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Beth Fridinger
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8/11/2008 9:33:12 PM
---- Updated 8/11/2008 9:33:12 PM
Sore fingers - still
Do any guitar or mandolin players here get sore fingers from playing a lot? I seem to have sore joints as well as sore finger tips....a mandolin player told me there is such a thing as bone bruises and callouses don't protect you from those....Also someone told me Bob Dylan started playing piano because he has arthritis in his fingers...My fingers didn't hurt till I started street performing and playing for a lot of hours...I'm hoping this isn't going to be a permanent problem. I've been trying to gage how much I play, resting, and doing stretching exercises.
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the kozy king
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8/12/2008 5:21:32 AM
I don't know what age you are, but let me share some of things I went through when I quit sitting at a desk and went back into welding at the age of fifty five.
I don't want go on forever here, so let me give you the short version. I went through all kinds of aches and pains and wondered the same thing: "Is this going to last forever?"
It took more than A YEAR for my eyes to adapt quickly to the changes in light (after staring at a computer screen for twelve years). And it took TWO OR THREE YEARS for my body to stop aching (fingers, elbows, shoulders, knees). In the meantime I seriously considered quitting the trade, but I'm fine now.
Give it time.
See a doctor.
Don't quit.
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Andy Broad
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8/12/2008 6:58:24 AM
My fingers do ache a little after a lot of playing. It's inevitable that they will get tired if they are working a lot.
If it's a real problem, then here's afew things to think about. They may or may not work for you.
1. Try taking a complete day off every now and again. Don't touch your guitar even once. You callous will get the chance to harden and will protect you that much more when you resume.
2. If your joints are hurting after a while, think about your fretting / chording tecnique, are you twisting joints against the natural movement? Try adjust you hand positions etc to reduce this, it'll damage you hands in the long run. No need to panick about that ofcourse, just be aware off it. Over time joints will become more supple and acheive movement and stretches, but doing to much in one go will cause problems. Bit like yoga really never overstretch.
3. If your joints are hurting when you are not playing, be careful you may have strained something, use "Deep Heat" type muscle ointments on the joints, rest them and see a Doctor if it persists.
4. If your playing outside, you probably can't hear yourself as well as in doors, your might be subconsiously fretting harder to make your self louder, I know I tend too, it doesn't work and hurts your fingers, try not too, let teh amplifier do the work.
5. Avoid playing imediatly after getting your hands wet, ruins your callouses :-)
Everybody's fingers are different, but guitar playing shouldn't be painful under normal circumstances.
If your making lots of money busking it's tempting to keep playing, pushing the envelope, but you might actually do better to come back another day refreshed. I find punters can tell when you are tired and don't always give as much money towards the end of a busking set.
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never never band
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8/12/2008 10:32:19 AM
---- Updated 8/12/2008 10:35:34 AM
At home I run scales and physical exorcises, do my regular practice and I'm always trying to learn to pick better and do more interesting things with my picking, so that keeps me warmed up..
But If I've got gig I warm up know by running my hands under warm water and breathing, rather than running scales and such, the more relaxed and warm my hands are when I start, the better I play and the longer I can play.
The thing about folk and Busking like you're doing is that you're chording all the time, that takes a toll on your joints, Your also always trying to cut through some sort of noise... try lighter strings, you can get away with 11s on a good acoustic and still get some projection. Make people lean in and listen rather than trying to play over the top of the Din.. It's a hard damn way to make music, what you're doing, I did it for 1 summer years and years ago....
I play inside now, and for solo gigs I use a Jam Man looper! But really I prefer to play with a trio..
I have one gig where we play 4 sets, the first 3 are 45 minuets and the last one can go well over an hour if people are hanging out and we're having fun..That's about as much as I can play.
My joints hurt because of another condition I have, so I'm into anything that is anti-inflamatory that wont trash my liver..MSM, VitaminC alpha Lipoic Acid, Folic Acid are my nutritional arsenal. if I stay up on that and eat right my stamina and my joins are enormously better.
p.
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never never band
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8/12/2008 10:33:05 AM
---- Updated 8/12/2008 10:34:07 AM
oops, double post
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Steve White
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8/13/2008 8:43:56 AM
Hi Beth
I don't know man, I've been playing acoustic guitar and bass for like 30 years and my fingers still hurt when I play!
It's kinda like the ballerina, I don't think they ever stop being in pain either.
I look for low action guitars and that helps a lot but I still get the pain especially in the finger tips.
Steve
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Black Velvet Lace
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8/13/2008 9:27:31 PM
Beth you poor thing, you've been struggling with this for awhile now. I didn't play outside much (if I could ever help it) and so didn't have to cut through the din that you do as someone else mentioned. Also when I did play it was through a well mixed powerful system so any picking I had to do was well amplified. Acoustic guitar is definitely harder on the hands/fingers/wrists.. I hope it passes soon for you.
xox
~Lace~
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Larry Migliore
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8/14/2008 4:32:04 AM
Add Magnesium to your diet Beth, it helps support the muscles of the hands and feet. I've been battling finger problems for years and taking it has helped tremendously.
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Jo Ellen
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8/14/2008 5:08:54 AM
umm ouch! The pain is one of the biggest obstacles to my guitar lessons.
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Beth Fridinger
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8/14/2008 10:37:49 AM
Wow thanks I'll think about all this....Yeah I need to get some more herbs...I'll get some magnesium...
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Beth Fridinger
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8/14/2008 10:52:59 AM
Yes I've taken some days off...maybe one or two per week, or one day I will play light...if I could find the best times to play it would save the wear and tear...still searching for the times and places that work the best. The fingers still hurt though no matter what I do.
I do now if I am tired or beat I won't make money. When I set up I sit down, swig some water, and tell myself I have to have a good time...it is sometimes a real exhausting chore just getting there and setting up.... If I get into the music and have a good time the money comes. If I get tired I sit down, eat, take a break, rest....then I resume...sometimes I'm still tired or fingers hurt but if I get into the music that's what makes it flow...
One night I went out....cart hit something...it fell over and so did I...cut my shins...bad mood...I made very little that night...I never got in a good mood is why...on the way home stopped to chat with a sax player who was around the corner..we ended up jamming and I finally got in a good mood...he told me about this book "The Law of Attraction" and raved about it..same as "The Secret" and it basically says focus on what you are doing...I know this is true as it's how I overcame debilitating stage fright by focusing on the music...so every time I busk...I try to get into a good mood and really feel the music...it's the only way to make money as a busker!!! This sax player lives and pays his rent playing the sax on the street all seasons which I think is amazing!
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