BLISTERS and GLOVES etc

[spacebeat3117]

I have been playing for eight years , i use matched grip and play hard rock . Ive been hoping my hands would become hard enough this wouldnt happen anymore . This mainly happens on my left ring finger . Do you guys have any secret pro tips on how to hold my stick ? should i buy stick control ?

[mediocrefunkybeat]

Even though you've playing for a good few years, I think a review of your technique may be in order. Try holding them just a bit looser, as if you were shaking a frail old granny's hand. Give that a go. I've heard stick control is THE authority, so it's worth buying it, even if it is not a solution to this problem.

[NUTHA JASON]

i agree. also go onto the vic firth site and watch dom famularo and jim chapin teach the moeller technique. verrrrry useful...and free!!!

j

ps: in spite of mastering this technique and having a few callouses i still occassionally get a blister. but its very rock'nroll, isn't it? maybe get a blister on your little finger ...maybe get a blister on your thumb... we got to install microwave ovens...etc.

pps. try rubbing metholated spirits onto your hands after practice (not when you have a blister though) i put it on my feet when preparing for a big hike . it thickens the skin a little over time.

[Superlow]

I know this is not great advice. For myself blisters are not a problem due to caluses. If you play the same way each time you will develope caluses if you're a heavy hitter that tends to not use proper technique all the time. If you try to make conscious effort when you are playing about holding the stick a certain way you will avoid blisters. Also a good way to not get blisters is keep the stick loose.

[spacebeat3117]

Thanks for the advice guys , i guess that when i have been playing in the past im just such a free spirit and so happy to be playing the best instrument in the world i really dont think about blisters . Its like drinking you like the part during , but you dont think about the hangover .

[DrUmStIcKmUrDeReR]

three words about how your grip must be. firm but gentle.

[kevinmillerdrummer]

maybe you should try a smaller stick or use a good promark they seem to have a slcik yet gripable finish

www.kevinmillerdrummer.com

[CyclopseSlayer]

You can get blisters at pretty much anytime whether you have calluses or not, my sticks ended up covered in blood at the grip after a show the other night from a callus turned blister on my right index finger. The blister was so gnarly I had to take two days of from playing while I waited for it to scab over. Neosporin works wonders in making those things heal up faster, and the band-aid finger wraps stay on really well too.

I've noticed that I get blisters the most if I change sticks sizes, or if you play for long periods of time and your hands get really slick, lots of friction there

[Elemental Nausea]

lol @ cycopse slayer

I guess I , for instance , play just as heavy stuff as you and surely just as long, for example I play the black dahlia murder album twice sometimes or in my starting years I also played slayer and slipknot stuff without ever getting any blisters..so please change your technique, blister are not necessery no matter how heavy the music is and how loud it should be, when you hold your sticks loose, learn finger control and make accents based on "moeller technique" you will never hurt yourself...I mean, this performance of you where your hands started bleeding was not fun to you , was is it?

[svexan]

Hi!

I was drooling, watching on drumstuff that i would like to have.. then i found a pair of gloves.. Drum gloves..

So, do any member here use drumgloves? what good do they bring (if they do)
etc! :)

comments please

[Paul Quin]

Back in the 70's I played with a hard rock band and used drum gloves. We played under major light rigs and it was hot!! The idea was that it would stop that feeling that your sticks are like two bars of soap due to sweaty hands. To be honest they never worked for me. I felt like I lost some control.

The other problem was that after one or two gigs they smelled so bad that you couldn't get near them. I remember my gloves being launched from the bus by a guitarist, who will remain nameless, while travelling up the M6 in the UK.

Paul

[Dill X]

I wear drum gloves, and I found that they work well. At first you'll find that it feels weird or heavy but after playing with them for a few days you will find them very comfortable and natural feeling as if you were playing without them.

