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Thread: Hand injuries,who has had them?

  1. #1
    frquent flyer Guest

    Default Hand injuries,who has had them?

    Be honest folks.As a person new to hand drumming I am curious to know about hand injuries;how they occur and how to avoid them.I have already been to cuts on fingers ;now I 'm getting sore fingers. Is it best to limit your playing to say one hour a day.Maybe the answer is obvious;but I'd like to hear from those who been through injuries,and better still,those folks that have avoided injuries all together.

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    That's funny, because my instructor was telling me about this just last night. He claims to not be a "percussionist," though he really is. But he says he doesn't play the hand drums enough to honestly call himself that. Anyhoo, one of the reasons he doesn't play them as much is because of the pain in the fingertips, etc. like you mentioned. It just takes a lot of time and practice to develop both callouses and better technique.

    I had a similar situation with my right shoulder last year. I had a really hard time playing the ride cymbal because my shoulder would just kill me. Since then, however, my technique has improved where I'm not using my whole arm to play the ride and I have also adjusted where on the cymbal I am playing and it has completely gone away.
    Robert

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  3. #3
    frquent flyer Guest

    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    Interesting and good advice;keep it coming.

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    If your hands don't hurt before your playing I'm usually fine. Because I can take the pain if it's new, it just feels like a burn. Love it.

    Butttt, I bruised all my fingers, OXYCODONE!
    Mapex Meridian Maple Standard.
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  5. #5

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    Cool Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    Leedy2, you bring up an excellent point. You should be able to play very softly and hear the note clearly. If you can't, you need to tweak your tuning up or down until you can! If you have to bang the out of your drums and hurt your hands to get a good sound out of them, that's not playin'--that's whackin'!

    Also, make sure that your fingertips--and not the joints--are what's touching the skins when you're doin' a martillo. If you hit the joints, you could bruise them or break them...

    As for calluses, to me they're a mark of honor. I can always tell a hand drummer when I shake hands with him or her! Just as a farmer has rough hands from workin' farm equipment or a bricklayer has rough hands from working with masonry, the more you play and love playin' your hand drums, the more calluses you get. If you don't like them, use a good hand lotion.

    keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!

    Charlie

    "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854

    "There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi

    "Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck

  6. #6
    frquent flyer Guest

    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    yes to calluses,no to breaks and sprains.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    I had pain in my fingers for my first two weeks, but since then nothing. I think it really is about technique. I really don't callous easily I've been playing the Bass for 11 months and I still haven't developed any callouses maybe my skin is just weird.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    I have played in bands for the last 15 or so years on both percussion (congas/timbale setup) and drum set. For me, the calluses and blisters are unavoidable. I also bowl 3 nights a week which tears up my right hand. Once I do something for long enough, the injuries go away. I played a 4 hour gig New Year's Eve on hand drums after not really seriously playing them for 6 or 7 months and was in a good amount of pain. I then had an 8 game bowling tournament the next day and regretted it big time. When I played hand drums primarily in a band I could do 3 shows a week without any side effects. As long as I ease into it, I don't have issues.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    Quote Originally Posted by leedy2 View Post
    ShaneRoney
    when you are playing hand drum and you get pain is because you are hitting edges of the drum, bad technique.By ignoring pain in later years you will suffer from arthritis and other hand problem . the technique is the must important part of playing hand drum.
    In my case I think my technique is fine. The tenderness next day (all over my hands, not in any specific area) comes from repeated impact over the course of hours of playing. If I sit down and practice for 45 minutes or an hour I am fine.

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    Quote Originally Posted by leedy2 View Post
    Shane
    There two thing that can hurt you hands 1) your way of playing 2)the skin to thick and you are banging to hard these are the two things that causes pain.A lot of times younger players put thick skins on a drum thinking its going to sound better . the truth is that the wrong skin on a drum can hurt your hands. Here Is an out line of what skins should be.
    For fiberglass drums best skin water buffalo
    For wooden drum the best is cow hide
    mule skins are good but are very hard and dry skins there for you tend to have to hit harder
    For a bongo goat skins are the best by putting skins such as mule,cow hides they are very thick for the drum and causes to crack the drum from pressure of tuning.
    For drums and timbales the best heads are american processed calfskins Pakistan heads which are mostly available become brittle and crack with heat and pressure from playing.
    If you use the correct head on you drum it sounds better and it will not hurt you hands.
    I have oak congas with Remo synthetic heads, which are fairly thin. I don't really have any pain, it's just tenderness from playing for too long at one time. This would happen with any athletic activity (golf, softball, basketball, etc.) Even if you do something correctly, over-exertion will lead to a bit of soreness.

  11. #11
    frquent flyer Guest

    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    I'm finding that I can go for days without any finger cuts;then I get a few;use some decent hand lotion before going to bed and the cuts heal up by morning. I guess what I worry about most is getting permanent damage to fingers and hands.Since I am primarily a stringed instrument player,my hands staying healthy is extremely important.

  12. #12

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    Default Re: Hand injuries,who has had them?

    My nuckle joints hurt the first few weeks of banging when I first started playing. Couldn't put my ring on the next morning. Figured out I was hitting the rim to much on the slaps. Learned the proper slap technique and has been way better. I still feel a little bit of soreness from time to time but I usually play for an hour everday after work.

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