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Sticky Fingers

F

FingerPulse

Apr 14, 2008
13
2
#1
No, not the Stones album.:) Longtime lurker, first-time poster on what is, by far, the coolest forum on the net. I'll get right to the point:

Lately I've noticed that sometimes during a gig, my fingers will get a little sticky. Well, "sticky" is actually too strong of a word. "Tacky" might be more accurate. By that I mean, instead of the fingers being dry (or even oily) and able to slide easily on the strings, they get slightly tacky which increases the resistance and slows down both my plucking and fretting fingers. It doesn't happen all the time, and when it does, it only seems to last for a handful of songs, but it sure is frustrating when I'm trying to power through it. The obvious answer would be that dirt/sweat is causing this, and maybe it is to a degree, but my hands don't get abnormally sweaty, and when it happens, using a towel to wipe my hands doesn't help. I do change strings regularly, but maybe I should use wipes/cleaners on them more frequently? Does this ring a bell with anyone else? Any string/finger treatments that you swear by?

Thanks!
 
#3
Easy solution:-

Rub each picking finger down the side of your nose a couple of times, one on one side, one on the other. Works instantly, lasts upto an hour

Of course it helps to be a greasy b@stiche like me :)
 
#5
ok, here is possibly the weirdest thing you will hear in the forums.. but what I have always done was to take an emory board ( what people use to sand down their fingernails ) and I actually sand down the tips of my finger until they are super smooth...I do manual labor for a real job and the tips of my fingers are really hard and rough....

Once I sand the tips down I don't get any of the usual squeeking on the strings and I don't have a problem with any friction at all... try it... feels nice :)
 
#6
51m0n said:
Easy solution:-

Rub each picking finger down the side of your nose a couple of times, one on one side, one on the other. Works instantly, lasts upto an hour

Of course it helps to be a greasy b@stiche like me :)
Click to expand...

The OUTSIDE of the nose, right...?:smug: I have oily skin too, so that just might work.
I'll give the almond oil and Fast Fret a try, too.
Sanding down the finger tips is an interesting suggestion, and I do have callouses so it just might work, provided you're not just pulling my leg!
Thanks for the ideas. :)
 
#9
+1 . Thanks. Solved everything. I was using "hair oil" (rubbing fingers in my hair) but that only lasts a few minutes and doesn't work with clean hair!!! It appears that my nose has an endless supply of grease (eeurrgh! so long as I don't get a spotty nose from rubbing it!)
 
#13
Wow, I have the exact opposite effect.

I guess because my familly's skin is greasy in general I'm immune to that.

MY problem is that after a while my hands are so sweaty that I slip off the strings, especially on my plucking hand. I have to play with a towel nearby and wait for a small break to make an epic 1/16th note hand wipe.
 

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