Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Partial pointer

#1

Hey everyone. I’m new here. Been trying to learn banjo for a few years and really enjoying the curriculum so far. I’ve got a small issue but it’s pretty specific and there may not be any advice but wanted to throw it out there. About 25 years ago I ran the tip of my pointer finger through a table saw and I’m missing part of the bone. I cut it at an angle and I’m finding it a bit tough to press the strings with it. Actually was playing guitar last night and think it’s more noticeable for guitar than it is on banjo or I’ve played banjo allot more so maybe I’m just more used to it and found positions that help more. Idk. Anyway I want to learn both guitar and banjo and just wondering if anyone knows some good work arounds.

Thank you

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#2

Hi @sawyerfischer Sawyer welcome to @BanjoBen 's Forum. Sorry to say I can’t help you with this one but maybe someone else on the forum has some practical advice.

#3

I’m assuming your injury is on your fretting hand and not your picking hand? You can get a lot of mileage on banjo with barr chord shapes. Many songs like Black Berry Blossom have a version that can be played almost entirely with Barr chords. This might give you options that avoid using the pointer finger. You could also work on fretting notes with the middle finger for some licks or melody notes. As a guitar player, I’m sure you know the story of Tony Iomi (lead guitarist for Black Sabbath) he lost a finger tip and played with a prosthetic finger tip attached. Sorry this accident happened to you. I have heard of many similar stories of accidents with table saws and bandsaws. I hope you can find a way to overcome any problems it causes you. :pray:t2:

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#4

I was going to bring that up. I think he started with something like a metal sewing thimble. It looks like he went to a rubber piece in later pictures. I am guessing they may be custom prosthetics, but I don’t know. I did a factory job as a teen stuffing wires into channels of appliances that wore into my fingers very quickly and very badly. I ended up wrapping my affected fingertips with athletic tape and I put a dime in there. That was crude, but it worked. You could look at a medical prosthetic, but that is probably very pricey and would take a while. I think I would try something like a rubber thimble first, but I suspect it might benefit from something like a small fitted piece of thin plastic, metal or fiberglass between the tip and the thimble.

All that said, most people when learning have problems getting the angles and pressures to cleanly fret in a bunch of positions. For that finger there are obviously unique challenges, but I suspect you will find things that work over time as you continue building muscle memory and strength.

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