OK heres the deal, I am the lead singer and gutairest for my band the Pink Razorblades. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help my hands when we play, My fingers hurt from pressing on the strings. They often get red and cut to a point were they will bleed. But we cant stop the show so i just keep playing. Is there anything i can do to prevent this?
2006-07-10 12:18:49 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music
pink razorblades? hey, bleeding fingers is kinda cool if you think about it. find a guitar thats easier to play with a thin neck and low action. superglue does work. heres another thing that it took me a while to figure out. you have volume controls. your guitar will not get louder if you press down hard on the strings. your guitar volume nobs should be wide open, youll get a better sound. contol the volume your putting out from your amp. good luck.
2006-07-10 12:49:10 · answer #1 · answered by chris l 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ouch!
3 things come to mind:
1) Your guitar.
2) The callous on your fingertips.
3) The state of your skin and health.
1) Regarding your guitar, do you have more than 1 guitar to compare with? Have you talked to any seasoned guitarists or guitar shop guys and let them see your guitar? Or maybe you are a seasoned guitarist and have already identified it's not your guitar. But if not, I'd recommend having someone take a look as they should be able to quickly diagnose if it's something about your guitar (like high action). Afterall, some guitars are so, so, so much easier to play than others and maybe you have a tough one, maybe not.
2) I can only assume you practice at least a decent amount if you're playing out. The more you play, the more the callous should build up on your fingertips. Or when you play out are you pushing down with excessive pressure due to the excitement of playing live?
3) Diet, body health and such can play a role in skin strength. This is probably not the case, but just because it's the least likely doesn't mean it's not a possibility. If it is, then it's not just health but even things like an allergy to the metal in the strings and other ridiculous things, but again, this is not very likely.
My number one remedy for things of this nature is Epsom salt. Just fill up a container with warm (not hot) water and add the salt (not too much, read the instructions). Leave your hand(s) in there for 20 minutes. You can do this once or twice a day.
It might work, it might not. The nice thing about Epsom salt is it can't hurt and it's not very expensive. I recommend this because I've seen it work with others and myself on various ailments. I hope it works for you too. Good luck.
2006-07-10 19:46:06 · answer #2 · answered by Jeff 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a violinist and I've never had the problem with bleeding fingers, but perhaps you should either practice more and build up callouses or find a different kind of string that doesn't cut up your fingers.
2006-07-10 19:27:25 · answer #3 · answered by bachlava_9 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on the type of guitar you are using and what string gauges, it may be possible to use a lighter gauge set of strings and "lower the action". This may also require further adjustments such as intonation and possibly truss rod adjustments. You might want to go to your local music shop or find an experienced lutheir to do this type of work.
2006-07-10 19:30:52 · answer #4 · answered by cybrog 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is very common. As you play more and more, you will build callous on your fingers so that it will not hurt anymore.
You could put something on them to prevent it from hurting, but it will slow down the building of the callous, so I would just do the best i could now and it will get better in the future.
2006-07-10 19:24:47 · answer #5 · answered by double_nubbins 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're just going to have to keep playing. You will eventually develope a callus. My brother is a violinist and his fingers use to also always get red and bleed from practice. Now he has calluses.
2006-07-10 19:22:53 · answer #6 · answered by christigmc 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you need to practice more that way it'll make callouses, then it'll quit. You could also try a bigger guage of strings, but that may flatten your sound and also may not help much. Also by extra practice, you hand muscles won't hurt either. Best of luck to you.......
2006-07-10 19:23:42 · answer #7 · answered by cajunrescuemedic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep playing. Eventually you'll develop calluses and they won't hurt as much. You could also try putting band aids on your fingers.
2006-07-10 19:22:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My fingers hurt before but now they got thicker from playing every day and they don't hurt anymore. You should also try softer (thinner) strings.
2006-07-10 19:23:38 · answer #9 · answered by eldar_darkstar 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi there....my advice is this, try to play with more volume, more loud!!! so you don't have to push that hard the strings.
hope is help full...
2006-07-10 19:46:34 · answer #10 · answered by unpoems 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