Don't EVER!!! stop playing!

shredd

Hm. So...I just went through a period of about 4 months where I barely played, due to a combination of stress/pressure at work, getting and \"starting\" my new puppy, and trying to get Shania to come over for decadent hot-tub frolicking.
Thankfully, now that I'm getting some playing time in again, I still remember how to play. At least as well as I did before. :oops:
The problem is that my fret-hand calluses are totally gone, and now when I play it's more painful than cutting your fingernails with a Sawzall. It'll probably takes weeks/months?? for them to develop again.
So. My advice to you is to play every day, even when your wife thinks you've got problems. You don't want to end up like me, do ya?!? :shock:

greenmachine

I have been through that situation for some reasons (but for a smaller period of time-'bout a month and a half) and i felt horrible..My freting hand had softened a lot, my picking hand was \"heavy\" and i had a feeling of guilt..There are some good news of course..The recovery time is less than a week (could be a little more in your case) and it makes you more determined..So, by trying harder to reacquire your form, you could even become better

iliace

Never stopped for long enough to lose the calluses, but I can definitely feel that I lose control of the fret hand and left/right hand coordination if I haven't played for more than a week. Warm-ups take much longer, the playing gets more monotone, and it just feels depressing.

Manitou

\shredd\ wrote:

and now when I play it's more painful than cutting your fingernails with a Sawzall. :shock:

pffft...ya puss.


:P

Tal Rules

I've done the same thing, since I started playing again..
(Quit for 20 some odd years the 1st time)

In the 5 years I've been playing I've put it down a couple of months at the longest. Sure my technique suffered, and it took a while to get back. But that's the great part about being an amatuer. Being able to get away from it awhile, instead of having to keep going to the point of burn out..

shredd

I think my real problem is calluses. I think I remember how to play :roll: , but it hurts to hold a chord or bend a string or anything. I think I need a few weeks to build 'em up again...

iliace

I don't know which you're talking about, but for me - it hurts to hold a chord, period. You'd think it's the technically-difficult songs that hurt your hand... for me, nah... it's the Green Day songs that are most painful. The ones where I have to hold a full bar chord for measures at a time? Those are the ones that hurt - not the jazz standards/solos, or anything in-between.

phatsack

\iliace\ wrote:

I don't know which you're talking about, but for me - it hurts to hold a chord, period. You'd think it's the technically-difficult songs that hurt your hand... for me, nah... it's the Green Day songs that are most painful. The ones where I have to hold a full bar chord for measures at a time? Those are the ones that hurt - not the jazz standards/solos, or anything in-between.

this is definitely true - I used to have to make the set-list with these songs apart from each other so I wouldn't cramp up.

gtaus

I have been playing bass guitar for over a year now. The other day I picked up one of my 6 string guitars and discovered that my hands started cramping up playing the barre chords. Ouch! As far as practice, I have the opposite problem playing bass then I do playing guitar. The bass strings really rip up my fingers, and the more I practice, the more tender and sore they get. Sometimes I just need to give myself a rest from playing the bass so my fingers don't rip open at a gig. And yes, I have built up good calluses for playing bass guitar as I practice almost everyday. But the bass strings can still wreck havok with my fingers if I practice too much. I never had that problem playing guitar, once my calluses were built up my fingers were good to go. Not the case with the bass guitar. At least, not for me.

I might not be at the level of the professionals playing everynight, but I now know why lots of them end up wrapping their fingers before the show. It might not be football, but you still have to take care not to get \"a little blister on your finger, maybe get a blister on your thumb.\" Those type of things may negatively affect your playing ability, and that is no good.

But really, Shredd, 4 months without playing? How do you expect to woo Shania if your chops are all rusty?

iliace

\phatsack\ wrote:

this is definitely true - I used to have to make the set-list with these songs apart from each other so I wouldn't cramp up.

My band has a spreadsheet where we rate, on a simple scale, the technical difficulty of each song, as well as each member's preference for performing it - then I set up a macro to arrange the set list so that all genres are well-represented, and no section of the set kills or bores anybody. But yeah, I feel that.

shredd

\iliace\ wrote:

My band has a spreadsheet where we rate, on a simple scale, the technical difficulty of each song, as well as each member's preference for performing it - then I set up a macro to arrange the set list so that all genres are well-represented, and no section of the set kills or bores anybody. But yeah, I feel that.

