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I used to rely on hot water to help warm up my hands prior to playing. However, in recent months I’ve run into a problem where my fingers are too dry and are not getting that “gripiness” you’ve described. I posted a thread here about it a couple of months ago.
The only way I can describe it is a lack of traction, as if the string is sliding across the surface of the rounded part of the finger, rather than being gripped, and plucked. I don’t know what’s causing this. I am using Lubriderm hand lotion everyday to try to counteract this.
I’ve always had pretty durable fingers that have never given me problems. But now, I’ve noticed that the more playing I do, the smoother my fingertips get – instead of rougher, and calloused, as you’d expect. It’s bizarre. It’s like my fingerprints are getting rubbed off.
My sound is practically gone. Literally, in a matter of months, my fingers feel different on the strings, and I don’t sound like myself. It’s depressing.
I’m have appointments with two different dermatologists in the next few weeks. I have no idea what could be causing this, although I’ve done a lot of reading about dry fingertips online and have discovered a few possible causes, including: insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and/or celiac disease (inability to process gluten), Vitamin A deficiency, fungal infection, dermatitis, or eczema.
Back to your question – in some cases, I’ve heard hot water can actually dry out your skin. But it does feel really good right before playing and helps loosen everything up. In terms of lotions, I would stick to ones that don’t feel greasy.
They are a combination of Bow Brand and Classic guts. The finish doesn’t seem any different than what I’m normally used to.
Hi, Sid. Thanks for the reply. However, my fingers are already smooth. There are no healing blisters (for once) or any jagged edges. They’re smooth, just dry. I’m afraid to exfoliate my fingertips because I’d lose my calluses. I actually think a little roughness would help my fingers hold on to the strings better.
