Calluses on plucking fingers

[chris_b]

5 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

That's great once you've acquired the physique for the job. As a beginner, such punishment is cuonter-productive, as the sore fingers then stop one's playing. Building up to your level is a matter of time, patience and working on solving the problem before it becomes a problem. You did that (as did I, drumming...); a beginner cannot expect to have the same results as an experienced player. Slow but sure, that's the answer; the rest will come, easily, over time. 

 

I went from no gigs a week to the equivalent of 16 gigs a week. I'm just giving an example of how extended amounts of playing time does not have to have a detrimental effect on your hands and fingers.

 

There was no "punishment", just a lot of hours. The message is, there are ways of playing bass that don't hurt your fingers, hands or arms.

[Dan Dare]

5 hours ago, Martin E said:

Get a bottle of surgical spirit and dip your fingertips in the top a few times a day. It really does work to toughen the skin.

 

Or pee on them. Saves money.

 

As far as calluses are concerned, you shouldn't be developing thick crusts on the fingers (which will then fall off, leaving a new, soft layer of skin exposed, as you have found. My fingertips - admittedly, I've been playing for 50 plus years - have slightly hardened pads, but they don't show obvious calluses. The skin remains elastic. As Dad observes, it takes time and you should ease off if it hurts.

 

I'd be looking at the way you play, as suggested by others above. If you are aggressive and hook your fingers round the strings, pulling outwards as you pluck, you are more likely to damage the fingertips. Roundwound strings will likely make this worse, especially if they are high tension.

 

You mention you are new to bass. It's a common beginner's error to employ too much force. Try to use more of a classical guitar player's rest stroke, where the finger pushes the string aside and comes to rest on the next string down.

[Jackroadkill]

7 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

If you are aggressive and hook your fingers round the strings, pulling outwards as you pluck, you are more likely to damage the fingertips.

 

I'm  doing my best to avoid that and use the method you suggest; it's odd, because I'd swear that I use the pad of my finger rather than the very tip, but it's the tip that's complaining.

 

I think I'll just have to try and play for a shorter time and do it more often for a while, and see what happens.  I mean, if all else fails I can use a pick, but I want to play with my fingers as much as I can.

 

Thanks all,

 

JRK

[Dan Dare]

18 hours ago, Jackroadkill said:

I'm  doing my best to avoid that and use the method you suggest; it's odd, because I'd swear that I use the pad of my finger rather than the very tip, but it's the tip that's complaining.

 

Have you checked your strings closely? Could be a loose winding or sharp edge that is causing the problem.

[Jackroadkill]

Grrr, I'm still having trouble with this.  At practise today I ended up having to use a pick for half of the material, and I usually only use one for a couple of songs.

 

I did, however, have an idea.  The strap on my main bass is quite short, and I felt the effects of plucking with my fingers much less on the bass that I use for Eb tuning, which has a longer strap.  This means that the angle of my wrist is much less acute.  I wonder if this angle is something to do with it - am I plucking in the wrong direction, for example, as a result of poor wrist technique?  I've ordered a longer strap, so we'll see.

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

[iconic]

12 hours ago, Jackroadkill said:

Grrr, I'm still having trouble with this.  At practise today I ended up having to use a pick for half of the material, and I usually only use one for a couple of songs.

 

I did, however, have an idea.  The strap on my main bass is quite short, and I felt the effects of plucking with my fingers much less on the bass that I use for Eb tuning, which has a longer strap.  This means that the angle of my wrist is much less acute.  I wonder if this angle is something to do with it - am I plucking in the wrong direction, for example, as a result of poor wrist technique?  I've ordered a longer strap, so we'll see.

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

The higher the strap, the less the fingers stroke and, the more they pull the strings. 

 

.....or start laying bricks, this will toughen up the fingers, bit extreme maybe, go with lowering the strap first🤔😉

Edited April 3, 2023 by iconic

[Jackroadkill]

1 hour ago, iconic said:

The higher the strap, the less the fingers stroke and, the more they pull the strings. 

 

I may be on the right track, then.  The new strap will be here in a few days, so I should know by next practise.

[EMG456]

Ideally, your strap should hold the bass at roughly the same position on your body as it is when you sit on a chair and rest it on your knee to play.

 

I think it's likely a combination of playing too hard and/or for too long at a time. If your fingers are sore then you've already overdone it. Short practise sessions often would be better.

 

Check out the nickel thing as well- two of my basses are currently strung with nickel wound strings and I am experiencing what you describe when I play either of them for more than about an hour. Will be changing them over to Stainless Steel as soon as I get round to it.

[Musicman666]

if the show must go on then just use super glue ...if it wears off just put more ...no harm since super glue is originally developed as liquid skin for medical purposes...used it for cuts and wounds including blisters from bass strings loads of times.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Musicman666

[asingardenof]

8 hours ago, EMG456 said:

Ideally, your strap should hold the bass at roughly the same position on your body as it is when you sit on a chair and rest it on your knee to play.

 

This sounds great in theory but falls down if you're somewhat rotund.

