Jesso Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Hey everyone. I'm in the middle of a run of 5 gigs. Last night was the 2nd. The gigs are weddings, quite a grueling 2.5 hour set. I don't usually have any problems with my fingers or hands, but last night about three quaters way through the pinky on my left hand (my fretting hand) got really sore at the point of contact with the string. The pain is in the tip of my finger, and does not appear to be muscular thankfully. I have a tendancy to play too hard.... i.e. push down too hard on the string with my fretting hand. It's something I don't usually notice. I do try to take it easy, but sometimes I find myself "gripping" the neck un-necessarily hard. The pain in my pinky is like a shooting type pain... as if there is no flesh between the bone at the end of my finger and the string. It only happens when I press too hard, but it's a very fine line and I'm sure to do it several times during each song if I use my pinky! It's a pretty bad pain and makes me visibly wince each time.... not good! I'm thinking maybe a band-aid or two would help. Has anyone got any experience with this type of injury? Any suggestions most welcome! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 If I ever play more than one gig in a row I have to prepare myself as my fingers are generally shot after a gig. Something to cushion the pinky may be in order but if you do make sure it can;t come off easily. I once put a plaster over my index finger when I was in pain and it started coming off during a song leaving my finger and the strings incredibly sticky. If was f***ing awful. Maybe try to use your ring finger instead or even slide up and down the notes you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesso Posted June 25, 2011 Author Share Posted June 25, 2011 [quote name='Delberthot' post='1282079' date='Jun 25 2011, 12:58 PM']If I ever play more than one gig in a row I have to prepare myself as my fingers are generally shot after a gig. Something to cushion the pinky may be in order but if you do make sure it can;t come off easily. I once put a plaster over my index finger when I was in pain and it started coming off during a song leaving my finger and the strings incredibly sticky. If was f***ing awful. Maybe try to use your ring finger instead or even slide up and down the notes you need.[/quote] Yeah I did have to use my ring finger instead last night.... but it's tough cos I sing quite a bit, and it's a lot to concentrate on.... when your singing and playing your (well mine at least) brain tends to go into automatic mode. I wonder I could use gaffa tape to keep the plaster on. Sounds like a plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 No swelling..?? might be a splinter or shard of metal/string. I'd soak it in TCP and also hot water..but you don't have much time. I'd do that overnight anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesso Posted June 25, 2011 Author Share Posted June 25, 2011 [quote name='JTUK' post='1282096' date='Jun 25 2011, 01:18 PM']No swelling..?? might be a splinter or shard of metal/string. I'd soak it in TCP and also hot water..but you don't have much time. I'd do that overnight anyway.[/quote] No swelling that I can see. I'm just gunna wrap it up and hope for the best. I've been putting traumil on it, which is a kind of a hippie cream that's good for all sorts of bruises and muscle pain... so hopefully it'll be alright given a bit of time to recover. I'm gunna turn up my amp and try to play lighter tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Get a pair of small latex gloves. Put an elastoplast over the sore finger end and then cut two fingers off of the gloves. Put those over the finger and use some tape to stop them slipping off. The real trick though is to fix the thing that's caused the problem in the first place. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I get this with my index finger sometimes, exactly how describe, and I play hard live too. I wonder if it's a nerve being pressed upon by internal swelling or something. It's never lasted long and rest seems to make it disappear. I certainly wouldn't put a plaster on it, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Play softer if you can, try playing on the finger pad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 If it feels like a bruise then I get it sometimes, hurts like hell Taping it up may help, I find that it's caused when I'm learning music theory and seem to tense up and grip too hard. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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