Tips of Fingers/SRV
Jerry Cornelius
Hi all,
With all the posts about fringer problems, I thought I'd add my own
to the Thread (if you are sick of it, I'm sorry!).
Personally, the only problem I have with my fingers is that they are
too big. The actual tips of my fingers are such that I actually
press the strings to the fretboard not with the tip of my finger
(define tip, for this post, if you hold your hand vertically, and lower
it onto a horizontal surface the part of your index finger that 1st
touches the surface is the tip). Now with these fat ol fingers of mine,
I kept toucjing other strings and muting them, so as I learned to play,
I actually havv my nails cut to the flesh and touch the strings at a
roughly 75 degree angle made between the back of the hand and your
horizontal sufrace. Thus I play practically touching the strings
where the nail and skin meet. Still with me?
Anyway, I find that about every 3 months, my fingers give up. The skin
breaks just under the nail and starts to peel away on all fingers
simultaneously. I is terrible, you loose all your calloused fingertips
in one foul swoop and it makes for about 10 days painful playing until
they callouse over again.
Does anyone else have this problem, and is there any way of
quickening the callousing process, other than playing!?
Although I have to say, this pain does not bother me to much
after reading an article about Stevie Ray Vaughan in a
guitar mag recently. I said that he used to use VERY large guage
strings to get the marvelous sustain on the nots, but said strings
used to leave his fret fingers in shreads; after gigs he used to
individually bandage his bloody fingers. The article went on to say that
his fingertips were completely divited and scored when he was on the
road, so to get over this, he used to put superglue into these
divits on the tips and glue his fingers to his picking arm. The het let
it set, and pulled the fingers away-- therefore making a little
permanent skin cover over the tips, a kind of primitive skin graft
fronm the arm to the tips.
Thats dedication to the art!
Brian!
Kirsten Kappenberg
: Hi all,
: With all the posts about fringer problems, I thought I'd add my own
: to the Thread (if you are sick of it, I'm sorry!).
: Personally, the only problem I have with my fingers is that they are
: too big. The actual tips of my fingers are such that I actually
: press the strings to the fretboard not with the tip of my finger
: (define tip, for this post, if you hold your hand vertically, and lower
: it onto a horizontal surface the part of your index finger that 1st
: touches the surface is the tip). Now with these fat ol fingers of mine,
: I kept toucjing other strings and muting them, so as I learned to play,
: I actually havv my nails cut to the flesh and touch the strings at a
: roughly 75 degree angle made between the back of the hand and your
: horizontal sufrace. Thus I play practically touching the strings
: where the nail and skin meet. Still with me?
: Anyway, I find that about every 3 months, my fingers give up. The skin
: breaks just under the nail and starts to peel away on all fingers
: simultaneously. I is terrible, you loose all your calloused fingertips
: in one foul swoop and it makes for about 10 days painful playing until
: they callouse over again.
: Does anyone else have this problem, and is there any way of
: quickening the callousing process, other than playing!?
How long have you been playing? I've noticed that after a while,
even when the callouses wear off, my fingers don't hurt much. I guess they've
been kinda numbed and I've only been playing for 2 years.
: Although I have to say, this pain does not bother me to much
: after reading an article about Stevie Ray Vaughan in a
: guitar mag recently. I said that he used to use VERY large guage
: strings to get the marvelous sustain on the nots, but said strings
: used to leave his fret fingers in shreads; after gigs he used to
: individually bandage his bloody fingers. The article went on to say that
: his fingertips were completely divited and scored when he was on the
: road, so to get over this, he used to put superglue into these
: divits on the tips and glue his fingers to his picking arm. The het let
: it set, and pulled the fingers away-- therefore making a little
: permanent skin cover over the tips, a kind of primitive skin graft
: fronm the arm to the tips.
: Thats dedication to the art!
: Brian!
That's truly sickening.
Kirsten
UJD...@psuvm.psu.edu
It's almost unbelievable. Where did u find it? I hate to imagine being
able to bend 2.5 steps up on 13 gage strings!..which SRV did quite
effortlessly. I watched the video..live at ElMocambo in Toronto...and towards
the end of the 63 min show(no breaks)...his fret fingers looked unreal..
shiny with sweat,glazzed and rounded. Is all this neassary?..what about
tendonitis..which is the condition resulting due to working your fingers
for long periods in the threshold of numbness..and atrophy.
later,
Urban
julius yang
Remember, he also tuned down half a step or more not because he couldn't
bend well, but because the excess tension would have ruined the guitar
neck!
Not to blow my own horn or anything, but having increased the gauge of
my strings by about .001 every two years or so, I'm up to .011s and have
no problem bending two steps except for the high E string, which is due
more to my guitar setup than anything else. I'll readily admit I can't
do it for hours on end, but at least SRV's finger strength doesn't seem
so unreasonable as it did a few years ago.
ObGuitarGear: I highly recommend gradually increasing the gauges of your
strings if you use .008 or .009s. IMHO I think the benefit of a fatter
sound really offsets the increased tension. I could never play thin
strings anymore. Listen to 'Lenny' off of Texas Flood and hear that
fat gauge grab thick jazz tone. :)
--
In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king. -- Tom Tromey
Jonathan Byrd
he used to put superglue into these
divits on the tips and glue his fingers to his picking arm. The het let
it set, and pulled the fingers away-- therefore making a little
permanent skin cover over the tips, a kind of primitive skin graft
fronm the arm to the tips.
Thats dedication to the art!
No, that's implausible to the point of being silly. It sounds like
something that might have come from the overactive imagination of a
teenager.
Even if someone were stupid enough to try it, how well do you suppose
an inside-out skin graft would work? Such a technique would place the
dead, outer layers of the forearm skin against the damaged fingertips,
and leave the raw dermis of the ripped forearm flesh exposed to the
outside.
--
jonathan byrd
j...@apollo.med.utah.edu
Bryan D Donaldson
|> In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king. -- Tom Tromey
Mr. M.P.Hughes
|>
|> |> In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king. -- Tom Tromey
|> In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. --- Tom Waits
The land of the blind one has been around for years; my grandmother told
me it when I was a kid (and she's no Tom Waits fan, at a guess). It crops
up all over, eg Sisters of Mercy's "Dominion" etc.
*** MIKEY: Michael Pycraft Hughes : MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX ***
*** mic...@solid.mda.uth.tmc.edu : "It is a France-like thing...." -Doon ***
Bryan D Donaldson
Mr. M.P.Hughes
I've just moved down the road from you and need to know- does Eric Johnson play
local gigs? Like, with any frequency, to keep his hand in or whatever? I'd
*love* to see this guy. How is it Austin keeps producing geniuses (genii?)?
Thanks,
Nicholas J Stowfis
>> In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king. -- Tom Tromey
> In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. --- Tom Waits
(my 10th grade
English teacher)
__________________________________________________________________________
| Nicholas J. Stowfis | "Don't blame me... /
| nsto...@gradient.cis.upenn.edu | I voted for /
| University of Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, PA. | BUSH!" /
Ed Hackett
J> I highly recommend gradually increasing the gauges of your strings if
J> you use .008 or .009s. IMHO I think the benefit of a fatter sound
J> really offsets the increased tension.
I think that the instrument itself determines in part, the gage of the
strings that work well with it.
I had a Kubicki hard tail strat with a flat fingerboard. A standard set
starting with an 0.010 felt like rubber bands. The next step up (down?) to
an 0.011 set felt just about right for that guitar.
My Yamaha SA 2000 feels OK with a .009 set, but I prefer .010's as a rule.
Ed Hackett
* Freddie 1.2.5 * The first full-featured QWK reader for the Mac.
Roberto Bayardo
> I've just moved down the road from you and need to know- does Eric Johnson play
> local gigs? Like, with any frequency, to keep his hand in or whatever? I'd
> *love* to see this guy. How is it Austin keeps producing geniuses (genii?)?
The last Austin gigs by Eric Johnson were late summer. He played two
shows at "La Zona Rosa", which unfortunately sold out before I could
get tickets!
He makes suprise appearances now and then, usually at Antones benefit
events and such, but doesn't hang around for too long. I guess when
you're as famous as him a simple local gig isn't really possible.
On the other hand, there's plenty of other great guitarists to go see.
Ian Moore (who may, as of very recently, be too famous for small local
gigs), Chris Duarte, the Sexton brothers, etc...
As for how Austin keeps producing these geniuses, who knows. I'm sure
it has something to do with the fact that the local music scene is
extremely well supported by the community and not big time producers
out to make a quick buck.
And yes, according to "Stevie Ray Vaughn", (sorry I forget the
authors, but it was the first of his biographies to be released) the
story about superglue and fingertips is indeed true.
Andrew Rogers
>
>>> In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king. -- Tom Tromey
>> In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. --- Tom Waits
> In the land of the one-legged... everybody has one leg. -- Gordon Mills
> (my 10th grade
> English teacher)
I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet. So I
took HIS shoes. -- unknown
AWR
old fart at play
Andy Moss
KT= : Although I have to say, this pain does not bother me to much
KT= : after reading an article about Stevie Ray Vaughan in a
KT= : guitar mag recently. I said that he used to use VERY large guage
KT= : strings to get the marvelous sustain on the nots, but said strings
KT= : used to leave his fret fingers in shreads; after gigs he used to
KT= : individually bandage his bloody fingers. The article went on to say that
KT= : his fingertips were completely divited and scored when he was on the
KT= : road, so to get over this, he used to put superglue into these
KT= : divits on the tips and glue his fingers to his picking arm. The het let
KT= : it set, and pulled the fingers away-- therefore making a little
KT= : permanent skin cover over the tips, a kind of primitive skin graft
KT= : fronm the arm to the tips.
KT=
KT= : Thats dedication to the art!
I love it! I don't know if I believe it, but I love it! I've also heard
that SRV's left hand was deformed and allowed him to play with great speed.
Looking at the many pictures I have of him playing, it looks pretty normal
to me. I think he used GHS TNT Boomers when playing. These are what I use
they come closest to the sound of his Fender's so far.
Have you ever noticed that SRV never recorded any "bad-ass" songs? You
know, like "I killed my master & drank his whiskey etc"? All pretty
positive stuff in a rather negative musical style. A local DJ said that
SRV used to "communicate" through his music - because he was incapable of
communicating any other way!!!
I love playin' his renditions.....
Andy
---
* Magical Mail * That's like the pot calling the kettle African-American...
John Grinham
> know, like "I killed my master & drank his whiskey etc"? All pretty
Not that I condone this sort of reckless notes drift :-), but what about
Boot Hill ? In a way youre still right - it only got released after his
death because it didnt fit in with the upbeat message of the album it
was recorded for.
To drift even further, Joe Louis Walker was here in the UK last week - if
ever there was a blues/rnb guitarist who could be the next SRV/Cray he's
the best I've seen. Nearly sold my Les Paul after the gig. (Yet more drift -
the best bit about Walker was that for most of the gig he used an LP - I'm
getting really sick of that out-of-phase single coil Strat sound...)
John.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Grinham. HP Labs ISC, Filton Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS12 6QZ, UK.
Tel: +44 272 228138 Fax: +44 272 228924 or 228920 Telex: 449206
j...@hplb.hpl.hp.com j...@hplb.hp.co.uk j...@hplb.uucp
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neal Howard
>In article <bfrrelly....@unix2.tcd.ie> bfrr...@unix2.tcd.ie (Jerry Cornelius) writes:
>
During my first few years as a guitarist, I was also the electronics tech
in a music store and sometimes would cut or burn my fingertips in minor
work accidents. I would use a drop of superglue to "fix" my fingertip so I
could continue to play my guitar..... the need to play was stronger than my
fear of the chemicals in the glue getting into my bloodstream. The artificial
"callus" formed by the superglue actually worked quite well and the misc small
fingertip injuries always healed just fine under the superglue. I was even told
that one of the original applications for cyanoacrylate glues (superglues) was
in cardiac bypass surgery, to help seal the newly constructed blood vessel
connections. Any MDs (David Nye, others) out there know if this is true???
I haven't used superglue on my fingertips in years, since, as I got older, I
decided that I dislike injuring my fingers so much that I am now several orders
of magnitude more careful when working with x-acto knives, soldering irons,
wire cutters, etc :-)
=========================================================================
Neal Howard ne...@cmptrc.lonestar.org CompuTrac,Inc. (Richardson,TX)
|355033| Disclaimer: My opinions are mine, not CompuTrac's.
DoD #686 "Let us learn to dream, gentlemen, and then perhaps
'91 XLH-1200 we shall learn the truth." - August Kekule' in 1890
=========================================================================
Kent J. Vanderwaal
>>> In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king. -- Tom Tromey
>> In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. --- Tom Waits
> In the land of the one-legged... everybody has one leg. -- Gordon Mills
In the land of the one-legged...
kent
Jeremy Payne
|> fingertip injuries always healed just fine under the superglue. I was even told
|> that one of the original applications for cyanoacrylate glues (superglues) was
|> in cardiac bypass surgery, to help seal the newly constructed blood vessel
|> connections. Any MDs (David Nye, others) out there know if this is true???
Yup. In fact it's still pretty useful stuff for things like that. I used
something called vet-bond just the other day during a surgery (on a fish),
which is pretty musch the same thing with a longer curing time.
---------------------------
Jeremy Payne
UIUC Neuroscience program /
College of Medicine
jrp...@uiuc.edu
(217)244-4478
---------------------------
Kent Zimmerman
andy...@canrem.com (Andy Moss) writes:
> I've also heard that SRV's left hand was deformed and allowed him to play
> with great speed.
That's not true. As far as I know he had normal hands.
> I think he used GHS TNT Boomers when playing. These are what I use
> they come closest to the sound of his Fender's so far.
Yep - he used Boomers, but he also used an absolutely unbelievable
heavy gauge, which only added to his sound.
> Have you ever noticed that SRV never recorded any "bad-ass" songs? You
> know, like "I killed my master & drank his whiskey etc"? All pretty
> positive stuff in a rather negative musical style. A local DJ said that
> SRV used to "communicate" through his music - because he was incapable of
> communicating any other way!!!
Yeah - his own music was really positive for the most part. Check out
"Boot Hill" on "The Sky is Crying" though. Not exactly a feel-good
tune, but he does a great job on it.
Kent Zimmerman
k.zim...@lilly.com
-------------------------------------------
"Do not fear death so much but rather the inadequate life."
Bertolt Brecht