Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Upcoming Gig, Callouses Gone. Tricks?
- Thread starter Altitude
- Start date
You:
What should I do?Bunch of People: Pace yourself and turn up your amp.
You: I'm a grown man, don't tell me what to do.
Consider all of the following and anything else that may help:
- Liquid skin...experiment before gig day. I have heard it works, but to be honest I have never used it for this purpose. I will be surprised if the Liquid Skin lasts for the duration of the gig.
- Play with a pick. I am not necessarily saying use it for every song. Use it where it works, to take some of the wear and tear of your fingertips.
- Turn up your amp and lighten your technique. Trust me it helps, but it's not a silver bullet. Our playing intensity is something we usually don't think about a whole lot. Rather we tend to go on auto-pilot and adjust dynamically to the situation. But most people play harder if they can't hear well enough.
-Probably a good chance you will play too loud if you turn up your amp, unless you have the discipline to play with restraint. In my experience it's not easy.
- Consider adjusting the way you set up and aim your amp so you can hear better. It's sort of the same idea as the previous comment, but it may allow you to hear so well that is forces you to back off a bit without actually blowing out the room. Or you may absolutely hate it.- Use more fingers when possible. You can pluck with your thumb, and you can pluck with your ring finger. Again I am not saying use them for every song. Use them where it works.
- Try to avoid overworking your fingers between now and gig day. You don't want to start the gig with your fingers already at or beyond the verge of failing (been there; done that
). Like some of the others, I don't generally get heavy callouses because my technique is light. I am not telling you to permanently modify your technique. I am suggesting you do what you have to do to get through the gig. Play with a bit of restraint until your fingers are properly conditioned. Once you redevelop your callouses, be as aggro as you want
.
Last edited:
AFAIK, New Skin = Liquid Bandage = Super Glue. I am not a doctor or a scientist, but Liquid Bandage sure smells like super glue to me. That said, I've never had a lot of luck with those solutions. In your situation, I've tended to just power through and do a quick blister pop (from the SIDE!) during break if needed.
I used Newskin many years ago to help me play when I already had blisters. I think it worked but I did have to apply several coats for it to be effective.
new skin will work. the older stuff that stings like hell will be better, its more like krazy glue imo. I have the newer-no sting version and its good for cuts but its not as strong.
What are callouses?
play'n over 50 years no callouses to speak of
use your amp to do the heavy lifting turn it up and play with a lighter touch
play'n over 50 years no callouses to speak of
use your amp to do the heavy lifting turn it up and play with a lighter touch
i think i've leaned on every suggestion made so far, at one time or another, and any/all of the above can work, IMO/IME. i used to carry old-fashioned, cloth, surgical tape with me when i played in a fairly 'muscular', hard-hitting way, and i'd tape 2-3 fingertips (sometimes preemptively) in order to dig in and play with sore fingers, or to prevent blisters, or when nursing blisters back to calluses, so to speak.
however, in almost the exact same situation as you describe, one time, i didn't tape them up and just decided to play/pluck differently (more softly) for that gig just so i wouldn't raise a blister. i just stayed there! i never went back to plucking as hard as i had been plucking! (and FWIW: my calluses went away after about a year or so.*)
i still dig in anytime i want, but it's for expression these days (or to assert dominance!
). another benefit for me is that by plucking more softly, some parts got easier to play fast. i'm too old to worry too much about speed for its own sake, but still, playing with a slightly softer touch has been helpful in that regard, too. anyway, good luck with your solution! break a leg!
* my wife thinks i still have some calluses, but she knew me when i was a hard plucker
and she recalls that i had much bigger/harder calluses back then.
Super glue. The stuff that hardens within a second. Works.
There is a medical glue with some stuff mixed in sold under the name 'Rock Tips' which is meant to be used as liquid callouses for musicians. Works, too - but is more expensive.
Then, there are flatwound strings.
And you could use a compressor set to peak limiting with a very low threshold and turn up the bass amp a lot, so you can play with a super light touch.
I play flats with a light touch. I do practice 5-6 days a week and gig regularly, but my callouses are barely there.
If I played a rock gig with rounds, I'd have blisters all over.
There is a medical glue with some stuff mixed in sold under the name 'Rock Tips' which is meant to be used as liquid callouses for musicians. Works, too - but is more expensive.
Then, there are flatwound strings.
And you could use a compressor set to peak limiting with a very low threshold and turn up the bass amp a lot, so you can play with a super light touch.
I play flats with a light touch. I do practice 5-6 days a week and gig regularly, but my callouses are barely there.
If I played a rock gig with rounds, I'd have blisters all over.
I use new skin/liquid bandage followed by foot powder on summer/sticky gigis for my right hand, especially if playing upright.
When my hands start to pain me from playing I switch over to a pick. I will usually reset the EQ. You need to find the right pick for your style of playing.
This is a far less toxic version of the super glue option, also tougher than Nu-Skin, and made specifically for this purpose. Available mail order a bunch of places, amazon might even make it in time for your gigs. I swear by it, and a friend that teaches trapeze, a major callous endeavor, swears by it, too. Don't let the dumbarse name deter you.
Rock Tips Website
Rock Tips Website
I, for some strange reason I cannot remember, have these things called Gorilla Tips from M3 Products. They are silicone rubber finger covers. Amazon has a lot of different kinds of finger covers.
Last edited:
