The fingers of newbie?

[Nicko]

I often see questions from newbies about toughening up fingertips. I'm in no way a new to bass (playing bass about 10 years, but 30 odd ears of playing guitar in my bedroom), but the tips of my fingers are shredding, and do so pretty much everytime I play a 3 hour rehearsal or gig. The pads seem like bits of leather, but the skin dries out and flakes off on my fretting hand.

I'm playing roundwounds, and dont really want to go to flats. Is it normal?

[martthebass]

Have you looked at your action or technique? I sometimes (as a finger style player) get some blistering on the 'plucking' hand if I've been a bit over-enthusiastic but haven't ever had a problem on the fretting hand. I use half-rounds on my main bass which may be something you could consider?

[Jonesthebass]

Try the usuals..... turn up your amp and try to play lighter. 3 hrs of solid bass playing leaves most of us tired. Even the battle hardened lot. If you are blistering and shredding fingers I would suggest your digging in too hard. If it's the fretting hand experiment at home as to how much pressure you actually need to apply. Bet it's less than you thought.
Jaco used to avoid the washing up so as not to soften his fingers!
As I tell my students. If it hurts put it down and put the kettle on. Come back to it later. Also know the difference between discomfort and pain.
Happy bass playing brother!

[Leonard Smalls]

I used superglue on the affected tips for years - careful now!
But the more you play, the tougher they'll get!

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

How frequently are you playing? I find that if I'm playing a two hour gig or rehearsal every week or so then I have no problem, but if it's less than that then I do (like martthebass) get blistering on my plucking fingers and maybe a little soreness on the fretting fingers.

On the other hand, if you have very tough skin then perhaps you're playing a lot and it's just a symptom of building up that much hard skin - when I used to play 6 string guitar a lot more I had a similar cycle of building up hard skin which would sometimes start peeling off. In that case I'd actually suggest trying to soften the fingertips a bit by taking some of the hard skin of with a pumice stone or something?

[FuNkShUi]

I don't have this problem, but a friend i know does.
His way of dealing with it is to lick the tips on the fingers he plays with. Quite regularly actually.
I dunno, maybe worth giving it a try?

[Nicko]

[quote name='Jonesthebass' timestamp='1497439301' post='3318117']
Try the usuals..... turn up your amp and try to play lighter. 3 hrs of solid bass playing leaves most of us tired. Even the battle hardened lot. If you are blistering and shredding fingers I would suggest your digging in too hard. If it's the fretting hand experiment at home as to how much pressure you actually need to apply. Bet it's less than you thought.
Jaco used to avoid the washing up so as not to soften his fingers!
As I tell my students. If it hurts put it down and put the kettle on. Come back to it later. Also know the difference between discomfort and pain.
Happy bass playing brother!
[/quote]

It is only the frettig hand. I suspect this might be the problem - I do seem to get carried away, particularly with slides. I'm not in any pain, although the tips of my fingers are sore after a 2 hour set/3 hour rehearsal. I normally give myself at least a day to recover before even thinking of picking up a guitar after playing.

[quote name='Gottastopbuyinggear' timestamp='1497441216' post='3318146']
How frequently are you playing? I find that if I'm playing a two hour gig or rehearsal every week or so then I have no problem, but if it's less than that then I do (like martthebass) get blistering on my plucking fingers and maybe a little soreness on the fretting fingers.

On the other hand, if you have very tough skin then perhaps you're playing a lot and it's just a symptom of building up that much hard skin - when I used to play 6 string guitar a lot more I had a similar cycle of building up hard skin which would sometimes start peeling off. In that case I'd actually suggest trying to soften the fingertips a bit by taking some of the hard skin of with a pumice stone or something?
[/quote]

Normally at least one 3 hour rehearsal a week, and learning the odd song at home so maybe 4 hours a week in total on bass, and maybe another couple on 6 string. Judging by how thick the skin on the pads feels it might be a build up of hard skin. Seems to be more of a problem on the fingers that have the toughest pads (the 2nd finger is softer and doesn't peel, the index finger is the worst)

Is it a combination of these?

[Nicko]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1497441372' post='3318148']
I don't have this problem, but a friend i know does.
His way of dealing with it is to lick the tips on the fingers he plays with. Quite regularly actually.
I dunno, maybe worth giving it a try?
[/quote]

I'm not a really regular string changer. I think I'd rather have blisters on my fingers than on my tongue.

[Geek99]

Are you reacting to the metal of the strings ?

[chris_b]

If you're damaging the ends of your fingers you're hitting the strings too hard.

Turn the volume up. . . a lot. . . and bring it back down by playing softer.


EDIT: Just noticed you're talking about left hand. . . . same thing, really. Don't press so hard and, if you have a set up to lower your action it would help.

Edited June 14, 2017 by chris_b

[Steve Browning]

I would suggest two things (3 actually).

Stuck your fingertips in the hottest water you can stand. I am l;ed to believe the discomfort is caused by the blood vessels being constricted by the constant flattening by playing. The hot water opens them up again. Sorry Jaco, but the washing up would have helped!

Secondly (and I found this out) using flats makes the problem worse. I reckon this is because flats mean a greater surface area against your finger. That's logical whn you think about it, a bit like a grooved tyre and a racing slick.

To compensate for all these when I'm playing, I tend to lick my fingers regularly.

[Ghost_Bass]

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1497446126' post='3318210']
It is only the frettig hand. I suspect this might be the problem - I do seem to get carried away, particularly with slides. I'm not in any pain, although the tips of my fingers are sore after a 2 hour set/3 hour rehearsal. I normally give myself at least a day to recover before even thinking of picking up a guitar after playing.



Normally at least one 3 hour rehearsal a week, and learning the odd song at home so maybe 4 hours a week in total on bass, and maybe another couple on 6 string. Judging by how thick the skin on the pads feels it might be a build up of hard skin. Seems to be more of a problem on the fingers that have the toughest pads (the 2nd finger is softer and doesn't peel, the index finger is the worst)

Is it a combination of these?
[/quote]

Try, for slides, to use the pad or even part of the side of your finger instead of the tip. The pad is more resistent to pain as it has more area of contact with the string, slidding with the tip will dry your fingers faster.

i don't have problems with blisters but i have noticed that whilst i'm playing i use a lot of available area of my fingers, not allways the tip, i.e. i use the pad for the top strings B, E and the tip for the bottom ones A, D, G, i also change fretting fingers regularly. i do this without thinking. Examining my left hand now, the only calous i can feel is in my little finger, on the side, i use it a lot tbh.

[Woodinblack]

I get blisters on my plucking hand if I have a gig (in excess of 3 hours), or even worse, two gigs at a weekend when I haven't had one for over a few weeks, but it is ok if it is every fortnight. I have them at the moment, I realise when I am doing it and try and remember to play quieter, but it is hard when the sound isn't good.

[Norris]

Do you use a string lubricant such as Finger Ease or Fastfret? That could help if you're doing a lot of slides

[Crawford13]

I notice when you answered the question about how much you play, you said you don't play every day. I would recommend playing for even 15 mins everyday and you would be surprised how quickly the callouses will come on.

[Woodinblack]

I play for at least half an hour every day, often more often. I still get blisters when I play live as I play much harder on stage

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1497455693' post='3318334']
I play for at least half an hour every day, often more often. I still get blisters when I play live as I play much harder on stage
[/quote]
Yes, was always gigging that did it to me until I switched to flats. Tried the turning up and playing with a lighter touch but as soon as it was showtime the adrenaline kicked in and I start digging in. Always plucking, not fretting hand though.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='Crawford13' timestamp='1497455191' post='3318326']
I notice when you answered the question about how much you play, you said you don't play every day. I would recommend playing for even 15 mins everyday and you would be surprised how quickly the callouses will come on.
[/quote]

You don't actually have to play.

Lately I've been doing finger exercises on the bass for 45 minutes, in the morning, six days a week. I don't even have to turn on my amp. If I have time I'll play too or play during a later session. I'm in between projects and I have been doing this for a month. I am lucky to have the time of a morning to do so but now that I've started I would be reluctant to stop as it's helping me build stamina and dexterity in both hands that wasn't previously there just from practice.

I only ever got blisters when I used to dig in with both hands early on in my playing days. I agree with another comment that you might find a lighter touch and more gain helps too. Digging in is a valid technique but even F1 cars need to run at much less than 100 percent for a good part of the race. My point is that you can pull a bit extra out of the proverbial bag if you reserve digging in for exceptional moments during performance.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1497458200' post='3318357']
Yes, was always gigging that did it to me until I switched to flats.
[/quote]

I have never got on with flats apart from on fretless, where I am still not that convinced!

[Skybone]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497447776' post='3318233']
Are you reacting to the metal of the strings ?
[/quote]

Exactly what I was thinking.

Nicko, are you using Nickel Wound strings or Stainless Strings?

Some people have a reaction to Nickel Wound strings that makes the fingers start to peel. I had a similar reaction when I used Nickel's, but since I switched to Stainless Strings, haven't had a problem Must admit that I did think it was a load of old rowlocks, until I actually tried it out.

Also the amount of time you play will affect your fingers too. Take more breaks.

Stick with it.

[tonyquipment]

Lower the action and play lighter

I have my action as low as I can so I don't suffer as much fatigue in the hands. Usually I play for 3 hours or more solidly so my hands do seize up after while. The low action helps offset some of this

Might be worth looking at compressing the sound so you don't worry about hitting the strings too hard or too light.

[ivansc]

I really wish I could play lighter. I dont break strings at every gig any more but I have always been a really heavy player.
Part of it is down to the lack of decent bass amplification when I was growing up meaning you just HAD to dig in to get any kind of a sound.

I have tried and tried over the years to cut down on hit strength but as soon as I get in the zone, I start beating the crap out of it again.
Funnily enough I dons seem to have the same problem when recording that other heavy hitter do. Although I do have to cut my right hand fingernais almost tot he quick to stop string clak. Any suggestions, other than "turn your amp up and play lighter"?

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1497853678' post='3320806']
I really wish I could play lighter. I dont break strings at every gig any more but I have always been a really heavy player.
Part of it is down to the lack of decent bass amplification when I was growing up meaning you just HAD to dig in to get any kind of a sound.

I have tried and tried over the years to cut down on hit strength but as soon as I get in the zone, I start beating the crap out of it again.
Funnily enough I dons seem to have the same problem when recording that other heavy hitter do. Although I do have to cut my right hand fingernais almost tot he quick to stop string clak. Any suggestions, other than "turn your amp up and play lighter"?
[/quote]

Get a bigger bass. If it's big enough it'll be so intimidating you won't even consider beating it up.

I have similar fingernails. It only takes a week before I get the plectrum effect from my nails. I'd love to work with that as a way of accentuating certain notes but my nails are brittle so I have to keep them as short as possible without damaging the quick.

I lightened my touch but now my mentor tells me to practice with no amp so's I can hear the notes without excessive fret buzz. To do so requires more pluck than I ever had to apply before and on his roundwound strung Mexican Jazz it's not pleasant. He's of the opinion that I should carry on and build up callouses but I think there is middle ground.

I'll just shut up and put up for now. That way I can see how much benefit I get from doing the finger exercises as he wants me to.

Edited June 19, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[Dan Dare]

I don't think there's a one size fits all answer. Some of us are fortunate to have tougher nails and skin than others. My nails are very hard (they can cut me if I grasp something too tightly and they dig into the skin) and although I don't play for hours every day, I rarely suffer soreness of the fingers. Just my good fortune. However, the only time I do get sore fingers on my plucking hand is when I play too hard (usually because I can't hear myself on a noisy stage). So I'm afraid the answer has to be play more softly and turn up (or get a more powerful rig if ours isn't giving you the sound/volume you need). All the putting superglue on your fingers, boiling them, etc is of little use, I'm afraid. Sorry, but that's the practical solution.

[chris_b]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1497853678' post='3320806']Any suggestions. . . . ?[/quote]

Turn up and play lighter, take the action up and carry on or, as long as it works, don't worry about it.