using a finger stump

[katygrasslady]

25 years ago, I pinched off the end of my left hand ring finger. I just barely have a nail, but I let it curl around the end to protect it, as there is no pad and the bone is close.

It really affected the reach for playing guitar, so I'm playing mostly melody on mandolin. I use my pinky where others would use the ring finger. My favorite genre are Irish, classical and medievil. Starting to realize that using all 4 fingers would really be handy at times.

I play only to amuse myself, and developing a callus on this finger tip is not amusing.
Have others gone through rehabbing an injury like this? Was it worth the pain? Am I really going to be disadvantaged if I don't use my ring finger?
Thanks,
Kathryn

[Jim Garber]

I know an excellent fiddler who does not use his index finger. I only noticed it recently but he has adapted his style. As long as it doesn't bother you and you can play the way you want, stay with what you know.

I also know an excellent musician who lost most of his left hand fingers so he found he can play button accordion and hurdy gurdy without the need for those fingers.

[fredfrank]

I understand Django had only two fingers on his left hand, so you are already one up on him.

[lenf12]

Jerry Garcia also lost a finger on his left hand (middle or ring finger?). There's that banjo player with no fingers on his left hand (I forget his name). He is fantastic!!! Whether you are able to alter your technique to compensate for the missing digit is a goal worth persuing. Are there any prosthetics you could put over the end of your ring finger to protect the nearby bone? Some folks put a dab of superglue on the finger tip to compensate for lost or undeveloped callouses. Might this be an option?

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[bagpipe]

I did something similar many years ago - I caught my left pinky in a metal fence and lost about 1/4 of an inch of the end - although it cut at an angle, so I have like a 45 degree to the end of my my pinky. This happened around 30 years ago. I only played guitar at the time but I was able to develop some callous on what remained of my fingertip. I use that pinky when playing guitar chords etc but I was never able to use it when playing lead, or scales etc - too often I'd catch the sensitive part on a string or the fingerboard and it hurt too much.
Cut (ouch!) to 5 years or so ago when I started mandolin. I almost never use my left pinky on mandolin - never when playing lead and only occasionally when I have to play a stretched out 4 finger chord, and I don't really miss it. I know my technique would probably improve if I could use my pinky but I'll never be a "Chris Thile" anyway. I find the impact of using only 3 fingers to be less on the mandolin than on the guitar.

I think its going to be a little tougher for you in that your ring finger has the injury. But I'm sure with a little creativity you could figure out a 3 finger technique on the mando.

[katygrasslady]

I looked up the fingerless musicians referenced here. Now I feel like a whiner. Wow. Thanks for the inspiration. The banjo player Barry Abernathy is especially humbling.

I had thought to cut off the nail, put on a couple layers of Nu-skin and just play scales to see if I could do them better.
But then bagpipe reminded me of how sensitive the spot is under the protective nail when it breaks off. If you have a tender finger, you WILL hit it more often. So now I'm chicken, and think I will just continue to be creative and do whatever works with the 3 good fingers I have.
Thanks for letting me bounce the idea around with you.
Kathryn

[lenf12]

Yes, Barry Abernathy is his name and he is humbling for all of us, even we of the 5 finger variety.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Richard J]

I can't use my pinky finger so I can only use 2 or 3 finger chords. A pain once in awhile but not much of a bother to only use 3 fingers.

[Steve Lavelle]

Not to belittle their impairments, but just to set the record straight:

On Django from Wikipedia;"his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralysed. He played all of his guitar solos with only two fingers, and used the two injured digits only for chord work."

On Jerry Garcia: "At age four, while vacationing in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Garcia underwent amputation of two-thirds of his right middle finger"

[rico mando]

I would suggest some type of prosthetic . the possibilities are endless , something on the tip for fretting and something hard for slides on the side . unfortunately you will have to make and/or design something and have it made

[Tom Cherubini]

You look like you have a lot of years to go. See a hand surgeon at a university hospital for an opinion and possible treatment.

T.

[Paul Cowham]

The great Irish musician Peter Carberry lost the end of his middle finger on his right hand - it doesn't stop him playing the box beautifully even though he doesn't use that finger.



Peter Carberry

Good luck with your playing Kathryn

[Eric C.]

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath has had a wonderful career playing guitar, missing the tips of his middle and ring finger on his fretting hand. I believe he uses thimbles of some kind on the ends of those two fingers.

