I am a newbie. I've had my mandolin about 2 weeks. I practice every day. My fingers have actually stopped hurting quite so much but after today I noticed a bubble blister on my left index finger. Should I wait until it goes away to practice again? I suppose I could practice strumming patterns. I imagine this is pretty common, just wait and let it heal? I hate to miss practicing. I don't want to pop it and forge ahead. Looking for voice of experience for advice...... Kim
Welcome to the forum! I never actually got blisters so I won’t be much help… I went right to calluses within a few days and just kept playing until it hurt too much to continue My guitar buddies warned me never to rip off a callus, but I don’t think I’d have had the patience to wait for a blister to subside… I’d have probably lanced the edge of it and added super glue if needed. I’ve never gone more than two days without playing since then (year and a half since I started) so thankfully I haven’t ever lost my calluses.
Welcome to the Forum, Marlkw! I never had a problem with blisters, but my advice is to lay off playing, treat the blister with something to keep from getting an infection, and let it heal. You can start back again when it is well. I know you are excited, but you have to give your body time to adjust. Keep having fun!
This might be a good time for you to get a copy of Rob Meldrum's e-book on mandolin setup, read it, and then check out the height of your nut slots.
Wait until it goes away, then start back slowly, giving time for a callus to build up. Take Hank's advice! But sure, practice strumming and picking. Mute the strings with your left hand (lay your fingers flat across the strings) to better hear what your right hand is doing. BTW, this is an actual mandolin technique, though more often it's done while fingering but muting a chord.
Thank you for the input. I took two days off and went back to playing. I did use the left-hand-muting while practicing picking and that was a great idea! My fingers are still sore after 30 or 40 minutes but I call it quits when I need to. Kim
Avoid practice right after a shower or swimming, when your skin is still soft. As your calluses and technique develop you'll be able to break that rule but you'll also have learned when to quit. (I say technique, because as you get better you need less force, and therefore less callus!)
Glad you’re back in the game!
