Double Bass pain in right index knuckle

[hughbh]

Hi, I debuted on the double bass playing last fri-sat nights. Alt-country/blues, pizzicato, centered around root-5 stuff.
The next day i had sharp pain deep in the knuckle of my right index finger. I only get pain if I put pressure on it. Also, there is a small black mark deep under the skin, which i presume is a tiny bruise.

I think it came from my plucking finger (and the under-side of my knuckle) hitting on the string below after plucking. E.g. if i pluck the A string my finger then lands on the E string (hope this description makes sense??).
Anyway it seems this continued bashing has caused the injury. And I have not been able to play the bass since because it causes too much pain. I think it is slowly getting better.

Has anyone else had an injury similar to this? And has it healed over time??
THANK YOU

 

[Steve Swan]

A reasonably responsive bass with a decent setup should be able to produce a good propulsive sound with a minimum of effort. Coaxing the sound out of a bass rather than beating it out is better. Large muscle groups employed in small motions moving the strings is better than relying on just one little part of your anatomy near the end of a finger. A helpful lesson or two with a local teacher or experienced player should help you to make music without pain. Good luck!

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Depends on where you at with the bass.

Are you a beginner? 40 years ago I got amazing blisters. For years I have not gotten blisters, just tough calluses. If you are coming from the electric bass world it takes a bit of time getting upright figured out.