Finger tips?

[Ashville Picker]

I've been a beginner for about four years and play my mandolin for at least an hour a day. I'm getting better, learning several songs, and enjoying it more than ever. I even pick with some friends once in a while. But, the tips of my fingers are calloused. I've tried to use the ball of my fingers instead of the tips, but it doesn't work. Is this a bad thing? Thanks, Larry

[John Bertotti]

I'm much newer and use my finger tips because The Bickford method book told me to. I would say from my limited experience that you should definitely use the tips. How else would you keep from muting some of the other strings considering how close they are? John http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mando bandage]

Always use the tips. Callouses, yes, sore after a 4 hour gig, yes. Someone on this board a long time ago recommended the emory boards with 4 levels of abrasion to smooth out the rough spots in the callouses so you don't get unintended pull-offs. Works pretty well.

R

[John Flynn]

I agree with mando bandage. Callouses are part of the game. The emory board thing works well, just don't overdo it. If you play a lot, callouses are your friends. You want them smooth, but still thick enough to protect your fingertips.

[Milan Christi]

Nice to hear I'm not the only one - great idea about the emory board, I have to try that. I have super-tough callouses from playing guitar and they tend to hang up especially in the first few frets. Thought I was doing something wrong. Thanks!

[John Bertotti]

I don't have super thick calluses but do play around 3-4 hours every day. If I miss a couple days then play that long again it feels like a bunch of scar tissue breaking down and my finger will ache for several days then all is good. I do get grooves in my finger tips that hang up on the strings but they go way past my calluses. I hope mine thicken up enough to use an emory board some day. Just how long will that take? A guitar friend of mine said it could be years maybe more for the pinky. Thanks John

[dtb]

I have callouses big time, from all my playing. I find that if I lay off the mando a while, just playing other instruments, the "tip" callous kinda rises to the top, and I can just peel it off. Kinda like a "corn" does. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[mando bandage]

I do get grooves in my finger tips that hang up on the strings but they go way past my calluses.

A regular sanding with the emory board can keep the grooves away, which I need to do to be able to fret cleanly. I agree that easy does it with emory board though. I got too deep once and couldn't play for a week. Probably would have made a good safecracker, though.

Doesn't take that long to build a sandable callous. Couple of months or so...

R

[JiminRussia]

Besides all that if you do use the pads of your fingers, the calouses will just develop there instead of on the tips. It's just a natural bodily defense mechanism.

[JenWantstaJam]

Along the lines of calluses, is it normal for them to peel even when you are playing a lot? When I played guitar they only peeled after I hadn't played in a few days, but I have been playing mando every day, and they still peel a little every few days. Is this because I am new to playing?

[duuuude]

I've had the best luck by maintaining the callous with an emory board just to keep the shiny hard layer from forming, this leaves the skin tough but still fairly flexible. If the callous gets too out of hand it could crack and begin tearing the soft tissue.

[250sc]

Calluses are just dead skin and will constantly sluff off to some extent. Just play and don't worry about it.

I find that when I play mando my fingertips get indentations due to the two strings and then when I switch to guitar the single string makes my fingers sore for a while since the strings press on a different single point. When I play bass it is different again.

It's all part of playing. Don't cripple yourself but don't sweat it too much.

[jbrwky]

You're suppose to use your fingers?!! Doh!

[peterbc]

Calluses are great, I leave them right where they are. They let me play longer!

[peterleyenaar]

Callouses become smaller as your intonation becomes more accurate, I try to depress the string as light as possible and still get a solid and clear tone, sometimes I play tunes slow in this way just toget the best possible tone, I find it not easy to maintain tone quality and play fast.