Eric

[Spence]

I made a prosthetic for my middle finger of my chording hand. It's cut off about 1/2 way above the joint and the tip of my finger. It works good for me, and sometimes I may miss a string, but I'm learning to place my finger using proximity with my other fingers instead of feel. I have most trouble on "C", and "B7", so I play in "A" key as much as possible when there's a lot of fancy chord changes.

The final thickness of the prosphetic is not bulky, maybe 1/16in and it's strong.
You may need to press down harder when you need to mash down on a set of strings such as in "F" key, but it does a decent job.

I use standard dime store two part epoxy. I put a small washer at the tip of my finger where a grommet will be when the prosth is complete. I put some bar soap on my finger, then unroll a finger condom over the finger and stretch it tight held by an elastic band. That creates a flat spot where the washer is. I mix the glue and smear it all over the tip. I wait a bit and wind of few turns of unwaxed dental floss around it at strategic points for reinforcment. Then I mix and spread a thick coat of glue again, working it in the floss. I wait longer, then slide off the rubber with the washer and discard. (Getting it off is difficult but needs patience). Once off, put a small 1/4in hole or so in the flat where the washer was. Put a regular rubber chassis grommet in the hole. You can double a grommet to make it higher if you like, just feed a regular elastic band through the grommet, and piggy back another grommet on top of that. Use "goop" automotive rubber door sealer between them, and saturate the rubber band with it working it in the hole. Cut off the rubber band end, and your all set. Grommet rubber is hard rubber and will last a long time on the strings. Goop will actually fuse the two grommets and elastic band with them.

You can easily make another if the grommet placement isn't to your liking. Just position it where you think, and add or remove grommets as needed.

The ideal of course is feel. Normally when you reposition your fingers, for a micro second your fingers coordinate their location in proximity to each other, but of course missing a finger this advantage isn't available.

If anyone has a choice between "flap over", or "fold in side" surgery, the prosthetic would even
be better and not as wide on a fold in side operation. (I didn't know that at the time and I was pretty mad at the surgean since I told him I played guitar. He told me he played violin and not to worry. I still had feel to my tip, which now is at the top of my finger. Never trust a patch up surgeon.)

Another help is that the guitar store salesman recommended using six of the strings of a 12 string, which will give you almost 5/8 inches between strings. A bonus is that these are usually bassy
jumbos, great for me as I love a deep base.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have problems. Pics provided.

[SincereCorgi]

That's badass, Spence. You're more machine than man.

[katygrasslady]

Spence,
You are most certainly an ingenious man dedicated to his art. Thank you for the inspiration. I am currently playing a bit with my short finger laid flatter on the fret, rather than using the tip. Doesn't sound real good most of the time, but I think it will get better. I also think I need to keep pressing on the tip with my thumbnail to toughen it up.
Thanks for your interest and help,
Katy

[Spence]

Sincere and Katy:

Thanks for the kind response.

Now if I can find myself a singing instructor who can take the punishment, my wife will no longer need to lie.

[paulspafford]

There are things old-time banjo players use that are basically like plastic finger-shaped thimbles that go over your fingertips - helps them get more volume.

Sorry, I don't remember what they're called, but they might be just what you're looking for.

[Tom Cherubini]

Wes Montgomery used the side of his right thumb and eventually it developed enough callous for him to even up-stroke. Most people agreed that his sound was better than using a pick.
Here he is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOm17yw__6U

Tom/

[Pasha Alden]

Hi there

Where there's a will there's a way. As a visually impaired person (legally blind) I cannot look at the frets - it's like typing. I am adapting by doing the following: colourless nail varnish to mark the octave and a few other frets as orientation. That using colourless nail varnish to make slight but tactile enough braille music signs where the finger can be orientated on the fret board.

Good luck and do not let the old ring finger stop the fun!!

Happy playing.

Vanillamandolin

[steelhead1950]

Never fear Katy....there is life after finger loss. I was strictly a guitar player when in 1999 I lost 90% of the ring finger on my left hand. After about 6 months of depression I got off my rear end and started looking for other ways to express myself musically. Since then I learned clawhammer banjo, some dobro and pedal steel, relearned guitar, and am now working on mandolin. Musically, this has been the most motivating and productive period of my 63 years.

On Jerry Garcia.....yes it was definitely the middle finger of his right hand so it didn't effect his fretting hand. He was still able to do some fine Scruggs style picking on the banjo. When I once asked him how he lost his finger he said something about his brother, a hatchet, and a poor grasshopper......true story!