Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Still Not Practicing...Again

As a homeowner living the dream, there’s not a weekend that goes by without me losing blood from some cut I got while doing some stupid homeowner chore.
Earlier this week I dropped a large framed picture I was trying to hang & the glass in the frame shattered.
Three days latter I felt a toast crumb or a piece of dirt at my computer desk, so I picked it up to throw it away. Big Mistake!
Turns out it was a very small piece of glass, and it sliced my thumb right where the pick goes. Naturally, it bled profusely, hurt like the dickens and required numerous band aids before the bleeding finally stopped. (I take a blood thinner, which makes every leak a bleeder.)
My Blue Chip will not fit over the bandage, my National plastic fits, but hurts too much and the same for my Golden Gate. Using no picks doesn’t work since the bandage clings to every string.
So I’m stuck fingering chords with no sound. Blech!
All should be well in a couple days. What scares me is it’s just in time for next weekend and my next blood letting!

I swear I am going to get a T-shirt that says “Stoopid R Us!”

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You’ll just have to learn to play left handed :slightly_smiling_face:

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There is always left hand techniques to practice while you heal up. Pull offs, slides, chord walking, etc. Also, keep practicing that troublesome F chord. Yep, you might find out that not using your pickin’ hand has made you a better picker. If you have an accident with your left hand I’d suggest watching Mr. G’s scale theory videos, reviewing the circle of fifths, or watch some videos on working safely around the house.

What ever you do, stay away from power tools for awhile. These sorts of things can work out okay. “Honey, will you bring me a bowl of ice cream and throw another couple logs in the wood burning stove? I think I’m getting a little chilly and it makes my thumb hurt.”

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I recommend using this time to work on your Van Halen style tapping riffs…

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You are referring to Earl Van Halen, right? :wink:

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If that works, I may never play the banjo again!:grin: