Blisters On Fingers From Drumming...?

HUdrummer

Senior Member
IDK if this is normal or not but I'm getting blisters all over my hands from my drumsticks. My skin is all peeling off, and it burns like crazy. Is it something I'm doing wrong like the way I hold my sticks, or how hard hard I'm hitting the drums, or what. And how would I prevent this from happpening?
 
It's likely the way your holding your drumstick. Take a look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfKj8FGvYAM

Don't hold your stick's to tight. Relax your hands as best as you can and see if that helps you any. You might also try grip tape. It's mostly made for extra grip but it does help with blisters to.
 
Jojo Mayer explains in his dvd that you get blisters and calluses from bad technique, I've found that hard hitting, especially with a tight grip causes blisters and can damage your hands/wrists.
I've had blisters all my drumming life until I entered Music Institute last week, and surprisingly, by changing my grip and depending on the 3 gears Jojo talks about for volume instead of brute force the blisters have started to disappear.

Good luck.
 
It can come from hitting too hard.

Many hard hitting drummers wear gloves to prevent blisters.

It can also come from gripping the sticks too hard

Another issue is if your hands sweat a lot, you might feel the sticks slipping out, and you might be tightening your grip to compensate. Different drummers find numerous ways to deal with this, either gloves, grip tape, or taking some sand paper to the sticks to rough them up. Having a fan and/or towel to dry your hands also works for some people.
 
Thanks guys. Does anybody know what kind of gloves you would get and where you might get them.
 
Jojo Mayer explains in his dvd that you get blisters and calluses from bad technique, I've found that hard hitting, especially with a tight grip causes blisters and can damage your hands/wrists.
I've had blisters all my drumming life until I entered Music Institute last week, and surprisingly, by changing my grip and depending on the 3 gears Jojo talks about for volume instead of brute force the blisters have started to disappear.

Good luck.

If you play trad you will get at least one callus on the finger you rest your stick on.
 
"I got blista's on ma finga's!"

Anyway, take the other guys' advice.
Drum gloves are all over the place, call your local music store.
 
Thanks guys. Does anybody know what kind of gloves you would get and where you might get them.

Some glove options are..
black leather racing gloves - M/C dealers
Golf gloves - sports store
Baseball gloves - sports store
Zildjian gloves - music store
Ahead gloves - music stores

there is also other options, like Tape, stick wax & other things..
at your music store or On-line at the big guys :)
 
Thanks guys. Does anybody know what kind of gloves you would get and where you might get them.

I've known a couple of guys who wore gloves over the years. They all tell me that a run of the mill, golf glove provides the best value.

Personally, I can live with a small blister or callus....but in this case, the injuries to your hands seems excessive. I'd suggest working on your grip mate.
 
I've had blister issues on and off over the years. I have 12 different spots on my right hand alone where I've had blisters. The best solution for me was to play with gloves. Whenever I use gloves, I wrap the sticks with grip tape.

I'm a hard hitter and my hands sweat a lot when I play, which leads me to grip the sticks very hard. I've been making an effort to to relax my hands more while playing, which has helped a lot. I dont use gloves nearly as much anymore, although I do try to practice in them.
 
i found some griptape on MF for only like $8 so ill prpbly buy that instead of gloves
 
Go to your local sporting goods store and buy an overgrip for tennis rackets. I use it on my rackets and sticks. Tournagrip is nice.
 
... like you would hold a lil' birdie in your hands. Strong enough to not let it fly away and soft enough not to hurt it.

...
 
I'd like to point out that people are giving the OP two sets of advice, namely:

1. Improve your technique that will stop the formation of blisters
2. get a pair of gloves that will stop the formation of blisters

It should be made clear that suggestion number one has priority and number two is most likely just a temporary solution. A loose grip will not only get rid of blisters it will also allow you to play faster, louder and for longer periods of time.
 
In the early days I used to grip the sticks like I was hammering nails into plywood. It caused all kinds of trauma to my fingers, wrists, and palms. I eventually learned to relax my grip and most of the problems went away. This was partially because I began playing other genres besides heavy rock/pop, such as jazz, swing and country type songs. You tend to hold the sticks much lighter when you're trying to get those types of rhythyms going.

You may also want to to try lighter/thinner sticks to see if that helps. Sometimes with heavy sticks I still tend to want to overgrip them.
 
I know a drummer who is also an electrician and he wraps his fingers in electrical tape to prevent blisters.
He's a hard....and I mean HARD hitter!
 
Yea I must admit, gloves look gay ;) I'm hoping my hands will get used to it and soon be tougher ( like elephants feet lol), I cant stand using lighter sticks. I use 7a sticks. I feel they help me move around my kit faster and easier. I own some Vic Firth Steve Gadd Signature jazz sticks, I only use these when im using my practice pad for tricks and stuff, never on my acually drums.
 
I stopped getting blisters when I finally got the hang of a nice light grip on the sticks. Gloves always got in the way of proper technique for me, I need the stick to be able to move freely, and more importantly, I need to feel the stick, it's position, and it's feedback to play my best!

Also, keep your hands dry. "Moist" skin will blister much easier than dry, or even soaked skin.
 
Yea I must admit, gloves look gay ;) I'm hoping my hands will get used to it and soon be tougher ( like elephants feet lol).

The thing is though your hands won't get any tougher. It's not like you will develop calluses or something. The idea is to have nice soft hands which are loose and relaxed. No tension means less pressure on the stick and less friction which in turn will ensure that you'll never get blisters.
 
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