Bass Blisters

[hazel]

I just got back from a 3 hour practice with my orchestra and my just healed pizzicato finger has a new blister. I have to get to another event in an hour and I'm worried that my blister will pop when I go to play this one peice I want to play that has 57 measures of forte pizzicato before it switches back to arco. Any tips to help me fix this or prevent this from happening in the future?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Welcome, Hazel! I think you can buy some special finger protection tape, if you can cope with it while playing. (I imagine it's mostly a matter of getting used to the tape being there, in preference to the alternative, i.e. pain and possibly blood...)

 

I think @Happy Jack tried some of that tape or a similar product, and was all right with it, while I simply could not tolerate it on my skin, which is very different from his and highly sensitive and prone to eczema.

 

Anyone else on here have any experience of similar stuff?

[pete.young]

Long-term, apply some surgical spirit to the area once a day for a couple of weeks , that will build up some resistance. Wait till the blister has healed though, it hurts like hell on fresh wounds!

[NickD]

I've always used superglue (carefully). I read about it in an article about Stevie Ray Vaughan when I was a kid, who had a hideous action and really heavy gauge strings. The first few days of a tour were always tough, playing much harder than I would in practice, so I'd carefully puncture the blister and flatten it, then I'd apply superglue over the top. It's suggested that you rough it up gently with an emery board or similar, but I never bothered.  

[Paddy Morris]

Agree with Nick D. Superglue is the answer.  Tape is fine but it's very difficult to feel the strings through it, so it affects your technique.  Superglue, maybe a few coats, and you can still feel the sensation of the strings through your fingertips.

[NickA]

And in future, share the load. 

 

Jazz players tend to use two fingers and/or the less sensitive side of the index finger.  These are hard if you're holding a bow.  Given a suitable pause / rests before and after the rests you can put the bow down ( bow holster ).

 

Watching pro symphony players they generally pizz with two fingers ( index and middle) clamped together.

 

Final trick is a little yucky, maybe. Run your finger down the side of your nose now and then to pick up some skin grease 🙂 ...finger lubrication.

[StingRayBoy42]

On 09/06/2022 at 08:19, pete.young said:

Long-term, apply some surgical spirit to the area once a day for a couple of weeks , that will build up some resistance. Wait till the blister has healed though, it hurts like hell on fresh wounds!

+1 for Surgical Spirit!
 

[DanOwens]

1 hour ago, StingRayBoy42 said:

+1 for Surgical Spirit!
 

And to play devils advocate, I used to be an advocate of Surgical Spirit alongside my fellow orchestra player, until I saw the dried skin split on a gig. It was VERY unpleasant. 

 

I now try to develop 'leather' rather than 'plastic' fingertips, which involves occasionally moisturising the skin to keep it supple. This can, of course, cause issues with calluses and it doesn't really help in between gigs, but I personally wouldn't ever go back to Surgical Spirit. 

Edited August 4, 2022 by DanOwens

[blisters on my fingers]

 Don't know what you lot are moaning about 😀