I've been wearing my gloves for a while and the I found that after a while the thumb and index finger on the glove will begin to wear down or rip. The key is to basically always to make sure your thumb, index finger, and palm are covered by the glove in order to get a good feel, and you could probably cut off the fingers on the glove from the middle down to get a better grip if you wish.

I haven't really found any disadvantages to wear gloves, and it really helped me since I found my hands would get too sweaty without gloves and I wouldn't be able to grip the sticks for long enough and my hands were just getting ripped apart by blisters and such.

[NUTHA JASON]

i had blister problems for a while and so i tried taping my fingers and then a bought quality gloves. they did help but they also prevented me from spinning sticks and also, yeah, they do stink like socks after a few gigs.


j

[Mokomakin]

Never worked for me...Though I play mostly funk/jazz/soul/poprock. I saw Paul Bostaph using them while he was playing a Slayer gig (War at the warfield also). I like his playing but he's hands aren't really that fast. I had this deathmetal coverband and my hands kept coming full of all kinds of scratch things and so on, I tried those gloves but they felt weird and I couldn't use my fingers while playing rolls.

After that I started really to improve my tecnique and listen to that drum teacher about patience in practising. Now I can play with fast tempos (and improving all the time) without causing any damage to my hands. Now I have this grindcore band called "Legions of thousand corpses" and our fastest song is with tempo 200 and it lasts 2:45 (It's f****** tough but I can play it). While improving my finger tecnique with practising several hours in a day I can play without using my wrists just fingers, but I can't use fingers if I am using gloves. My sticks are mostly 7a and smaller. IMO gloves look cool, nothing more. But if someone finds them useful, that's good for him/her.

[Stevis]

The Ahead drum gloves are believe $30 dollars and I don't want to spend that much on gloves, so I just used and old pair of baseball batting gloves, and they work just as well I believe.

[RudimentalDrummer]

Ok I just finished practicing and I have about 5 blisters on my hand that hurt like a B. I tried to wear gloves but they don't feel comfortable at all. Anything else I can try?
Thanks.

I share the same problem as you. Bought a pair of Zildjian Gloves from Yamaha Music School. Then some experience drummer tells me try not to use Gloves (Very Bad Habit - I shouldn't) .... their conclusion there is something wrong with my technique, but my bro 2 hrs non-stop everyday on Rudiments alone is no joke ... and I wonder if they are right. Can only check with my Drum Teacher next week when I start my lesson.


Any good advice bros here ?

[theduke86]

You DEFINETLY should not be getting blisters. Gentlemen, I apologise for my directness, but this is a technique problem. Loosen up the grip on them stickies!
When I first started six years ago I used to get blisters, because I played heavy rock music and banged the drums hard, really tight. Just be loose and seek instruction from whatever qualified instructors may be close to your area.

[RudimentalDrummer]

You DEFINETLY should not be getting blisters. Gentlemen, I apologise for my directness, but this is a technique problem. Loosen up the grip on them stickies!
When I first started six years ago I used to get blisters, because I played heavy rock music and banged the drums hard, really tight. Just be loose and seek instruction from whatever qualified instructors may be close to your area.

Thank you and oh yes one more question ... Is it bad or I should not be using Gloves as it is really bad for me as others had advice ?

[NUTHA JASON]

please read these two threads to thoroughly answer your question

http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64
http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319
j

[Bonzo]

Like in every other situation in life, when you're using your hands alot, whether it be with tools, drumsticks etc., you have to build up calluses. If you're getting blisters, you're either new to drumming, or aren't picking up the sticks often enough to toughen up your skin. I have calluses on my hands from playing. I re-started playing a year and a half ago after being away for about 15 years. I too was getting blisters and was losing my sticks all of the time. I tried the Dip Sticks and those helped while I increased my strength and worked on my chops. Eventually, I stopped getting blisters and stopped losing my sticks. Also, I refined my grip and starting practicing more of a Moeller technique, so now I barely grip the stick at all. But I still have calluses on my index fingers at the pivot point where the stick meets the base of the finger. That's where the stick will wear most on your skin. But it's all tough now.

