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Guitar

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F

Fandange

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Hi Guys,

this might seem like a strange question but here goes........ Is there any reason that taking blood tests from your fingers would stop you from learning to play the guitar? My 10 year old son is keen, and my only hesitation is if he was to get callouses on his fingers...... any advice?

Thanks
 
I don't think it should stop him. He may not get callouses!

Out of slight relevance, did you all know that the alternate site testing attachment (for one finger pricker, can't remember which) was invented by a piano player with type 1, who had tested so often he lost feeling in the ends of his fingers - so invented it to have somewhere else to test 🙂
 
Bede had a nose bleed last week and his brother did a test from there!
 
I play guitar (not particularly well though!) I tend to use my little finger on my right hand for testing as this is the finger least involved in playing (although I am left handed I play right-handed). I think that using my left hand might result in my fingers being too sore when forming the chords etc.
 
Fandange said:
Bede had a nose bleed last week and his brother did a test from there!
Click to expand...

When I was little, if I fell over and cut my knee/elbow etc and was bleeding, one parent would help me with the injury - the other would go running for the test kit..."QUICK! GRAB THE KIT, SHE'S BLEEDING!"
 
Humour and creativity in diabetes management. I love it!!!:D
 
Fandange said:
Hi Guys,

this might seem like a strange question but here goes........ Is there any reason that taking blood tests from your fingers would stop you from learning to play the guitar? My 10 year old son is keen, and my only hesitation is if he was to get callouses on his fingers...... any advice?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi My daughters dad has played the guitar for many years and his fingers are terrible. He's just's had a blood test for Diabetes, so here's hoping he hasn't got it. Sheena
 
from the wife of a jazz bass player and mum of 2 musicians they assure me that the callouses will disappear when the fingers get used too it x
 
Thanks, everyone, for your advice. Now I'd better get up into the loft and dust off the bass...... 😉
 
Fandange said:
Thanks, everyone, for your advice. Now I'd better get up into the loft and dust off the bass...... 😉
Click to expand...

go for it !!!! :D they also suggested surgical spirit on the finger tips apparently toughens them up !
ps the first song my hubby taught my son and daughter was 'smoke on the water !!!'
 
Whoopee! Another player in our midst 🙂

Some sort of mass jam in order surely?
 
Use a plectrum?
 
its the fingers you use to press down the strings that can get sore aswell...
 
Just a suggestion as the nearest I get to playing anything is on the computer, would a good moisturiser help after testing or before playing? It helps to keep the skin soft and supple.
 
I started dabbling with a guitar last year and it is indeed the fret fingers that kill, even after 5 or 10 mins to begin with.
Guitar players need hard fingers so, whilst the hand cream may keep the skin healthy, you don't want them to be soft.

If you want to wind your DSN up, try playing the guitar in a sauna!
 
Yup, you need to build up those pads on the ends of your fretting-hand fingers, especially for an 'egg-slicer' cheapy acoustic.

As a leftie who plays right handed I test on my (softer) non-fretting hand, but even if I didn't it doesn't feel as if the guitar based callouses would overlap with BG bodging area since one is tips the other sides of the finger. Barre chords maybe, but even then I'm not sure.

Oooh I'm just in the mood for a little noodling now. Shame I should be working really.
 
Hi,
I am a violinist, pianist and guitarist and always use my right hand for testing, usually the little finger as it seems to be the easiest for me. I wouldn't use the left hand fingers, and certainly not the pad ... one point, the strings are not what you might call clean and I think there could be an infection issue if you play on a dirty string where the test has been done .
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
...As a leftie who plays right handed I test on my (softer) non-fretting hand, but even if I didn't it doesn't feel as if the guitar based callouses would overlap with BG bodging area since one is tips the other sides of the finger. Barre chords maybe, but even then I'm not sure....
Click to expand...

Any particular reason you play right handed Mike? I couldn't afford the extra ?5 the left handed ones cost when I took it up as a 14yo!

Just wondering if a Spanish guitar with nylon strings might be less of a 'pain' to start off with.
 
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