Calises and blisters!

jesusdrumm3r

Junior Member
I have been workin' my freakin tail off trying to improve my chops for marching snare, and my hands are ripped apart... idk what to do. I mean, i see these guys at dci, and i know that could be me really soon here if i keep on getting super legit. But when i start doing the stuff they do, i have to stop, and re-tape my fingers because i see blood on the snare. Is thick skin something they develop over time and determination like im doing now, or am i missing something? Help me out!
 
If you are getting blisters and bleeding, that's not supposed to happen.
You need a better hand technique. Perhaps a good teacher can evaluate what you are doing to cause this.
 
If you're suddenly practicing way more or learning traditional then it makes sense that you get blisters. It's just a matter of building up the calaces gradually. And yes, at move in most corps guys go through a brief season of blisters on their way to tour calaces.

Make sure that you're not trying too hard though, the sticks should be flowing.
 
Can't really diagnose your problem without seeing it, but, going based on most cases of people having blisters on their hands... You're probably holding your sticks way too tight. Loosen up the grip, let the sticks do the work for you. Derrick Pope has some good videos on this site. Check the lesson section on drummerworld. I just hope I spelled his name right, haha
 
If you are getting blisters and bleeding, that's not supposed to happen.
You need a better hand technique. Perhaps a good teacher can evaluate what you are doing to cause this.

Take my word for it bro, thats not the case. I got 3 drum instructers all insisting on the technique i use, i dont use it for drum set, but it its still correct, ive researched it myself.
 
If you're suddenly practicing way more or learning traditional then it makes sense that you get blisters. It's just a matter of building up the calaces gradually. And yes, at move in most corps guys go through a brief season of blisters on their way to tour calaces.

Make sure that you're not trying too hard though, the sticks should be flowing.

Well i play traditional on set, thats why im a little confused. I thought i had thick skin before, lol i guess not :p. I talked to my guys though, they said to give it a month and see if im still where i am now. If i am then there is a problem.
 
Ah yes callouses are a drummers best friend. I have 2 one on each index finger just before it joins the palm and they really are helpful. I rarely ever get blisters anymore but if I play for long enough I tend to get one on my middle finger. It's perfectly normal except I've never bled unless I hit a cymbal or snare rim with my hand, you're probably practicing too much and not giving your skin time to build up tolerance and resistance to the friction caused from sticks. I've found using wax helps to limit the amount of slip that the sticks have on the fingers therefore it creates less of a rub on your skin, why don't you try that?
 
Well there is more than one way to skin a cat.
You can have an effective technique and still get blisters.
You can also have an effective technique without blisters.
Your choice.
 
I don't agree on the bad grip/technique argument. Some people just blister & it is indeed a gradual process to get your hands accustomed to the abuse that our hands take. Regardless of technique, there is contact between your hands & the sticks, so there will be some friction created. How your hands respond to that is very individual in my opinion.

To OP - keep playing... after many painful months, the blisters become callused & then you're golden....
 
I think the issue when you're a beginner is that you have neither calluses nor perfect technique, so you're going to blister no matter what. Once you learn to relax and loosen your grip, big calluses won't be as necessary, and eventually they'll go away (although you will have a little bit - it's unavoidable).

However, if you've been playing for more than a couple years and you're still frequently blistering, you may want to re-evaluate your technique.
 
I had the same problem when I was doing marching band. It took about 2 weeks at the beginning of each season to build up strong calluses. I was told by my instructor (whom specialized in marching percussion) that it was normal for those who don't march all the time because of the big change in stick size and weight as well as the amount of time you use them right off the bat. Give it some time and I'm sure you'll be fine.
 
I think the issue when you're a beginner is that you have neither calluses nor perfect technique, so you're going to blister no matter what. Once you learn to relax and loosen your grip, big calluses won't be as necessary, and eventually they'll go away (although you will have a little bit - it's unavoidable).

However, if you've been playing for more than a couple years and you're still frequently blistering, you may want to re-evaluate your technique.

There ya go. Great post. It is normal in the beginning, but a death grip on the stick isn't going to be taught by any knowledgeable instructor. So eventually you want the stick to be able to resonate in your hand, like JoJo says.
 
Take my word for it bro, thats not the case. I got 3 drum instructers all insisting on the technique i use, i dont use it for drum set, but it its still correct, ive researched it myself.

I don't remember the other SCV guys having messed up hands. The only time I had problems was in marching band in college, when we would play stupidly loud all day in the rain when it was 40 degrees outside; then I had some cracking. But I would say that any technique that injures you is bad technique. Pretty much by definition. I would consider the possibility that either you're not applying the technique as correctly as you think you are, or maybe that your instructors just don't know what they're talking about.

It's hard to make suggestions without seeing you play- maybe try relaxing your grip at the spots where you're blistering; or maybe the stick is banging around in your hand too much and you need to give a little more (very light and relaxed!) control so it stays put. Sometimes not articulating your wrist enough will give problems with a corps-type grip. Also I would suggest adopting the old Sanford/Kalkoffen "low and flow" approach until you figure out what's up.
 
Maybe you just have really really sensitive hands?? From the explanations from Drummerworld's best, its either that or your using a death grip. What sticks are you using because rubber dipped sticks might hurt you a bit... maybe.
 
The biggest cause for me is change in what I'm doing. If I sit and play rhythms for 2 weeks I'll be fine and then I suddenly do a mass of rudiments the next day my hands are ripped to buggery. If I then do 2 weeks of rudiments my hands get used to it and I then have a jam session for 2 / 3 hours my hands get shredded.
That's just my own experience so I find my hands harden according to what I'm doing most of at the time, I also find my E-kit much more punishing on my hands than my acoustic kit.
 
I would say that any technique that injures you is bad technique. Pretty much by definition..

+1

Chapin said hold the stick like you would a small bird. Tight enough so that it doesn't fly away and gentle enough to not hurt it.
 
All you guys that are saying "blisters and calluses are from bad technique" - how many of you guys have really spent time in a drumline? I played snare for four years in my high school drumline (and it was a pretty good one). My personal experience has been that drumline and drum set (and orchestral/classical percussion, for that matter) are completely different animals. The technique on a marching drum is not the same as on a drum set. Until you build up a few calluses, I think that it is not necessarily wrong to get some blisters. I know this is true especially for traditional grip, on the base of the index finger, where the giant marching stick is rubbing around.

There was an old thread that talked about some of the technique differences that I'm talking about, and it's worth checking out: hand technique with marching vs kit play
 
Back
Top