Complete loss of use of plucking hand - eek!!

[thepurpleblob]

I've been on holiday for a week, but the night before we left I played a gig which was the last of our then guitarist. I do think we may all have been a bit over-enthusiastic... However, during the last song my plucking hand gave up on me completely. No pain but no feeling either. My fingers just closed into a fist and that was that for about thirty seconds. It was rather as if I had fallen asleep and trapped a nerve - takes a few moments to coax the feeling back.

I've never experienced anything like this. It was a bit of a worry... never mind just standing there like an idiot unable to play.

Has anybody had anything similar??

[Clarky]

Yep my left hand has cramped up into a ball a couple of times after playing DB for an hour or so. All I can do is peel the fingers back and fret with my forefinger or my thumb when this happens. It's very disturbing but it does go away

[icastle]

It sounds very much like focal dystonia - quite common amongst musicians and writers.

As always though, get professional medical advice if it happens again...

[thepurpleblob]

Well, ok, I'll see what happens. It was a wild night after several weeks of not playing that much for one reason or another so I'm hoping I just overcooked it. Back to sensible practice I think

[Clarky]

And bring a plectrum as backup!

[thepurpleblob]

Don't do plectrum. Another good reason to learn

[thepurpleblob]

Yes indeed.... just wondered if anybody had seen the same thing. It was completely out of the blue. No pain, no nothing.

[Linus27]

To be honest I used to get this and still do very occasionally. The reason I got it was I use to play with a plectrum. After 23 years of doing that, I decided to move to fingers which was ok but I found that if I played anything fast or aggresive, my plucking hand just started to freeze and go numb. Thankfully I am aware of it and have tought myself to player softer, not dig in so hard and just relax. I don't reallt get it that much now, occasionally on the odd fast aggresive song.

So maybe you were just digging in too hard and playing with too much enthusiasm.

[thepurpleblob]

Yeh - I'm putting it down to a particularly mad night (at the moment). I intend to turn the amp up a bit and pluck a little less enthusiastically in the future. If it happens again, professional advice will be sought.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1316893647' post='1384239']
Keep an eye on it. If it continues SEE THE DOC .
[/quote]

THIS..

[stingrayPete1977]

For me its actually using a plec that gives me more rh trouble or my left wrist area after a *Louis Johnson slap fest.





[size=1]* very poor attemp at a[/size]

[vmaxblues]

I am experiencing this at the end of the second set at the moment, last two gigs, my left hand pretty much packed up, had to force my brain to make the hand work, really weird.

[Musicman20]

Sounds like it was just a night of overdoing it! I have only started to play long sets and with my fingers entirely, and once Im warmed up after 20-30 mins, my hands 'catch up' with how fast I want to be.

Ive played with a plec since day one, and took up playing 95% finger style about 12-18 months ago. Ive definitely improved and Im glad I can finally do both, but my plec style is obviously much stronger at the moment.

I do sometimes feel im working too hard with my plucking hand, but this tends to be when I get worked up in a song and me and the drummer really nail it...adrenaline makes me play harder.

[Chris2112]

I think it would definitely be worth speaking to your doctor about this. I've never had it happen to me before but it does not sound good!

[munkonthehill]

Hey buddy, Hope that Bongo is serving you well

I had the same thing at rehearsal during the winter months last year. I kicked into the rehearsal hard and fast and my plucking hand just gave up on me hahahaha.

I was worried initially but it came back to full mobility during the day.

[Twigman]

I have had a problem with my neck which has resulted in numbness from the elbow to the finger tips of my right hand for the 3rd and 4th finger.
It has been like this for over 2 years now.
It was caused by a temporarily slipped disc in my neck which damaged the nerve.
The quack offered my an operation but warned that it carried a significant risk of quadraplegia - so I passed.
I have very little grip strength in my right hand now (it's amazing how much you need yor little finger!!).
i cannot hold a plectrum firmly enough to pluck a bass string!
I used to play a mix of fingers and pick but have had to relearn the entire catalogue (6 or 7 albums worth) so that it's all played with fingers!
As a result there are a couple of tracks which we will never play again...and strumming bass chords is interesting without a plectrum.

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1316894747' post='1384254']
To be honest I used to get this and still do very occasionally. The reason I got it was I use to play with a plectrum. After 23 years of doing that, I decided to move to fingers which was ok but I found that if I played anything fast or aggresive, my plucking hand just started to freeze and go numb. Thankfully I am aware of it and have tought myself to player softer, not dig in so hard and just relax. I don't reallt get it that much now, occasionally on the odd fast aggresive song.

So maybe you were just digging in too hard and playing with too much enthusiasm.
[/quote]


Agree with this. I used to play quite hard and found i was getting cramp a lot. Now play much lighter and my tone has greatly improved into the bargain. Another added bonus is i can now play a little faster than i did.

Dave

[thepurpleblob]

Just an update then..... no gigs since then (been training up a new guitarist) but plenty of rehearsals with no problems at all. Reviewing my technique slightly so not to play so hard. I have plenty of headroom left on my rig as it happens.

It's all that Bongo's fault

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1317819997' post='1394927']
Just an update then..... no gigs since then (been training up a new guitarist) but plenty of rehearsals with no problems at all. Reviewing my technique slightly so not to play so hard. I have plenty of headroom left on my rig as it happens.

It's all that Bongo's fault
[/quote]

hahahaha.