A Blistering Pace

[High_School_Legend]

I've been gettin fairly proficient at the drums, my best rank being 46th and most the others around 140 or so. Anyways, I'm wonderin if any actual drummers have some tips for drumming and keeping blisters away? A nice chunk of the outter part of my skin is gone on the side of my right index finger! It hurts like crazy to play now so I'm gonna wait a day or two and jam on guitar, but it'd be super helpful to get some tips for when I hop back in. Thanks

[davidshek]

I've been gettin fairly proficient at the drums, my best rank being 46th and most the others around 140 or so. Anyways, I'm wonderin if any actual drummers have some tips for drumming and keeping blisters away? A nice chunk of the outter part of my skin is gone on the side of my right index finger! It hurts like crazy to play now so I'm gonna wait a day or two and jam on guitar, but it'd be super helpful to get some tips for when I hop back in. Thanks

You can do one of two things:

1) Start using drummer's gloves (this is what I do on real drums, cause I get nasty blisters too if I don't wear them). Ahead and Zildjian both make these.

2) Learn how to hold the sticks properly. You're probably holding them too tight. There's plenty of instructional videos on the Web and Youtube about proper stick handling. :)

[xCHRISx]

Also, if you suck it up, let the blisters somewhat heal and then play again, you'll eventually toughen up the contact spots on your hands, just like a guitar player gets callouses. I could never do the whole glove thing, and my hands blistered a ton when I first started playing, but I've been blister-free for about 12 years now.. :)

[davidshek]

Also, if you suck it up, let the blisters somewhat heal and then play again, you'll eventually toughen up the contact spots on your hands, just like a guitar player gets callouses. I could never do the whole glove thing, and my hands blistered a ton when I first started playing, but I've been blister-free for about 12 years now.. :)

Yeah I've got mean callouses all over my hands from drums, but I still get blisters if I don't use gloves. I guess my skin is just weak :(

[xCHRISx]

Yeah I've got mean callouses all over my hands from drums, but I still get blisters if I don't use gloves. I guess my skin is just weak :(

Weird! My hands hurt like hell for about 3 weeks while I got blisters on top of blisters, but eventually they all toughened up. Although I haven't had my kit since I moved in with my girlfriend 2 years ago, so I'm sure I'll be nice and sore when my RB finally arrives in the mail.. ;)

[Tarzanman]

You're definitely holding the sticks too tight. I've been playing the RB drums on and off and I haven't gotten any blisters yet... but one of the first things I did was loosen my grip after my hands would get tired after playing 2-3 songs.

I'm not blistering up, though cuz I already played bass.

As bad as your fingers feel from sanded wood sticks.... fretting thick steel strings on a bass guitar for hours makes them feel even worse.

Consider yourself lucky :-)

[o0MeTaL0o]

I play Bass IRL too and I know what ya mean Tarzanman... I also hold the sticks loosly and haven't had any problems with blistering at all. Which is weird, because I never played the drums IRL either.
My leg doesn't get tired at all, because I normally hold my foot down between kicks on the bass pedal too.

I've worked construction for a long time, so I guess I don't blister up as easily. As a bassist I've always paid attention to what the drummer is doing since I have to drive 'em, and I notice the little things that they do; like holding the drum sticks and foot placement on the pedals.

I figure if it hurts too much you must be doing something wrong, but when it comes to them bass strings... There's no getting around the fact you have to press down pretty hard to get a solid note without the fret buzz to get a clean sound. Repitition is going to hurt in that respect, and is to be expected. My hands will cramp up b4 my finger tips hurt from depretion on continuous 4 fret spans on lower sections of the neck though.

[Tarzanman]

I have had finger cramps on bass and they SUCK.

[Bakkster]

I play bass as well. Once I played a show after two weeks away. In the week leading up (with no calluses) I formed a blister on my middle finger (picking hand), then another blister underneath the first one. That was a brutal show...

[Nate Finch]

You know the game rocks when people are talking about how to avoid blisters from playing so much :D