Finger blisters ouch ouch ouch

[Twigman]

After a rather extended rehearsal on Sunday night ( a full 4 hours ) I am suffering.

The callouses [sp?] on my fingertips have developed into full grown blisters!

My ring finger and middle finger on my fretting hand
My index, middle and ring finger on my plucking hand
they're all blistered!!

What do you do to prevent blistering?

I've never been a fan of Elastoplast or the like as it reduces the feel - I need to feel the strings.

So what do you do?

Just to add - I don't slap.
I pluck finger style.

I no longer use a plectrum - it doesn't really suit - fingers is the only style that satisfies.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Twigman

[alexclaber]

Turn your amp up, pluck less hard.

Alex

[crez5150]

? no idea...... try different strings? I've never had blisters through playing...

[Twigman]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='443614' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:06 PM']Turn your amp up, pluck less hard.

Alex[/quote]

and the fretting hand?

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='Twigman' post='443624' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:10 PM']and the fretting hand?[/quote]

Lighter strings (maybe flatwounds?), lower action.

S.P.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Stylon Pilson

[Twigman]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='443627' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:14 PM']Lighter strings (maybe flatwounds?), lower action.

S.P.[/quote]

Already running Elite Flats.
The action is as low as it'll go without buzzing.

[AM1]

[quote name='Twigman' post='443611' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:03 PM']After a rather extended rehearsal on Sunday night ( a full 4 hours ) I am suffering.

The callouses [sp?] on my fingertips have developed into full grown blisters!

My ring finger and middle finger on my fretting hand
My index, middle and ring finger on my plucking hand
they're all blistered!!

What do you do to prevent blistering?

I've never been a fan of Elastoplast or the like as it reduces the feel - I need to feel the strings.

So what do you do?

Just to add - I don't slap.
I pluck finger style.

I no longer use a plectrum - it doesn't really suit - fingers is the only style that satisfies.[/quote]

The same was happening to me after 4 hour rehearsals. Turning the amp does help in that you don't have to dig in so hard on the plucking hand..but - you'll just have to get through a few cycles of this then the skin will change. In my case, I didn't pop the blisters, the skin underneath hardens a bit.

On the fretting hand, I found that I was applying far too much pressure to the frets on the left hand, hence the fretting hand was also blistering on strings .45 upwards. Either drop to a lighter gauge for a bit or keep an eye on your technique.

But definitely, cranking up the bass amp should help. If you have to pluck that hard to be heard then there's an issue overall with the mix.

Regards

AM

[Twigman]

[quote name='AM1' post='443634' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:19 PM']Turning the amp does help in that you don't have to dig in so hard on the plucking hand..[/quote]

everytime I turn it up a little the guitarist comes along and turns it down again!!

LOL

[bassicinstinct]

1. Four hours [b]isn't[/b] (or certainly shouldn't be) an extended rehearsal.

2. Totally agree with the proposition of turning up the amp and playing with a lighter touch [b]ALWAYS[/b].

3. Play more often and for longer periods.

Just my two pence worth and all IMHO.

It's worked for me for 4 decades.

Edit: Kick your guitarist where it hurts.

Edited March 24, 2009 by bassicinstinct

[Eight]

Stop being a g-....

Just kidding AM.

Edit: incidently, I am closely following this thread 'cause one of my fingers is knacking.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Eight

[AM1]

[quote name='Eight' post='443650' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:26 PM']Stop being a g-....

Just kidding AM. [/quote]

That's quite ok, I've decided to become completely sexist against all blokes here and I intend to take every opportunity to post pictures of fit male bass players, drool over them and anyone who complains about sore fingers or such unmanly nonsense will immediately become an object of humour to me.

Blisters indeed, look, clearly the solution is to Harden Up!

[Twigman]

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='443645' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:23 PM']1. Four hours [b]isn't[/b] (or certainly shouldn't be) an extended rehearsal.[/quote]




We might book 4 or 5 hours studio time but our set is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes long.

The last couple of rehearsals we have gone in, played the set end to end the once and then gone down the pub. Inside 2hours.
On Sunday we started playing through the set for the 3rd time before we called it a night.

In the average 4 hour rehearsal we'd be lucky to get 2hours actual playing coz of all the arsing around/smoke breaks etc
On Sunday it was constant without a break!