Holy Cats. That's really taking your setlist seriously! Cool idea though, since you end up doing the songs everyone likes, plays well, and doesn't burn out the players. You could also add a field for audience popularity.
Now, can you imagine what would happen if you put such a sophisticated effort into convincing your hott little Russian friends to go out with me?!? :P
Interesting that lots of player are having hand-cramp, chord-holding issues. My problem seems to be simply calluses...I can hold a barre chord for twenty measures; but the strings are cutting my fingertips into ribbons. Ouch.

shredd

\gtaus\ wrote:

But really, Shredd, 4 months without playing? How do you expect to woo Shania if your chops are all rusty?

I know, I know... :?
But it ain't my chops that're keeping her away. It's my inability to front millions of dollars to produce hit albums.
That, and the restraining order Mutt got.... :evil:

iliace

As far as spreadsheets - I'm an Excel geek, so that's where that came from. I do stuff like that for fun.

Holding chords - I don't know what it is. Up until phatsack's comment, I thought I was pretty unique in that situation, and always played it off to improper hand positioning, strap length, etc. I can readily deal with Green Day songs (etc) that have muted chords - that gives me rest - but the ones where you have to sustain the chords are the worst. In one of my bands, Eagles' Peaceful Easy Feeling was rated as top difficulty for guitar; that really says it all.

Tal Rules

Might want to try some different voicings besides Barre chords..
Try this site out..

http://www.freddiegreen.org/

Played for Basie 40 years, and is noted as king of the rhythm guitar..
I sit and watch Blues guys do the same thing..(Holding Barres chorus after chorus, and hands cramping, etc..

When a simple 3 note chord would have sufficed.

ednrg

I stopped playing for over 7 years. I was playing for years, and was one of those people who HAD to play everything note for note. I practiced many hours daily. I was obsessed with being as good as I possibly could. I joined a band, and we were doing fairly well at local gigs, etc. My level of woman skyrocketed significantly 8) I loved playing, and couldn't wait to play the next weekend away.

We started becoming a favored group in the area (well, in the rest of the bands area, I lived about 45 mins away). Soon after, delusions of becoming something we're not started to turn the group upon itself. The main culprit, as it usually is, was the singer who started listening to the women tell him how great he was (he was good, not great). Alliances started within the band. Playing became a chore. I actually started dreading playing on the weekends.

Practices became more and more infrequent. We'd play newer songs with less practice time. This went on for many months and the band as a whole started becoming mediocre because of the tensions between the band. Being mediocre was something that I really couldn't take.

Finally, the end came, and at the time it seemed like a blessing. We all wanted it to end, but kept going long after it should have.

I had such a jaded look at playing in bands that I simply turned away from playing completely. I was asked by many other bands to join, but I simply had no drive to do it anymore. I guess there was an element of fear where it could have either not became anything or actually become something of a favored band again over time. I had already seen the monster that it most likely will turn into if it starts becoming something special.

I simply turned my back on it, and stopped playing completely for 7 years. One day a friend invited me over, and I had no idea he played guitar. So, after 7 years, I picked up his guitar and we started playing. I forgot how much fun it was. Of course, the calluses were not sufficient for guitar playing, but it really wasn't that bad.

That night, I dug out my old guitars. I picked up my Charvel. I'd forgotten how incredible that guitar was. I was hooked once again, but vowed not to play in a serious band ever again.

shredd

I think this (ed's story) is a fascinating saga...and the moral of the story is how something that's so much fun to do can become a heartache if it's taken too seriously.
At one point in life I lived in Vail, CO - an utterly fantastic ski town - and as I'm an expert skier, I was often asked to be a ski instructor or work on trail crew/ski patrol.
I refused the offers to be a ski instructor because I have a shred of personal dignity. (no offense, you instructors out there...).
I would've loved to be a ski patroller - being a patroller is like being an EMT/public service envoy for the skiing population, an idea I liked. But I didn't want to go through the years of training they required, and in addition, the patroller group was insanely clique-ish and snobby.
I didn't do trail crew 'cuz the patrollers treated them like their beeches. And more importantly, I didn't like the idea of taking something as fun and freeing as skiing and turning it into a job.

So I can relate.
The downside is - being a great skier has NEVER gotten me a woman. :evil:

So...in the meantime, I'll keep working on my calluses...there's open mic's coming up I wanna do, and we all know what acoustic strings do to your fingers!!! :shock:

shredd

Well. I can't beLEEV I was too stupid for it to occur to me, but once I put the acoustic down and picked up my RG3, which is light and slinky and strung with .10's (kinda like my dream woman :twisted:), playing got quite a bit easier. I've been putting an hour or two a day in for nearly a week, so I figure calluses will have to start forming soon. This is good, 'cuz I wanna go do an open mic soon, and I'll embarrass myself all I can stand by singing, without playing poorly too.

So. Since none of you boneheads thought to suggest using a nice slick electric rather than my piano-wire strung acoustic to get going again, maybe you'd suggest how I can get Shania to return my phone calls? Help a brutha out!!!

cyclonic

on feb 1st this year i did this and earned 9 stitches....


i CAN'T play with it as any pressure after 4.5 weeks of healing sends me through the roof!!Yet,i have relearned most of my material all over again and still play a minimum of 5-7 hours a week.Hopefully i'll be able to use it again at its old potential.I was playing last night and used it by accident and it was like getting stung by a hundred hornets :x but I refuse to stop playing

shredd

\cyclonic\ wrote:

on feb 1st this year i did this and earned 9 stitches....

:shock: :shock: :shock:
Holy Cats.
At least my calluses will \"grow\" back, with a few weeks worth of playing...it's just painful now.
But that mangling looks like it'll be a problem for a while.
I did something like that in my late teens...an indescribably idiotic thing involving a frozen steak, an extremely sharp knife, and many years of accumulated stupidity. 'Nuf said. End result was basically slicing off the tip of my left ring finger, which not only meant years of sensitivity when playing, but has left a scar that has never quite filled in. If it were 5mm to the south, it'd be a great string-fingering callus. Instead, it's a rough edge on a crucial fingering finger that is clearly the only thing keeping me from taking Alex Lifeson's job. :roll:

gtaus

\cyclonic\ wrote:

on feb 1st this year i did this and earned 9 stitches....

Holy cow! Speaking as a licensed male nurse, I would tell you that if it hurts when you play, stop! You prove my point about some artists needing to wrap their finger(s) before they go out and play. I used to get cut occassionally when I played 6 string guitar. Since I have been playing bass mostly the past year and a half, my fingers get more bruised from the big strings as compared to getting cut by the thin strings on my 6 string LP or Strat. But, I have never been mangled as bad as you were in that photo.

Manitou

Well, working with my hands my whole life has had it's toll, but I don't have any of the problems listed in this thread. I can loose my callouses from not playing for a month or so, and build new ones in just a few days.
Even that first day, I can play quite awhile, even though my finger tips will get tender, their fine the next day, and by the 3rd or 4th day I don't even think about it.

I have big hands, ring finger takes a size 15 ring. I can easily bend notes or play barre chords all day. My wrists are so big, there is no man's watch band that will fit me, unless custom made. I can palm a basketball, so I have a good natural fret reach. My challenge is only playing fast notes above the 15th fret, where the frets get tighter, and after the 17th fret I'm tip toeing like crazy.

I really envy guys with slender hands. When I watch YouTube videos of Satch, Vai, Petrucci, etc. I marvel at how perfect their hands are for guitar.

The toll is injuries over the years. I've cut and scraped my hands allot. I've smashed my fingers and hands with hammers so many times,,,it's a horror story. Last 8 years I've been driving big rigs for a living, after getting out of construction. I work with steel all the time, and again I'm with the cutting and smashing. My fret hand right now has three fingers with black nails.

I currently not working or playing guitar. I ripped a bunch of muscles in my right shoulder and tore one of my upper right bicep tenons away from the bone. Got out of surgery two weeks ago. I am so sick of sitting on my butt in my house doing nothing. I'm looking at a few months of rehab next, and no work. But I think once my arm is out of this sling, and I can start exercising...oh boy...I'll have lots of time to play guitar. No smashed fingers...nothing to do all day except listen to music, and play.

Thing that happens to me though when I play allot. I get callouses that are too big, and I am constantly having to sand them down. I use a dremmel tool to smooth them out. They get raggedy on the sides, and will catch the string after awhile, so I tear them off at that point.

Seriously, I get to a point where I'm better off, tearing off the old callouses and building new ones. Only takes a couple days. I try not to get my fret hand too wet...like washing dishes kinda wet. That really screws them up. The center of the callous will sink like a pothole, and the edges will never sand down good after that.

I will use a \"GripMaster\" (both med. & heavy tension) to build up strength in my little finger, and found this exercise also helps me get more flexible.
When I started doing legatos, that's when I found I needed more strength and to be able to move my fingers separately or in pairs which was so unnatural for me. I also have trouble with pick finesse, and coordinating the hands together. I seem to never spend enough time practicing the things that will make me better. I may have strength in hands but I'm very weak in discipline and commitment. I won't stick with something all the way through the tough parts. It's not my heart...so must be a weak mind. :oops:

Tal Rules

Play 13 guage flat wounds...
No calluses at all..
Really...
Just seems the fingertips get tougher, but without the calluses of round wounds..

cyclonic

\gtaus\ wrote:

\cyclonic\ wrote:

on feb 1st this year i did this and earned 9 stitches....

