mathhag Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 I am hoping it is normal to start to have some tenderness in your fingertips when you are playing more each day. My left index finger is the worst. It seems I am starting to form calluses. Is that typical or there something I should do differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 It is quite normal to feel tenderness when you start to use parts of your body in a different way. Finger tips will toughen up with constant use. Sounds like nothing to worry about, just practice more moderately for a while, not pushing yourself beyond the pain barrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Irishman Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Calluses are normal for fretted-string players, so I've never had a problem with concertinas! (I started playing the mandolin when I was about 6 years old, the banjo when I was 10, and only learnt the concertina later on.) Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWL Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 I don't play every day, but I do play often enough. My fingertips still get a little tender if I've been playing for an hour or two. Not unbearably tender, but I do notice them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathhag Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 Yeah this is not a big thing just slight discomfort after about an hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Oban Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I recently picked up the guitar again after a long absence, and I've found that the inevitable development of hard skin on the finger tips costs me some sensitivty when playing the concertina. Can others play strings and buttons interchangably? I'm wondering if I have to choose. (OK - I'd choose concertina.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAc Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Mike in Oban said: I recently picked up the guitar again after a long absence, and I've found that the inevitable development of hard skin on the finger tips costs me some sensitivty when playing the concertina. Can others play strings and buttons interchangably? I'm wondering if I have to choose. (OK - I'd choose concertina.) I play both. Don't worry about the callous on the fingertips, it's not going to affect your concertina playing. The only incompatibility I found is that you do not want to play a concertina with guitarist's picking hand finger nails (a costly french polishing job will be the price). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikefule Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 It may be that as a new player you are pressing the buttons too hard. Remember that you only need to push a button hard enough to lift the valve. Loudness comes from how hard you push or pull the bellows. Practise tapping the button: tap and release, at least for the shorter notes. I started from never having played ad practised for sometimes an hour a day and I have never had tenderness or callouses on my finger tips. The more relaxed you are, and the lighter your touch, the better your playing will be. You can add loudness later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonnyB Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 I use Gorilla Tip's from Amazon if I have tender fingers but not all the time. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nedly Posted April 29, 2019 Share Posted April 29, 2019 Hi Guys Ive been playing now for a grand total of 2 weeks working through easy anglo 123 and above touched a nerve in my practise tonight that i am pushing the belllows closed with my right hand fingertips. is this correct technique, the left hand is stationary on my knee? from what is said above it must not be as i wouldnt develop a light touch continuing this way. what is correct technique for bellows operation to get a light touch. im loving the journey so far, learning little gems like the three g chords on the bottom row of the left hand in different “pitches” tonigt. not sureof the correct terms but im sure you get the jist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Irishman Posted April 30, 2019 Share Posted April 30, 2019 On 4/29/2019 at 1:43 PM, Nedly said: i am pushing the belllows closed with my right hand fingertips. is this correct technique, the left hand is stationary on my knee? from what is said above it must not be as i wouldnt develop a light touch continuing this way. what is correct technique for bellows operation to get a light touch. Hi, Nedly, As you suspect, the fingertips are not for closing the bellows, only for pressing the buttons. To get control of the bellows, adjust the hand-straps such that, when you insert your hands in them and then arch the knuckles, the heel of the hand is pressing on the face of the concertina, and the back of the hand (close to the knuckles) is pressing against the strap. The fingers and thumb should then be able to move independently, and any movement of the hands should be translated directly into bellows movement. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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