for climbing and swinging not for walking.
The subject is deep but full of interesting ideas.
That would have to start as a genetic mutation, and in our modern world any genetic mutation is seen as wrong and fixed through surgery. Mental developments that differ are treated. For example the wonderful skill that savants show..are they a look to our future of possible development?
Great question and i would say that they are out there in many forms just now. But it would have to address and eliminate the injuries we see and associate with bass playing.
So for me;
Better wrist functions to eliminate RSI injuries.
Better elbow, shoulder and wrist joints for better approach to the bass neck, more rotation in the forearms to keep the hand in line with the neck.
Stronger spine for support.
Better protecting for the ears, the ability to protect them from excessive noise.
Thicker skin to deal with the usual comments they get about their role or their choice of instrument.
I don't have any missing fingers, but when I was about 16 I snapped the tendons on the ring finger of my left hand playing Rugby, didn't even notice doing it until half time. The finger no longer bends at the top joint.
I spent around a year trying and trying to learn to play left handed which was very trying, then one day something just 'snapped' and it all felt perfectly normal to play lefty, and right handed felt weird.
The most amazing thing was that on the day everything changed I could no longer play pool, or shoot a gun right handed.
Hats off to those playing with missing digits.
I spent around a year trying and trying to learn to play left handed which was very trying, then one day something just 'snapped' and it all felt perfectly normal to play lefty, and right handed felt weird.
The most amazing thing was that on the day everything changed I could no longer play pool, or shoot a gun right handed.
Hats off to those playing with missing digits.
"Lefty" from the Flametrick Subs plays upright bass with no left fingers, and rocks the hell out.
Being that I live in Austin, I've seen these guys a couple times, I had to do a double take when I noticed how good he could "nub" that upright.
Luckily, my fingers are all fine but I know someone who's had trouble.
He was a Highway Patrol officer back east and got the last three fingers on his right hand hurt (bent sideways, parallel to his wrist). Somehow, he came out of it ok and and can still play great (got off the force three years early too). The only things are he can't bow anymore and bad weather gives him trouble (why he moved out here). I won't out his name, but he ended up leading the house band of a pretty reputable venue.
And of course, Jerry Garcia. Down a digit on his plucking hand and still managed to play great banjo and pedal steel.
He was a Highway Patrol officer back east and got the last three fingers on his right hand hurt (bent sideways, parallel to his wrist). Somehow, he came out of it ok and and can still play great (got off the force three years early too). The only things are he can't bow anymore and bad weather gives him trouble (why he moved out here). I won't out his name, but he ended up leading the house band of a pretty reputable venue.
And of course, Jerry Garcia. Down a digit on his plucking hand and still managed to play great banjo and pedal steel.
wow. do you just play lefty, or are you fully ambidextrous now?
also, while he isnt missing any digits, rocco prestia plays pretty much everything with just his first two fingers, and hes going friggin fast a lot of the time.
granted, he does use the other two fingers for his signature muted tone, but i remember learning some tower of power songs years ago and it was quite a challenge to match what he does.
also, while he isnt missing any digits, rocco prestia plays pretty much everything with just his first two fingers, and hes going friggin fast a lot of the time.
granted, he does use the other two fingers for his signature muted tone, but i remember learning some tower of power songs years ago and it was quite a challenge to match what he does.
This is the reason I've shown up here on a bass forum. Many years ago, I lost the middle two fingers of my left hand at the first knuckle. I managed to re-learn quite a lot of my guitar skills, but there are a lot of chord shapes that just became impossible to play. I made a pretty good effort at it, but in the long run my confidence became the biggest casualty. Now I'm trying to see what I can do with the bass. I'll miss playing the guitar, but I won't feel so limited on the bass.
Well, interesting -- I play righty though I am a lefty. I do so because when I was first starting I assumed that left-handed guitars would always be more expensive and harder to find. So I forced myself to learn right-handed and I remember things suddenly snapping to, after a few weeks of struggle.
It's like looking at an Escher print that suddenly looks upside down where before it looked rightside up.
I chunked-off the first part of my middle finger on my left hand. The hand surgeon put the nail-bed back on and used some of the left over skin to give the finger skin to "grow back into" so to speak. It grew back like a chameleon, but is very sensitive.
I have a hard time trying to use it, but it actually is good nerve therapy for me.
This is a pic of the surgeon's work. He did a great job of repairing it. Don't look if you don't like damaged fingers:
http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/orangemod/fester.jpg
Cheers, Dave
I have a hard time trying to use it, but it actually is good nerve therapy for me.
This is a pic of the surgeon's work. He did a great job of repairing it. Don't look if you don't like damaged fingers:
http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/orangemod/fester.jpg
Cheers, Dave