Holy cow! Speaking as a licensed male nurse, I would tell you that if it hurts when you play, stop! You prove my point about some artists needing to wrap their finger(s) before they go out and play. I used to get cut occassionally when I played 6 string guitar. Since I have been playing bass mostly the past year and a half, my fingers get more bruised from the big strings as compared to getting cut by the thin strings on my 6 string LP or Strat. But, I have never been mangled as bad as you were in that photo.

thats because a 6\" blade that spins 25,000rpm did it!

one of these.......
http://www.toolauthority.com/product_info.php?products_id=377

I was working on my handmade guitar line.I ran a thin piece of neckblank through and well,the longest finger dropped down on the 20th pass :roll: $2000. later,i REALLY don't ever want to go through it again.The doctor made a point open it up and show me the finger bone i nicked :shock: peeled it back like a banana :shock: :shock:

I have finally gotten to the point where the skin has stopped scabbing over and its doing the \"outer layer thing\".So i let it get air at night.Well Last night i was playing and just plain forgot and pressed down with that finger and \"ZOIKS!!!\".it was like poking a hornets nest BUT!!!! it wasn't so bad that i like jumped up or dropped the guitar.It was more like\"not gonna try that for another month\"

I really miss playing blues licks

MY POINT WAS :P ............that even with an injury of this level,i realize that i must keep playing to keep the \"torch burnin\" for the other fingers I think it makes good sense 8)

on a happy personal note.........i just built my 10th neckthrough body blank AND took my first handmade guitar order for Hurricane #1 :shock: :!:

cyclonic

\Manitou\ wrote:

I have big hands, ring finger takes a size 15 ring. I can easily bend notes or play barre chords all day. My wrists are so big, there is no man's watch band that will fit me, unless custom made. I can palm a basketball, so I have a good natural fret reach. My challenge is only playing fast notes above the 15th fret, where the frets get tighter, and after the 17th fret I'm tip toeing like crazy.

i bet alot of guys in your area are just greatfull that your not their wifes gynocologist :shock: :P

\Manitou\ wrote:

The toll is injuries over the years. I've cut and scraped my hands allot. I've smashed my fingers and hands with hammers so many times,,,it's a horror story.

i built cars by myself for over 20 years and i have cut,broken,sprained,or mutilated about 20% of my body so I definately can relate.differance is that i have normal sized hands :? IHave you ever tried to play baritone scale guitars tuned to Eb??

\Manitou\ wrote:

I currently not working or playing guitar. I ripped a bunch of muscles in my right shoulder and tore one of my upper right bicep tenons away from the bone. Got out of surgery two weeks ago.

i sincerely hope you have a speedy-trouble free recovery dude!!!

gtaus

\cyclonic\ wrote:

...I was working on my handmade guitar line.I ran a thin piece of neckblank through and well,the longest finger dropped down on the 20th pass :roll: $2000. later,i REALLY don't ever want to go through it again.The doctor made a point open it up and show me the finger bone i nicked :shock: peeled it back like a banana :shock: :shock: ...

I've got a healthy respect for those power tools. I've heard many stories about joiners and planers. They can be dangerous and usually it is the guys who work with them all the time that have the accidents. Which reminds me of a joke I heard way back - How does an old shop teacher count to five? Answer: with 3 fingers on one hand, and two on the other! (It's better with the visual).

At least you got to keep your finger. Hope you recover well. Don't know exactly what happened in your case, but I use push sticks to keep my hands away from spinning blades.

cyclonic

\gtaus\ wrote:

- How does an old shop teacher count to five? Answer: with 3 fingers on one hand, and two on the other! (It's better with the visual).

\gtaus\ wrote:

At least you got to keep your finger. Hope you recover well. Don't know exactly what happened in your case, but I use push sticks to keep my hands away from spinning blades.

i bought every push block available when i bought my jointer but its even more dangerous pushing a piece with them thats 36 inches long and only 1/2\" thick.you can't get behind the piece to begin with and its too thin to control from a distance without slipping.Alls better now because i made a jig just for that job that keeps me at a safer distance 8)

Manitou

Cyclonic,
The wimmin in my area are much bigger than the men.
Sasquatch DNA mixed in with the human DNA in these parts.
You see guys around here all clawed up, with fang bite marks, bruised and traumatized during the mating season.

That's a real good idea about the \"extended scale guitar.\" I never played one, but that Fender Jaguar with a 27\" scale might be allot better for me. I have been trying to tap more or just use two fingers above the 15th fret.

I also would like to give flat wound strings a try, that Tal mentioned.

Well, fortunately, I have some time now to check this stuff out.

cyclonic

\Manitou\ wrote:

Cyclonic,
That's a real good idea about the \"extended scale guitar.\" I never played one, but that Fender Jaguar with a 27\" scale might be allot better for me. I have been trying to tap more or just use two fingers above the 15th fret.

Surely there has to be something better out there to play than a jaguar :shock: a 27\" scale 21 fret monster would be killer and put the neck pup in the sweet spot you can't finger anyways.I know several people that could make you one for less than half of what fender or gibson would want and be better quality too

btw-the thought of practicing gynocology on the equivelant of Eddie Murphys \"Aunt Bunnie\" is right scary :shock:(poor guys)

Manitou

Most stores are selling the Jag for $970.
I found this deal pretty good, at much less, and comes with a gig bag, and some goodies. Strings are too light of gauge, but no biggie.
http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-FEN0259300.html
(click on the guitar for a larger image...jumbo frets and breathing room) 8)

Japanese made Fender, but Ive been very impressed with Japanese guitars.
I have 4 Japanese made...a Jackson DK2, Epiphone Elitist SG '61 reissue, Ibanez JS 1000, and an Ibanez RG 550XX 20th anniversary reissue.

I'm going to look at all I can, and go play this scale length somewhere, even if I have to lay it out myself, if Traverse City doesn't have one to try. ( I did the math for the frets ) I saw an Ibanez RG with a 27\" scale...and has the Floyd floating bridge..but only sold in Japan. $1050 and shipping is $95. But if I really like this scale, I'd bite.

Anyway...thanks for pointing this out to me. I never considered going to a longer scale. I have a couple Gibsons with the 24.75 scale, and I never play them past the 12th fret much. Mostly use them for power chord stuff.
(might be selling them soon , if this longer scale works out for me)
My SG is my \"go to\" for Led Zepplin, Santana, Black Sabbath, Heart, AC/DC songs.
Gives me that nostalgia thang. 8) (that one can't be replaced)
Besides...Epiphone had to stop making that Elitist SG '61 reissue...because it turned out waaaay better that the Gibsons... oops I'll never let that guitar go! :P

cyclonic

\Manitou\ wrote:

Most stores are selling the Jag for $970.
I found this deal pretty good, at much less, and comes with a gig bag, and some goodies. Strings are too light of gauge, but no biggie.
http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-FEN0259300.html
(click on the guitar for a larger image...jumbo frets and breathing room) 8)

Japanese made Fender, but Ive been very impressed with Japanese guitars.
I have 4 Japanese made...a Jackson DK2, Epiphone Elitist SG '61 reissue, Ibanez JS 1000, and an Ibanez RG 550XX 20th anniversary reissue.

Heres my professional opinion from what I've seen at NAMM............These guitars are the best baritone \"Bang for the buck\" guitars BAR NONE!!!!

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-SCE-BKJKC1EX-BLK?SRC=D0407FG0HAMS0000&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=feed&
heres some reviews.......
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Schecter-C1-EX-Baritone-Blackjack-Guitar?sku=513083

i actually know one of the folks that reviewed it.He got it upon my suggestion and when i went to set it up,i had to do very little

if you tune it to d standard,then you'll be nailing some sabbath!!But mostly i would put some 11's on it and tune it to Eb. :twisted:

Manitou

\cyclonic\ wrote:

Heres my professional opinion from what I've seen at NAMM............These guitars are the best baritone \"Bang for the buck\" guitars BAR NONE!!!!

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-SCE-BKJKC1EX-BLK?SRC=D0407FG0HAMS0000&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=feed&
heres some reviews.......
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Schecter-C1-EX-Baritone-Blackjack-Guitar?sku=513083

i actually know one of the folks that reviewed it.He got it upon my suggestion and when i went to set it up,i had to do very little

if you tune it to d standard,then you'll be nailing some sabbath!!But mostly i would put some 11's on it and tune it to Eb. :twisted:

That Blackjack's puss Dawg!
Much better pickups than the Jags, a set neck!...AND a coil tap!
Looks like this won't come out for a few more weeks. (...my arm is still in a sling anyway, for another month)