Painful finger tips...suggestions?

[Lonnybass]

Thanks for the advice. Interesting...his home setup includes a 300 watt bass, but for jamming, he takes a 65 watt amp with him. This seems to be potentially the issue. He is a great young player, with excellent quality basses (Fender Jazz and Lakland 55-01) but I think his next purchase should be a decent amp. His current 65 watt is an Ibanez, and the 300 watt bass is an old Peavey head and 15" Celestion speaker cabinet. Stretching sounds good too. Thanks to all who responded.

And there it is. I had a hunch. Ok, so let's get him going with the following good habits.

1) Stretch and warm up religiously before and after he plays.

2) Make sure he has a good setup, action not too high, neck straight, etc.

3) Bring the big rig to play at his jam sessions. And make sure he turns it up, thereby encouraging him to play with a lighter touch.

4) Pay attention to his wrists, posture, technique, etc.

5) If it hurts, heaven forbid, tell him to stop for the day and let his hands recover. I have seen more than my fair share of players hang it up because their hands cannot take the abuse.
One guy, a double bass major I knew in college, had to call it quits his SENIOR YEAR because his tendonitis was so bad.

6) Find a teacher who can work with him on his playing position and living pain-free.

7) Learn how accentuating different frequencies can make the bass sit in the mix amongst drums and guitars.

On another note, I didn't mean to sound argumentative or hostile in my previous posts in this thread. I have simply seen too much advice given about playing with pain that I find either grossly irresponsible or, at the very least, dismissive or making light of potentially serious underlying problems. Ergonomics in playing is something I have been focused on for the past 10 years in particular, and is partly why I started to build my own custom instruments.

Developing simple callouses are one thing - but playing with a level of pain that pushes a kid to tears is another subject entirely.

Lonnybass

 

[johnepipe]

I thank everyone for the advice. My son Sean is reassured that with the right ergonomics, form, setup, rig, and determination, his passion for playing will survive a little tenderness. He also plays piano, synthesizer, drums, some guitar, bass drum in my pipe band, and hacks around on the didgeridoo, but after getting to grade 9 piano level, the bass just fits his needs and personality. Great support from all at this forum!

 

[WuvMuffin72]

Well, from what I've read on here, I think there's another factor you all forgot to consider: the strings.

I once bought a pack of GHS Boomers, and the tone was amazing. Sadly, the downside is that those strings scratch your fingertips up very badly. Previous to the Boomers, I had Rotosound Roundwounds, which did not scratch my my fingertips as much compared to the Boomers. So when I got to jam sessions with friends, I would always come home with blood blisters. It was awful. Eventually, I played with a pick, but of course it wasnt satisfying enough.

One day during a jam session a friend of mine (who's a keyboardist) decided to switched instruments with me, and he got a pretty bad looking blood blister after jamming. After the jam session, the keyboardist and I talked about getting new strings for my bass. I agreed with him 100% that those strings were killing fingertips and sensitive calluses. I bought a new set of strings a week later, which happened to be flatwounds (but D'addario roundwonds work too).

So I suggest you and your son evaluate the set of strings on his bass as well.

 

[Kevinmach]

Kevinmach - Out of curiousity, how long have you been playing to achieve the "feel like they are dipped in wax" finger tips you describe? (edit - just saw that above post - I know 1.5 on bass, but how long on guitar before that?)

I'd venture say that my callouses were pretty much gone by the time I picked up the bass... I got involved in business pursuits for a few years and stopped playing guitar for a quite some time, and I picked up an acoustic at Guitar Center to goof around with. About 3 months after that, I kinda got the bug to maybe do some recording, and that's when I bought the bass, with no intention at all of becoming a "bass player". My intent was just to use a pick and lay down some bass tracks.

No doubt I had formed *some* callouses again with the acoustic for those 3 months (which are typically harder on your hands than electric guitars) but it was not even in the same ball park as when I started playing the bass. Yeah, you get 'em from guitar, and to some extent even from piano believe it or not. But nothing prepared me for rigors of the bass.


I am still not used to the callouses, they feel weird... I sometimes catch myself noticing them or feeling them when I am not even paying attention (I can feel them now as I type). But I don't play nearly as much as some of the other people on here, I am guessing. Even on sore days, I could usually still play, just not with the same intensity and enthusiasm I wanted to.



I think everyone here has made valid suggestions, all of which will likely help. The one the most reflects my personal experience was the comment made about building strength and muscle and the body's ability to adapt. I have a run a few marathons and the process is much the same- when you're training, you push yourself a little too hard some days, and its not a bad thing, you have to do that to make gains. But you have to know when to back off too. Riding that fine line between "discomfort" and "pain" is tricky business. Occasional discomfort and mild pain is normal, I can tell you that. Coming home in tears in another matter, and that's when it's time to back off.



One last suggestion- I am not sure how practical this is for you and/or your son, but when my fingers are aching, I go play my keyboards for a day or two. It's a refreshing break from the bass, yet still allows me to do something musically if I feel like it. Plus, I have to say the strength needed to play the bass has increased my ability on those instruments times ten.

 

[rcarraher]

14 year old son is an avid player in love with bass playing, BUT came home literally in tears after jamming saying that his finger tips, on the hand he plucks the strings, are always sore. He said that after playing 30 minutes it hurts so much. He thinks it is a physical limitation that will keep him from playing. Did not disclose this to us until yesterday, and said it is always been that way for two years. He was so down he thinks he may not be physically able to play the bass, even though his talent has been recognized locally as many bands ask him to play with him.

Is there suggestions to help the pain? Conditioning? Creams to apply on tips of fingers to numb them? I know...use a pick would be an answer, but he loves finger playing.

Any suggestions may help my distressed son!

I have had problems with sore finger tips my entire life, but on my fretting hand. I learned a long time ago not to "clip" my finger nails but to file them and end of problem. Don't know if this might help his plucking hand?

Something else I learned along time ago, I have had cuts on my finger tips on and off, and found that Liquid Bandage or Tough Skin applied to the sore finger tips helps. You loose a bit of feeling, but you'll soon compensate for that. I've also known players use super glue on there finger tips.