[theduke86]

Don't use gloves!!!!!

[RudimentalDrummer]

Don't use gloves!!!!!

OK I will stop using it and thanks bro. Maybe I will use them for my Gardening then instead of throwing them away kekekeke

[Bonham to the moon]

as gross as it is, the longer u play the more blisters you'll get untill you just develop calases(sp?) and you wont have that problem anymore. Until then, i'd say that you should work on your grip, because 5 blisters seem a little much.

[K!lly]

HO MAN, I HAVE BLISTERS ON MY FEET :DDDD

^^

[onebright95gt]

Hello everyone -

I've been playing for many years now but most recently have been playing in a haevy metal band. It is very trying with my double bass work and is pushing my limits.

My question is I am suffering from blisters on my hands from playing. I usually tape my fingers but this last gig the tape came off and I had to continue to play. Now, my hands are in bad shape and I need to rest them atleast for a week.

Any suggestions on a speedy recovery as well how to prevent this in the future, gloves, stick wrap, etc.

Let me know.
Thanks

[finnhiggins]

Hello everyone -
Any suggestions on a speedy recovery as well how to prevent this in the future, gloves, stick wrap, etc.


The best way of preventing it is to work on your technique. If you need to hold the sticks that tight to avoid dropping them then there's something wrong with your grip. When I'm playing hard I have all four fingers and the thumb on the stick, but the whole hand is very relaxed. Each finger only puts as much pressure on the stick as is required, no more. I haven't had a blister since I started taking lessons, used to get them all the time before that.

[NUTHA JASON]

i very rarely get blisters once i had a go at the moeller technique.

once your hands have healed. build up your callouses bit by bit by playing until just before you think a blister is going to form then rub methylated spirits on them. this will thicken the skin.
also think about changing your sticks to a different finish.

but as finnhiggans correctly points out it really is a matter of technique. i find it hard to imagine dennis chambers getting blisters and he drums like a machine.

j

[Tam]

In my opinion every beginner has to go through blisters "like it or not" but when you keep a good practise schedule your hands will hope fully produce callases but a note of warning to begginers IF YOUR HANDS HURT AND HAVE BLISTERS JUST GIVE THEM A REST the last thing you want are injured hands.

[Stu_Strib]

I would like to second the notion that you shouldn't get blisters. Technique is to blame here, no matter how 'hard' you hit. I've never understood gloves either. You might as well just duct tape the sticks to your palms!

You might get hot spots which could turn into blisters I suppose after 5-6 hours, but blood, blisters, scabs...all no-gos in my book!

I

[Tam]

I would like to second the notion that you shouldn't get blisters. Technique is to blame here, no matter how 'hard' you hit. I've never understood gloves either. You might as well just duct tape the sticks to your palms!

You might get hot spots which could turn into blisters I suppose after 5-6 hours, but blood, blisters, scabs...all no-gos in my book!

I

Im sorry about , thank you alot for this pieace of information, i've completely changed my views of the subject thank you alot.

[photon]

I just got back into drumming about 4 months ago after many years off and I haven't had any blisters...don't really know why...I'm playing very nearly everyday (1-2 hours on average, longer on weekends and "sick" days from work) and hitting the practice pad daily as well........maybe I'm not hitting that hard (although I think I pound them hard enough my neighbours and wife will attest to that ) or maybe my technique doesn't suck as much as I think it does.........

I have considered gloves for the slippage problem but that is mainly in my left hand as I'm working on traditional grip..............tried one of my golf gloves and that worked fine but I took it off almost immediately because I view it to be a crutch......

[rendezvous_drummer]

I used to get blisters alot all of the time. I loosened my grip and looked into my technique to see what was going on. I definitely had a problem with my grip and technique. I HATE gloves. There's no need for them at all.

[Mario]

Use bigger sticks, not smaller ones. You won't have to grip em as hard.