Great tape to cover blisters

I would have a teacher check your technique to find out why you are getting blisters. Shouldn't happen.

I've been using that for a few years to prevent blisters, works great! I buy the 6-pack from Amazon for $19

Bermuda

GruntersDad said:

I would have a teacher check your technique to find out why you are getting blisters. Shouldn't happen.

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Come on, you're telling me you don't get an occasional blister once a year or so?

I have been playing for probably 20 years cumulatively from back as a kid and for the last 9 years, and have never gotten a blister from drumming.

GruntersDad said:

I have been playing for probably 20 years cumulatively from back as a kid and for the last 9 years, and have never gotten a blister from drumming.

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Same here; been playing on and off for over 55 years and I have never suffered from blisters.......just lucky I suppose!

The ONLY time I ever got blisters from playing were when I used those God-awful Zildjian Dip drumsticks.

Never again.

I use Promark Stick Rapp now. I love that stuff.

I used to get blisters when I was young and dumb and I only used good ol fashioned duct tape.

Got most of my blisters in the early years when I was growing my callous gloves I wear today...they prevent most blisters.

As far as tape goes, I never really used anything. Just tore off the skin and played through it till it gave up hurting.

Suffered with them until I learned Moeller technique. Have some of the Ahead gloves that haven't been worn for 14 years.

I'd recommend Moeller to anyone, really sorts your hands out.

I can't use any stick with grip on it as the friction causes blisters. Over-varnished sticks as well, Regal Tip were bad for this about 15 years back.

Damn, if I play three days in a row I'll get blisters over my callouses

The beauty of the Nexcare tape isn't about covering blisters, it's about preventing them. I've used the tape on the last 3 or 4 tours, 5 nights a week, rockin hard, for 15-20 weeks without a break. NO blisters. Zero. Not a single one.

It's thin and flexible, I often forget it's on until I get around to washing my hands after the gig. It's also a little spongy, so you get a good stick grip.

The tape stays on nicely if you wash your hands before applying. Yet it comes off very clean. I get a little edge residue on some fingers, but it's easily washed off.

It can be a little pricey in drug stores, like $5-6/roll. I think Target has it for around $3.50, but Amazon beats that a bit when you buy 6. I'm starting this tour with 10 rolls. It's money well-spent for my comfort onstage and off.

Here's a before & after-gig photo. I have since started wrapping an extra piece around my ring finger to prevent that edge from curling. It's the only one that does that for some reason (no, I'm not playing traditional grip...)

Bermuda

Yep, it was the grip on my current pair of drumsticks. Guys, just so you know, I'm a lot less experienced than you. I'm still learning what works and what doesn't. I am using Vic Firth 5A stick that has the grip. Next time, I'll buy the ones without that. I hadn't had blisters until I got the one with the grip.

mikyok said:

Suffered with them until I learned Moeller technique. Have some of the Ahead gloves that haven't been worn for 14 years.

I'd recommend Moeller to anyone, really sorts your hands out.

I can't use any stick with grip on it as the friction causes blisters. Over-varnished sticks as well, Regal Tip were bad for this about 15 years back.

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writer_drummer said:

I hadn't had blisters until I got the one with the grip.

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There's an unfortunate problem with grip tape (or rubber dip, or whatever additional stuff is applied to the stick.) Your fingers and hand get friction from rubbing against the tape. Yes, the friction helps with the grip, but may still cause blisters.

With the tape on your fingers/hand instead, the friction is between the tape and the stick, and not directly against your skin. The grip is still there, at least with the Nexcare tape (not so much with gaff tape, BTW) but the blisters and calluses should be eliminated.

Bermuda

It's not all down to poor technique. Some other factors can come into it.

A very hot stage (normally thanks to pesky stage lights) can get your well conditioned hands in a spot of bother during a set.

When I started drumming, quite a few years ago now. I got a bit of wear on my right hand index and on top of the flesh between my thumb and index on the left TG hand, but since that first 6 months or so you'd be hard pressed to tell that I play drums from the look of my hands. There's no wear, not in the slightest and I often play all day every day.

As mentioned though, some climate conditions can end up making some difference and that's individual.

Playing outside and have sweat cooling and get sticky is one thing. Sticks with wax that are to sticky will also end up scratching my skin, but that's easy to avoid just by using the right sticks for me. Some players love tacky sticks, to me the less that's on there the better.

Not going to claim it's the 'source' of your problem, but technique was the answer for me as well and I wish I realized it earlier.

After I upped my game to 3-4 shows/week with 3 hour sets, I started chewing through my hands and blisters would happen frequently. After enough reading I changed up my technique to use the Spivak grip and that cured so many issues of mine... no blisters, no soreness, no fatigue during a set, no breaking sticks, and even far fewer timing issues.

Bottom line is most 'untrained' grips put a lot of friction in the wrong pockets of your hand, which can easily cause blisters. Couple this with playing loudly/hitting hard, and it's a bad combo. A lot of other grips emphasize rebound, which in turn means altering your grip to have less friction on the stick, which will remove a major trigger for blisters.