[Leonard Smalls]

I've managed to give myself a painful slap injury!

[Waddo Soqable]

33 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

I've managed to give myself a painful slap injury!

 

 

[EMG456]

On 03/04/2023 at 19:38, asingardenof said:

This sounds great in theory but falls down if you're somewhat rotund.

Why? It’ll rarely be exactly the same but certainly in the ball park. Not sure that rotundity makes much difference- ask me how I know. 😀

[asingardenof]

20 hours ago, EMG456 said:

Why? It’ll rarely be exactly the same but certainly in the ball park. Not sure that rotundity makes much difference- ask me how I know. 😀

Sitting down pushes the fat outwards, so resting the bass on your leg means either it'll slip out and you'll be playing at a weird angle and putting pressure on your wrist, or you'll have to stretch over the top of an upright bass and, again, put pressure on your wrist. I have to set the strap much shorter when I'm sitting than when I'm standing which is why I have one for each.

 

I'm around 300lb, so rotund is an understatement.

[Jackroadkill]

Weirdly, I played tonight for a good three hours at practise without any issue.  I didn't change anything, either.  Ho hum.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Jackroadkill

[fleabag]

For some reason, i've never played till i have a blister, and have never developed fingertip callouses, though fingertips on both hands are tough. 

 

My thumbtips , in comparison are softer

[JoeEvans]

I find when I start to do some new manual activity, callouses form at first, then in due course they get replaced my more normal-looking but somehow thicker and more resilient skin.

[Ralf1e]

On 21/03/2023 at 08:46, Martin E said:

Get a bottle of surgical spirit and dip your fingertips in the top a few times a day. It really does work to toughen the skin.

This absolutely

Plus if you want to give your fingers time to recover while still playing. Cyno your fingertips to protect them in between times. You can also get rubber thimbles to tide you over if they get too sore

[dmccombe7]

It may be that you're playing lighter at home and not toughening up the fingertips but when you gig you're really going for it.

That was my problem and i still occasionally play too hard at gigs when i'm really getting into it more so with the punk band than the Glam covers band.

Even at rehearsals i can do the 6 hr sessions without issue.

I do find when i get really into it that i hit the strings in a downward and across the bass ie i push the string down towards the pick ups at same time as across the pickups like a 45 degree angle but when playing lighter i generally pull the string across the pick up more evenly. When i play the harder way its mainly my fingertips that get achy.

How often are you gigging ?

I'd look at trying to play a bit lighter at gigs, its what i've been trying to do.

Dave

Edited May 8, 2023 by dmccombe7

[gjones]

When I started playing bass I had no amp and my bass was fitted with flats. So if I didn't play really hard, I wouldn't hear myself. As a result I got nasty blisters on my fingers.

 

Covid meant that the gigs dried up and after a couple of years of not playing I worried that I'd get blisters when I started to get back to gigging. My solution was to turn my amp up loud and play softly. 

 

I recommend you do the same. Turn your amp up way louder than you need to and it will force you to play softer.

 

Result......  no blisters.

[Jackroadkill]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

It may be that you're playing lighter at home and not toughening up the fingertips but when you gig you're really going for it.

 

How often are you gigging ?

 

No gigs yet, Dave - this is my first go at bass playing since I was a teenager.  However, I always rehearse as if I was live if I can - this is easier when practising with the band than at home on my own.  We tend to rehearse once every ten days or so, and I practise at home most days.
 

 

1 hour ago, gjones said:

Turn your amp up way louder than you need to and it will force you to play softer.

 

We played on Friday and it was the first time I had no problems - I didn't change my playing style or alter my amp settings at all.  I'm baffled as to why I didn't blister my index finger, but I'm not complaining at all.  There doesn't seem to be any difference in the skin compared to before the rehearsal.  It could just be that my body's learning to adapt to doing something new, I suppose.  I've only been playing bass for a few months, so I suppose that's a possibility.  The proof of the pudding will be after the next practise, I reckon.

 

Thanks for all your input, everyone - it's much appreciated.

 

JRK

 

EDIT:  I've just remembered - I used my new, longer strap and consequently my hand position was different.  I wonder if that contributed to the lack of blistering?

Edited May 8, 2023 by Jackroadkill

[dmccombe7]

Just be aware that it can return at any time. Last weekend with the punk band i had no issues at all and yet a week later my fingertips were starting to ache a little towards the end of the 2nd set.

Same set list, same gear but i know for certain on this weeks gig i was more into the gig and playing a bit harder on the songs i really enjoy in the set.

Think the advice of turning up louder than you think and being forced to play lighter to keep the levels good for the band is pretty solid advice from @gjones. Its what i'm aiming for even after 40+ yrs of digging in there's always room for improvement.

Once you get up to a certain level where fingertips are hard and you're gigging every weekend you shouldn't have any probs.

Even Geddy Lee gets sore fingers at the start of a tour and has mentioned on occasion that he used to get blisters in his early days but because they gigged almost every night he just played thru it.

Dave