question about breaking your fingers

emiliozinho · October 2010

Tele295 wrote:

I almost lost part of my left little finger a few years back in a kitchen accident. I can use it again, but even today it still stings when I play a lot. Nerve endings heal very slowly.

That´s what i´m scared of.
Doctor said alot of nerves there.
Getting the bandages off tomorrow and an alluminum cast.
Next to the guitar i play alot of funk,slap bass and I´m scared i´ll feel it most with the bass.
Always where gloves when you do dangerous work guys.
It was so hot here and I took them off and an hour later the shit happened.

stubla · October 2010

I broke my third finger 10 years ago and it still bugs me-its a little slower to react than the other ones; but don't worry too much- you just have to make it work that bit harder---look at Django who had the greatest guitar technique of all time.

frater · October 2010

I fractured my right hand pinky two years ago and it still hurts a bit every now and then. I consider myself lucky: it's the only finger I don't use for playing!

Dylanlawless1 · November 2010

I was working on building site for the summer, a year and half ago, slating a roof. An hour before quitting time i had my gloves off, throwing down broken slates when one caught my left index finger and cut very deeply from my knuckle area to just about halfway up my finger pad.
Just cleaned it and taped it up, not thinking i'd need stitches. It wouldn't have scarred as bad if i had. Took a long while before i could play again and for the last year if i played intensely for 40 min or so (like for a gig) i wouldn't really be able to play the next day. That'd be thick gauge electric stings though.
Now i can play on silk and still GJ stings for 3 hours and not a bother. I'd say it can affect you head more than you hands with an accident when you're worrying about being able to play.
Always wear gloves. True

frank sumatra · November 2010

Wow.
This topic was something I was thinking about raising just a while ago. 3 weeks ago I fractured my left wrist playing sports. Never had a break before and was gutted. The timing was of course very bad, and seeing the x rays and seeing that the setting is likely to mean less strength and pliability has been hard to completely digest.

Early on, I thought about Django, and that has been a motivator. So the past few weeks I have been working on my right hand technique, every day.

Cast comes off in 2 weeks, might be a few months before full healing but I think that the will to heal, and the determination to get through the potential pain are there. How my playing is affected is still unknown, but I think that it will add a dimension to my "voice" which I will use to the fullest.