frozen_dup1 Posted July 15, 2001 Share Posted July 15, 2001 I always get heavy blisters on my fingers from drumming. I've tried different sticks and stick wraps. The only thing I haven't tried is gloves . What do you guys find best. I don't get to play every day and I work with steel all day, so I don't have soft hands or anything like that. These things drive me nuts when I drum... Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckafrummer Posted July 15, 2001 Share Posted July 15, 2001 what ive done is when i got blisters was when they just formed i would take a pin and poke a small hole in them. then put neosporin or someother antibiotic on them and a bandaid. let them heal for a couple of days (up to a week) and take them off. you should have a nice callis formed then. but you working with steel all day i would assume that you have callis' already. so i guess if this doesnt work you would have to go for the drum gloves. -duckafrummer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 15, 2001 Share Posted July 15, 2001 OK Frozen: I am *not* a doctor ... so I am releasing myself from any liability by making that very clear!! NOT A DOCTOR. Even a minimal amount of playing each day can help with this problem. I too have sensitive skin on my hands. I do not get blisters, but rather a "sluffing" of skin from drumming. Calluses are constantly forming and coming off. The blisters are really never a problem. If you can squeeze in 10 minutes of warm-ups a day, you will help this situation greatly. Play while you are blistered. This will help the calluses form. A help for me has been to soak my hands (when they used to get bad blisters) in warm water and Epson salts. This helped the blisters dry up. Even the best and most active players can get blisters. My friend Gregg Bissonette played for Spinal Tap at Winter NAMM. The next morning, his hands looked like ground beef!! Also, check you grip. Check my review on MusicPlayer.com (click to the home page below) on Dave Weckl's new video series. There is some video footage. Your grip and technique may need some tweaking before you get back to playing out regularly. Hope this helps. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted July 16, 2001 Share Posted July 16, 2001 DJ is telling you nicely that your technique is wrong. But you have the energy to play hard as heck to get them in the first place...so that is great. I bet your stick is resting past your 2nd joint...move it up a joint and get those fingers and wrists working...get your wrists "whipping"...if you want to get really rocked out the arm can me incorporated smoothly to different degrees. Like a big whip cracking, plus it looks great. Do your fingers sweat when you play? Are you drenched in sweat after or during a gig? I don't know. Then you might have to do keep a fan on you or your hands. felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_dup1 Posted July 17, 2001 Author Share Posted July 17, 2001 thanks guys, these things drive me crazy, unfortunately I have to design a lot of machines for the winter rush. Time for practice will be limited. I probably do have a bad technique on holding the sticks. I had to pick up a pair of sticks to see where I was holding them. It does rest in between the first and third joint. I will check out the vid caps and hopefully that will help. Ya, my hands and body are usually drenched after working on a song and playing it over and over again. I love drumming but only in my little studio, I've got this stagefright thing going as well. Duckafrummer I do have callis's from the steel work but I think they are in a different posistion than my drum sticks, I'll try the healing process though.... Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 Hey, Brad! I can relate to the stage freight thing! It took me years to get over that. My knees used to shake uncontrollably when I had to perform! Let me know how you are working to overcome this fear! Hope I can help, DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 My Experience for what it's worth... Learn to play through pain...pain comes with commitment to anything...eventually you get past it. I don't get to play drums with a band too often...when I do it's a major workout...the last thing on my mind are my hands (even though technically they're where the most physical pain is coming from)...I'm thinking stamina and listening. Once the music stops I care for my fingers, usually a good wash and a bit of neosporin does the trick. My own theory is Pain helps you to focus musically... no pain=lounge act (Pain isn't always physical...often mentally struggling to be that much greater at any moment hurts) I play Piano, Guitar, Bass and Drums, every week there is some part of my hand that looks deformed http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif, which part of my hand depends on which instrument I'm playing the most of.. This message has been edited by Steve LeBlanc on 07-16-2001 at 09:25 PM http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 I used to really enjoy the blisters I'd get. The more and the bigger and the bloodier the better. I wore them as badges of honor, and when they went away it meant I wasn't playing enough. Then after a while I learned I was holding the sticks wrong. Now, after a good deal of time unlearning my previous technique I don't get blisters anymore. I play better, but now I feel like a big sissy with my soft 'n supple hands. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix stein Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 sidereal you are cracking me up again felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 I must say that I'm surprised to hear that a steel worker gets blisters when you play. I'm with Felix on this one and I think there is something wrong in the technique area, especially since we are talking about during your practice time. If you were getting blisters from playing in concert ... I might be more forgiving! LOL Besides the other recommendations, which I think are good. Try to find a good drum instructor that you could take a couple of lessons with. Let him/her check out your technique and hopefully give you some guidance to help with the blisters. The only time I get blisters (which is very, very rare) is when I've been so tired that I don't hold the stick correctly and I let it slide around. This has been the case when I first start playing 4-mallets on the marimba or vibes. If you hold the stick or mallet correctly, it should not slide around, which is what has to happen to create a blister on someone who has calluses already. Maybe it's sweat, maybe it's a loose fulcrum; can't tell when I can't see. I'm not a doctor in real live, but I play one on the Drum Talk Forum ------------------ Bart Elliott http://bartelliott.com Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_dup1 Posted July 18, 2001 Author Share Posted July 18, 2001 Ya, sorry guys, my hands go through a lot of crap during the day, coolant, grease, weld burns, you name it. But when it comes to drumming for long periods of time, I end up with these big blisters. I most likely do have a problem with technique, because I am self taught, with the aid of books and the drum forum etc.. DJ as for the stage fright thing, the best cure so far is stay off the stage or hide behind a curtain. I'm sure there are steelworkers out there with the same drumming blisters http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif) Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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