News or the same old same old

Sorry to hear about the finger cnev. Sounds like a not pleasant thing to happen to a guitarist :(

Really hope things pick up from here for you.

Sorry to hear about this. I hope it turns out as good as it can, and hopefully the 3-month's breaj will turn up something positive for you. Best of luck, dude!

Thanks guys I'm so not looking forward to this, just because it's going to be such a pain with the rehab and everything.

I'm hoping I can get at least 75 % of my range of motion with the pinky that should be enough to let me make barre chords and be able to get my pinky on the fretboard. Anything more would be a bonus but It hink i can live with 75%.

Al definitely not a good injury for a guitarist.

Ok short update:

Two weeks since surgery and one week since therapy started. Finger still swollen and has little motion. I did have a slight increase in motion and it seems I am able to bend my pink just enough now to make a chord shape. Still sore though so I can't really try playing much. I do slowly go through the motions to try and stretch the hand. Can't push it to hard though since the bone isn't healed yet and there are the screws I don't want to mess up.

I feel bad I am holding the "band" back right now but I have talked to everyone and they are basically waiting on me to recover so I'm going to try my best to get this done. I don't think I'll ever get my full motion back but I pretty sure I'll be able to play again.

Sounds good! Keep up the good work in therapy. You will play just fine. :D

Bummer about the finger Chris. :(

Hope it sorts out soon. We went to the local Folk and Blues club recently and one of the performers had lost the end of one finger in an industrial accident. It had stuffed him up for a year, and he had to change a few things to cope. But he was still awesomely good, one of the best I've heard. You really wouldn't know. And Django did OK with two fingers too. Hang in there, I'm sure you'll be back to your best again soon.

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks Chris, but I think things aren't going as well as I hoped. The finger is still swollen and really can't bend it much. It's only been 3 weeks since the surgery but from the way the doctor is talking I think he is a bit concerned about my range of motion.

After having been in a splint for the past few weeks he now wants me to have another one made called a turnbuckle splint which is like putting my finger in a rack.

What they will do is superglue a wire on the nail of my pinky which will go through a pulley on the splint with a little rachet so I can crank the pulley and help bend the finger. I'm not really looking forward to that because it's really going to make that hand unusable for awhile.

All I want to do is play again!

Well you know you've got all my sympathy and all my best wishes, Chris - I remember how you always wished me well when I had a few nasty injuries. Here's hoping Karma really does work; if so, there's a LOT of good karma coming your way. Chin up, mate, it WILL get better - hopefully, sooner rather than later.

All the very best,

:D :D :D

Vic

Well Vic you were the first one I thought of when this happened. I can't tell you how frustrating this is not to be able to play or possibly losing the use of my pinky.

I have played the last few days for the first time but only a few songs that don't require my pinky. I'm really hoping I can get back some motion I really dont' want to have to relearn how to play with only 3 fingers and a thumb.

I have a bunch of songs to work on but I can't at the moment.

Time will tell I guess.

Man, this sucks for sure. I know it must be tearing you up inside. I wish there was something in the interim that you could do without the pinky. Some other skill, technique, etc. maybe alter tuning and play a bit of lap slide or something. anything to make the coming month or so bearable. :cry: :cry:

Stay tough, dude! Find something! 8)

Well Vic you were the first one I thought of when this happened. I can't tell you how frustrating this is not to be able to play or possibly losing the use of my pinky.

Well, after the severed tendon in the back of my left hand I honestly thought my guitar days were over....it took over a month before I could even move my droopy index finger! Then about another month before I started getting any kind of control over it....about three months altogether before I could change between chords with any measure of accuracy. After that I could virtually measure progress on a daily basis.

My little finger was a different story - at one time I broke it six times in seven years! The last time was the worst...it ended up permanently bent and disfigured. Still can't do a 5-fret stretch, like for instance G5 - G6 - G7 powerchords in a blues shuffle - but I found a fix for that. Instead of 35xxxx - 37xxxx - 38xxxx, I play 35xxxx - 37xxxx - 353xxx.

I know you like to play solos and fills - I've found over the last few years (bearing in mind I play mainly rhythm guitar) that when I am soloing, my little finger doesn't do an awful lot of work. Not totally dispensable, but 90% of what I play in solos, I do without my little finger....and I couldn't bend a string with my pinky if my life depended on it!

There are going to be times when you're so frustrated at the lack of perceived progress, you really will feel like hurling the guitar through the nearest window and bellowing with rage as you're doing it - but hang it there, as long as you keep at it, it will get better. If a wimp like me can do it, I'm ready to bet real money that you can, Chris!

Again, all the best, mate!

:D :D :D

Vic

Thanks Vic appreciate the thoughts from everyone, frustrating is an understatement. On top of not playing the guitar I can't do much else either which was difficult when we didn't have power for a few days a couple weeks ago.

If it were to stay how it is now without any improvement I could play but I'd have to find ways to move my hand quicker to get my pinky in position cuz it doesn't move much onit's own.

The only good news if you can call it that is it now has a slight curvature downward which actually allows me to use it to make barre chords so all is not totally lost with it.

I guess it's just a matter of putting in the time nothing else I can do.

Ok a new update:

Finger is progressing and I am back playing again albeit with slightly slower response but that should/ get better with time.

Now back to the band, I had sent an email to everyone about getting together so we could keep the momentum moving even if I couldn't play and everyone was OK with it except the other guitar player, his response was let your finger heal properly, which when I read between the lines was, I'm not really in the mood to play.

That was a couple weeks ago. I sent him another one yesterday telling him I am able to play and want to get a practice together ASAP . Everyone else is dying to play again but this time no response. I even sent him a text to tell him to check his email, so far still nothing. I am getting a serious suspicion he really doesn't want to continue with us (he already has a band of his own) but doesn't want to tell us he's out. I guess we'll see about that. The guy is a fantastic player but if he never wants to get together with us to practice I don't care how good he is it ain't gonna happen. I much rather have someone with less talent but more willing to practice etc. This is why I prefer playing with friends there isn't that bond there is with a close friend. Sure that doesn't mean that it can't be but it's just harder.

In the meantime I answered a Craigslist ad for a lead guitarist and keyborad player looking for a rhythm section. I sent him some of our songs and see what they say. These guys are only a few miles away too so that's good.

So the saga continues..............

Glad to hear about the finger getting better. That's really good news. :D 8)

Sorry to hear about the ongoing band drama. I guess it's like you say, same 'ol, same 'ol.

Friends! Thats why Wicked Fester is tight. We are still waiting for Tommy and he is dead! :shock: Chris, I've said it a million times but if I was closer ....... and you could count on me. Hey! My daughters boyfriend is connected with a club in Buffalo. He heard us play over Thanksgiving and asked if we could play there next time we visit. (Have to get our act ironed out!) Wouldn't that be cool! We have lots of backing tracks. We started practicing with them. Got about one set that is ready to go.