I guess you have to be a guitar player to get it....

[michelew]

Sometimes you've just got to tell someone who'll actually get it.

This morning I showed Sue the inside of my index finger and said "look I have a new callous" in a woo hoo voice. She looked at me and said in a comical sarcastic voice "that's a good thing right?!?"

Well I guess you've just got to play the guitar to get that Yep it's a good thing.

I've been playing "Never Going Back Again" and the first crease of my index finger has been getting sore mostly due to the need to press the hinge-barre down hard to ensure all the notes ring out. Now, it doesn't hurt because I have a new callius. Woo hoo! and the callous is helping me to barre the notes. Cool! I worked hard for it so I'm wearing it like a badge of honour.


So - do any of you have any other stories of times when you've been excited about a guitar related thing that others didn't really get because they don't play.

Bring them here. We will.

M

[daryl]

Yep, I've got me a badge of honor that no one has seen. I've been able to get the bass line and melody line going together on this fantastic arrangement. I can't do the percussive thing (yet) but I'm still very proud of my accomplishment.....

[michelew]

WOW Daryl! That's incredible!

Well don't be all shy on us. We've (well hell I've ) GOT to see that when you're ready to show it.

Amazing! You should be proud, that's one hell of a fine badge of honour. Good for you!

Shel

[auntlynnie]

Ooooooh, Michelle,
I am jealous! I've never had a callous there.
Only a guitar player could feel left out by that!
Lynn

[sandysue]

Hi Michele

When I learned to surf we all used long boards and paddled out on our knees. After a while everyone would develop these bumps on the front of our knees from the pressure. They were called surf knots. It's kinda the same phenomena as finger calluses from the pressure of the strings on our finger tips. It was a big statis symbol in those days to actually develop surf knots.

Then the short board era came and everyone had to paddle out on their bellies. No need for those surf knots anymore. But luckily I still have my finger calluses from guitar playing. It's crazy to think of what can make you happy.

[Chasplaya]

ON the other side of the coin, when I break a nail, it's like the end of the World and none of my colleagues or friends (that don't play) understand.

[michelew]

Lynn, Haha! isnt it funny, "ooooh I've never had one of those". you too can join the club. You just have to get obsessed to the point of pain and then ignore it for a while.

I've seen you play, the fact you've never had one probably means you're playing hinge-barres efficiently and your body doesn't need to help. I've been wondering whether I could avoid the soreness by trying to change the placement of the hinge, a little up, a little down.



Sandy - that's funny. Surfing is paddling. That has stuck in my head from surf school. Knee bumps hey? Cool! Under different circumstances people might be rushing to the plastic surgeon to get the knee bumps/surf knots removed. it's all context.

And where would we be without those little lentils under our fingertips? When I haven't played for a little while and they thin out or disappear completely I REALLY miss them.


It's sure nice to be understood; really understood. B) Thanks gals!

[TGNesh]

Actually, like you Chas, this thread made me think of the exact opposite as well, breaking a nail. :ohmy:

Couple of days ago, I was in the middle of an intense CrossFit-workout, in a class, and the barbell jumped back at me, hitting my thumbnail. And since I needed to start recording a video lesson that same day, a fingerpicking song (it has literally happened before, breaking a nail, right before I started recording a fingerpicking-song, that's when I got my first acrylic nails. There was no way that I could do without nails.), so I yelled out 'SH#T'!!! :ohmy: :blink: The coach came running to me, thinking I had injured myself......well I felt prétty foolish saying that i had only damaged my thumbnail :S , so I explained, while looking at my hand asif I had lost a finger: 'I'm a guitarist, it's a personal loss kinda thing'....she kinda smiled (probably relieved that I wasn't injured), not particularly looking as if she got it. I added quickly 'It's my job too'.....I do think she got it a little at that point. Afterwards, i felt even more foolish, so the next day i felt the desire to explain it. She actually did get it....phew! :laugh: But yeah, when it happened it did feel like 'the end of the world', well at least the end of a 'planned recording day'...&%^$%#^$.....I was lucky though, it was just a little damaged and it was very long too, so trimmed it a bit and it was fine again.

Don't mean to hijack your thread Shel (well I'm sure you can handle a pirate ), but that was actually the story that popped in my head when reading your thread. Coincidentally Chas pointed out the same thing!

Ness



Chasplaya wrote:

ON the other side of the coin, when I break a nail, it's like the end of the World and none of my colleagues or friends (that don't play) understand.

[michelew]

Sorry Chas I didn't see your response until I read Nessa's post. They come in in a funny way sometimes. Perhaps we were writing at the same time.

The nail thing is an excellent example. Every time I break a nail (especially a thumbnail) I'm tempted to write about it on TG because no one else around me gets how much of a big deal it is. Actually my thumb nail has only just gotten back to a good length after I broke it doing handy-woman stuff. Ness I think I made the exact same #%£* (translation - oh my golly gosh how terrible) :p exclamation that you did.

Nessa, I feel your pain, but your comment made me smirk too. I can just imagine how silly you must have felt standing at the weights feeling like people were thinking you were just 'fussing' over a chipped nail.

Breaking a nail sucks! And you've really got to be a fingerpickin' guitar player to get WHY it can feel like "the end of the world" for a little while.

:huh: :woohoo: