Flat vs Round Topped Buttons and Finger Tenderness

[RWL]

In a couple of recent threads, flat vs round topped buttons were mentioned and it prompted me to ask the question - am I the only one whose finger tips get tender from playing my concertina?  My main instrument is a 56 key tenor treble Edeophone whose buttons are rounded and relatively small.  Admittedly it's possible I'm hammering my buttons, but I wondered if tenderness was common to small round topped buttons.

[lukmanohnz]

I played a Minstrel for several months before upgrading to a Clover. The Minstrel’s buttons are fairly small diameter and my finger tips got slightly tender during long practice sessions at the Noel Hill school earlier this month. I picked up my Clover shortly after returning from the week at Tilimuk. The Clover’s buttons are metal sleeved and somewhat larger diameter. They are noticeably more comfortable than the Minstrel’s. I’m also trying to pay attention to my playing technique and use no more force than necessary to depress the buttons.

[mdarnton]

Mine hurt for the first few weeks when I started playing, then at some point I didn't notice that this had stopped. I'm not sure if I started playing lighter, or whether I had killed the nerves in my fingertips, but this never happened again, even when I have returned after not having played for a few years. In fact, when I started playing again a few months ago, a lot of the pains I thought I'd have--fingertips, my strapped thumbs, etc, never happened. Some of it might be because along the way as I got more familiar with it, I learned to relax?

Edited August 18, 2018 by mdarnton