 [741]Re:Re:Re:Nyack (272 reads) |
2001-03-06 13:40:33 |
-- Here is another question....I have been playing Stevens for years and just switched to Burton for this piece about 3 weeks ago. Obviously I have had to hit this piece pretty hard in the past few weeks and my hands are just not used to Burton. I now have .....well...I want to say bone bruises on the inside of my index finger. They are really swelled and it hurts to touch them let alone play on them. No blisters....just a bruise. Well...I have to play the next few days and I have to play alot.....I have tried Moleskin but that just makes the shaft too thick. I know this is because I jumped into Burton all at once and hit the ground running, but is grinning and bearing it my only option? -- Jennifer - this is quite common when getting acquainted with the Burton grip, especially if you have to play something loud this soon after starting up with the grip. Instead of wrapping the moleskin around the mallet shaft, put some padding directly on your index finger. Back when I first started playing jazz on marimba (and before I was able to amplify my instrument), I was killing my index finger, because I was using birch handles with the Burton grip, and the stiffness of the birch only exacerbated the problem. Try this for a short-term solution, since your gig is coming up so soon: - wrap some surgical tape (the stuff you can get at any grocery store, right where the band aids are sold) around your index finger, right where the bruise is (not too tight, but snug enough to stay in place); - put a piece of moleskin (a double layer, if you're using the thin stuff) on top of the surgical tape, right where the mallet will be coming into contact with your index finger; - wrap another layer of the surgical tape over the moleskin (wrap all the way around, so that it stays in place on your finger - again, not too tight, you don't want to cut off the circulation. You may have to trim down the width of the tape, so that this all doesn't get in your way when manipulating the grip. And if you get the chance, do a little bit of playing with your finger wrapped this way, so it's not unfamiliar to you at the recital. Eventually, you'l build up a callus on this spot, just like you do on your middle finger with Leigh's grip. However, a little bit of wrapping like this should help get you thru the recital. -- Oh and James....the vibes player is also a girl, and thanks for the help! -- Ya know...EVERY TIME I wrote "he" or "him" when referring to the vibes player in this thread, I wondered about that... ;-) Good luck on the recital - let us know how it works out! JW http://www.malletjazz.com Remote Host: |
 [735]Nyack <Jennifer> |
2001-03-05 15:39:10 |
 [736]Re:Nyack <James Walker> |
2001-03-06 01:00:26 |
 [737]Re:Re:Nyack <Scott (R)> |
2001-03-06 03:02:41 |
| [738]Re:Re:Nyack <James Walker> |
2001-03-06 05:01:07 |
| [740]Re:Re:Nyack <Jennifer> |
2001-03-06 12:59:53 |
| [741]Re:Re:Re:Nyack <James Walker> |
2001-03-06 13:40:33 |