[crez5150]

I thnik most spaces book in 4/5 hour slots..... With my funk/Disco outfit we book 11 am to 6 pm on a sunday as our set runs at over 3 1/2 hours..... so there's a lot of songs to get through......

[Faithless]

Well, I don't think that changing strings is the best solution - it costs a fair amount of money, and blisters - it's not a permanent thing, is it?..

Give your hands a fair break (if it's possible, of course..), then, make yourself a schedule of practising (playing every day helps to avoid heavy blisters, your fingers will strengthen, too..)..

If there's no other way (I mean, if situation's really [i]bad[/i], and you have to play, no matter what), then, maybe, popping those blisters would be the solution..
Of course, it should be done very cleanly (sterilicity is a [i]must[/i], in this case!)
If you decide to do this, you will, anyway, have to give your hands a day-break or so.. The longer, the better.

Let us know, how it goes,
Faith

[Huge Hands]

I thought it might be worth referring you to [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19929&hl=superglue"]this thread[/url] I posted a while ago.

The superglue tip certainly got me through a gig!

[AM1]

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='443683' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:41 PM']I thought it might be worth referring you to [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19929&hl=superglue"]this thread[/url] I posted a while ago.

The superglue tip certainly got me through a gig![/quote]

Pah, bunch of girls. A REAL man would play til they bled.

/Sexist off

[Rich]

Superglue is great. It does reduce the feel a bit, but it will certainly help. I have about 5 or 6 tubes of the stuff on the go at the moment

Surgical spirit does harden skin -- they use it in hospitals to combat bedsores -- but only a} if rubbed on the skin with cotton wool or the like, and b} over a long period of time. It isn't a quick fix.

Having said all that -- if you're using flats and you're still blistering, you really do need to think about lightening your touch.

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='AM1' post='443692' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:50 PM']Pah, bunch of girls. A REAL man would play til they bled.

/Sexist off [/quote]

I did, that's what got me into trouble in the first place!

I'd try a feeble attempt at flexing my biceps in a sexist way to prove my manliness, but I think the creaking and groaning would put everyone off.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Twigman' post='443624' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:10 PM']and the fretting hand?[/quote]

When you lighten up with the plucking hand you can then lighten up with the fretting hand too - it takes less effort to hold down a string that's being softly plucked rather than being ripped off the bass.

And once you get the hang of moderating your typical attack you can then vary your dynamics much more.

Alex

[Twigman]

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='443683' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:41 PM']I thought it might be worth referring you to [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19929&hl=superglue"]this thread[/url] I posted a while ago.[/quote]

Great thread

I might even try the glueing my fingers to the opposite forearm and ripping them off....maybe.....perhaps.......after a bottle of tequila maybe......

[Twigman]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='443705' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:58 PM']When you lighten up with the plucking hand you can then lighten up with the fretting hand too - it takes less effort to hold down a string that's being softly plucked rather than being ripped off the bass.

And once you get the hang of moderating your typical attack you can then vary your dynamics much more.

Alex[/quote]

Thanks
On reflection I realise all this. Back in the 80s when I was playing all the time I had much better control than nowadays.

The recent rehearsals have been my first playing bass in 20 years!

When we started rehearsing in January, my fingers were as soft as a newborn's bum but now they are hard but blistered.

Sunday was the longest session so far.

[Eight]

[quote name='AM1' post='443655' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:29 PM']I intend to take every opportunity to post pictures of fit male bass players, drool over them[/quote]
You'll be needing that picture of me then.

[AM1]

[quote name='Eight' post='443715' date='Mar 24 2009, 01:01 PM']You'll be needing that picture of me then. [/quote]

I'm waiting, come on, are you a man or a mouse!

Haha..../sexist ON

When I complained about my blisters to one of our guitards, his response was, "well sort yourself out, see you next week". Grumpy git.

Right, all joking aside, seriously, get the bass amp volume sorted out, so you can be heard in the mix, without attacking the bass, that will make a world of difference.

[chris_b]

You are playing too hard. You're introducing too much tension into your hands which affects your tendons, muscles, fingers and groove. As Alex said, turn up; this will force you to play with a lighter, quieter touch.

[JPJ]

Try keeping your hands dry, this will help.

When you do get the beginnings of a blister, I find Germolene new skin to be a much better alternative to super glue without the obvious side effect.

As for turning up, lightening your touch etc. yes to both suggestions, also make sure that your bass is set up properly (i.e. not as low as it can go, but with a proper amount of relief).