Hello I am new to this forum, I am quite pleased to join you. I started learning to play the Sitar earlier this year. .quite to the discomfort of my fingers. .can I use a bandaid to prevent the pain?
Kris,
A bandaid? Might affect your sound. I would suggest this for your left fingers.
Let them heal . . . . . then start playing EVERY day like say . . .1 5 minutes the first, 20 the second, and so on. Play until your finger is getting a little sore but stop playing before any cut forms. Gradually over 2 months you will have some nice callouses without the cuts and there won't really be any pain either while they're developing.
For the mizrab finger, you just have to keep wearing it as often as possible. If you develop a blister there then do not punture it, just let it stay and heal while you are still using the mizrab. It is painful but you will have a good callous eventually. Usually the blisters from wearing the mizrab form a little deeper in the skin and don't pop as easily.
Welcome to the group. .!!
When I was starting out I would play my tail off for day #1, then on day#2- I was obviously sore and would use 1-2 cloth/flexible fabric band-aids (clean the string, do not use oil- or else no glide occurs with cloth bandaid) to practice the next day-it allowed a full 48 to heal which I found was perfect amount of time. This way I could practice every day. Like in body building you break down the muscle- but the rest time is as important, for it is when the muscle heals/grows.
Hello I am new to this forum, I am quite pleased to join you. I started learning to play the Sitar earlier this year. .quite to the discomfort of my fingers. .can I use a bandaid to prevent the pain?[/quote]
Using bandaids on the ends of your fingers would mute the sound, and playing would be tough to do as well. But I wouldn't try to play with open cuts on my fingers either!
Well, painfull fingers is like an initiation ritual. Comes with the territory. Good thing is it doesn't last very long. Body building example is good, so is trying to loose weight (my eternal quest) or trying to quit smoking (I finally did it). Its hard to get into the practice, but once you get it going, things begin to work out for you.
An old guitarist trick to toughen the fingers is to daily soak the tips in alum salts. Works especially well after you finish playing. Helps to heal and toughen the fingertips by drying out the skin. But don't do this if you already have open wounds! Wait awhile . . . .
One technique that professionals seems to use is to create two callous lines on the main playing finger and alternate between the two. Folks are correct that the pain cannot be avoided. Note that proper sitar technique requires atleast two fingers. So if one is cut/bruised, manage with the other to improve your dexterity - or focus on the strumming techniques during the recovery period. I saw Partha Bose use some sort of bandage around his finger. I forgot to ask him about it. Will try and find out.
One technique that professionals seems to use is to create two callous lines on the main playing finger and alternate between the two. Folks are correct that the pain cannot be avoided. Note that proper sitar technique requires atleast two fingers. So if one is cut/bruised, manage with the other to improve your dexterity - or focus on the strumming techniques during the recovery period. I saw Partha Bose use some sort of bandage around his finger. I forgot to ask him about it. Will try and find out.
I've been playing sitar for 11 yrs now, and have found that the days where I've spent hours playing that the fingers hurt a little, have even cut one deep on a fast run.I was able to only use one finger. but found that it improved my ability(not that it was great before) it also gave me more desire to play better. So play on ,and remember no pain, no gain . . . . Peace
