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New Player - how much callus is too much too soon?

#21
AndyPanda said:
Thanks so much for that reply ... that is exactly the info I was searching for.

Now to find a great bass teacher in my area - does TB have a resource for that?
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Tim Allen at guitar showcase in Campbell.
Marc Levine and Chris Meek through Jam brothers.
Know them all great guys lots of patience. Good techniques. Accomplished active players.
 
#22
Only thing to add -- eight hours a day -- I would hope your practicing is broken into 45 minute segments with 15 minutes of rest between each segment. Has to do with mental over load. We learn best in short segments (less than an hour) with rest between each segment. If you have the time, no problem with eight hours, but, do limit each segment to less than an hour.

BTW welcome to the bottom end.
 
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#23
I just started playing guitar again about 6 months ago and bass maybe 4 months ago. Your calluses feel a little weird at first, but after a while you don't even notice them anymore. Probably just takes the fingertips a while to get used to them.

With all you're practicing I'd be more worried about over-stressing the muscles and joints in your fretting hand. When I first started on bass I was overdoing it and my hand started feeling pretty sore. I had to back off on the practicing for a while and then slowly ease my way back into it. Everything's fine now.
 
#24
the callous buildup will generally slow down the more you play. i found that the biggest factor in play for callous growth is playing guitar. more specifically, the barre chords and slash chords. my fingers hurt like hell when i tried guitar for the first time in a while after playing bass a lot, and my callouses were so thick that at one point, i lost all sense of touch on the fingertips of my left hand
 
#25
As long as you're not causing pain and blisters, have at it! My calluses really vary, depending on how much I'm working. I just finished two weeks of shows every night, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday, and mine are pretty solid right now. A Stanley Clarke tip I learned years ago is to file your calluses smooth. Not to remove them, just to smooth down any rough edges. It helps, especially with your neck hand.

I used to joke with my doctor. The only fingers she could get a blood sample from were my right ring and pinky. She's stab my calluses and not get blood!
 
#26
Hi ... It was months ago that I started the thread. I slowed down a bit on the practicing since then but I still practice a lot - and still really find that learning bass is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Calluses are not a problem at all -- still have the issues with smart phone but I've gotten used to it and don't really notice it anymore.
 
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#27
AndyPanda said:
Hi ... It was months ago that I started the thread. I slowed down a bit on the practicing since then but I still practice a lot - and still really find that learning bass is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Calluses are not a problem at all -- still have the issues with smart phone but I've gotten used to it and don't really notice it anymore.
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I'm local to you there are several jams out here. Pm me. There ate several stellar teachers in the area too.
 

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