Callus quickie

[CongaTick]

I know callusses have been talked about, but have one specific question: I have a callus on the outside edge of both thumbs at the joint, though the one on the right hand is larger. I'm sure it's from my hand positioning for slaps. I don't use a lot of force, and I produce pretty conisistent slaps. I do practice them daily. The callus on my right thumb is almost a pea-sized lump. Both my drums have comfort rims. To give you an idea of the callus positioning-- if I hold my right hand fingers together, very slightly cupped, the callus is directly in a lateral line with the base joints where the remaining fingers join the palm. Anybody else?

[jmdriscoll]

you know.. I've recently developed the same thing on my right hand thumb, outside of joint. A pea sized callus. Does it hurt like you bruised your bone, or is it just a callus build up? Mine just formed recently and actually hurts to the bone.."I may have bruised the joint". I know exactly how this happened for me anyway. I just started playing a few songo variations, and one of the variations has a right hand bass hit for every other measure. I try to be consious of keeping my thumbs in, and I think thats how it happened. My hand is slightly cupped with my thumbs in on my slaps and only the tip of the thumb hits. But now, every time that I do a right handed bass, i can really feel it.

I have a traditional rim on my quinto, and have bruised my pointer finger joint before doing slaps. The weird thing is that I use my left hand for my bass. toe hits the other 95% of the time, and have not experienced this. The way that I figure is that there is something about how I am hitting the drum that needs to be changed, and the drum is trying to tell me this in a direct way. I don't think that a callus is a bad thing, as they can add a nice sound to your tones and slaps. I have little small ones on the tips and joints of most of my fingers, and think that it has helped my slap. Don't really know what to make of my recent addition on my thumb though.

Mike



Edited By jmdriscoll on 1182945086

[CongaTick]

jm,

The pain is more an ache, yeah, I guess a slight bruise. Can't figure hand/thumb positionin that would avoid thumb joint from striking part of the rim, especially on the strokes that need some force to execute properly. My finger callusses are substantial and have been there for years without a problem, but the thumb joint callus is annoying. Anybody else? Positioning advice?

[ozrivera]

Saludos Hermanos

those callus on the thumbs are the trademark of a conguero as far i know most congueros have them.
ive had mine for years about the size of a pea, they dont get any bigger or smaller. but there not suppose to hurt. i play on and have always played on traditional rims and that has never been a problem.
if you paly with your thumb tucked with in tight with the rest of your fingers youre going to have that callus. if you dont have one, then that means you probrably play like Jerry Gonzales with the thumb sticking out, up in the air. that technic works for jerry but, i was tought to play with the fingers together. makes a difference.

god bless

oz

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... y_thmb.jpg

[ozrivera]

thats jerry on the pic above, notice his thumbs

[Grateful1]

very intresting. I am in the habit of playing with my thumb out. I have been trying to force myself to keep it tucked in and I have been comparing the techniques and sounds. Learning every day.

Mathew

[windhorse]

Most of what I've learned has come from two different friends. One who plays like Jerry with thumbs stuck Way up, though he's changed his technique a bit, because in order to get his thumb so far out he had to turn his hand sideways a bit. This of course isn't the best way to get tones.
He still does that for slaps, and though he's a better overall drummer than I, his slaps aren't as clean as mine.. (shh.. I hope isn't reading this..) ???
The other guy tucks his thumb really tightly - tip pointed inwards to the index finger.

I played with my thumb pointed up for about a year - for protection. When I would play hard, the thumb would occasionally whack against the rim, and OUCH! I don't like pain one bit.. :p
Problem is that my hand isn't flexible enough to hold the thumb up well enough to avoid the occasional thwhack. It comes down even harder when that happens because the thumb travels a further distance. So, it's even worse!

Then, after some lessons with the other guy, I tried tucking in the thumb.. after a few months of practice, I found a relaxed inbetween state where it isn't poking out, and I'm not applying energy all the time to poke it in either.

Maybe this is the Tao of Thumb.. :;):

[CongaTick]

Careful, disciplined hand positioning on the rim for the slap strike may be my answer, if I can train myself so that thumb joint is BETWEEN rim and bearing edge, rather than on either or, I may be able to avoid the callus zone. However, when speed increases I know that positioning will be hard to maintain. In the end I think I'll have to suck it up and play on. It'll just be thumbthing I have to get used to.

[yoni]

I get the same thing, also bigger on my right thumb.
Also get them under the middle joints of my index fingers.
Have trimmed those down at times with nail clippers, and that has actually helped for "getting them out of the way" a bit.

May have to try the same now for the one on my right thumb - it's big, as I've been playing a lot lately, and gets in the way some making it hurt more.

Try trimming them down a bit, carefully, with nail clippers and see if that helps.

All the best,

Yoni

[Grateful1]

yea I have had one going on my right ring finger for a few weeks. It is like the joint is bruised and swollen. I am hoping eventually, it will make my hands tougher so they can play for hours. I just bought some medi tape today so I am beginning to tape that spot when playing. I may end up taping other sore spots accordingly. What is your opinions of taping fingers?

[Thomas]

What is your opinions of taping fingers?

I recommend a corn plaster and then taping. It takes the pressure from the callus, otherwise you get the opposite effect.
All the best, Tom!

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... F47748.jpg

[CongaTick]

Thanks Thomas and Grateful. I have taken to taping that one thumb joint fairly heavily to act as a cushion, and that seems to work for now. Yony, when the callus gets hard enough to cut, the clippers will come out :;):