CeeBeeBanjo - Posted - 04/23/2025:  06:12:31

hello pickers,
I will soon be away from my banjo for over a month, travelling - my longest break ever, in 3 years of playing. Does anyone have tips on how to minimize loss of my hard-won muscles in both hands (e.g. squeeze ball)? What about how to keep my fretting fingers toughened up? Thanks!

FenderFred - Posted - 04/23/2025:  06:35:17

quote:

---

Originally posted by CeeBeeBanjo

hello pickers,

I will soon be away from my banjo for over a month, travelling - my longest break ever, in 3 years of playing. Does anyone have tips on how to minimize loss of my hard-won muscles in both hands (e.g. squeeze ball)? What about how to keep my fretting fingers toughened up? Thanks!

---

Never found the need when I wass laid off in hospital / home recover six months.

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 04/23/2025:  06:52:15

Bring a banjo 

maybe a travel banjo. 

Edwards - Posted - 04/23/2025:  06:59:17

Yeah, bring a banjo! Never had the problem I’ve gone hiking with one.

pfalzgrass - Posted - 04/23/2025:  07:15:01

One month without a banjo is possible - but pointless.
Bring a travel banjo.

stanleytone - Posted - 04/23/2025:  08:14:38

I can tell you this much...
If you are one month without the banjo you come back to it with a vengeance!

Texasbanjo - Posted - 04/23/2025:  08:16:20

If you can't bring a travel banjo, then don't worry about it. A month off isn't going to make your fingers/hands weaker and probably won't harm your calluses unless your hands are in the water everyday while away. It may take you a week or so to get back to normal, but I doubt even that will happen.

I've been away for over a month and my only problem was calluses and that's because my hands were in dishwater a lot.

pinenut - Posted - 04/23/2025:  10:08:02

Go to the gym while traveling. (free-weights, climbing, etc.)

Listen to the tunes that were/are being worked on, every day.

Take it with you.  It's a little extra effort while traveling, but, the comfort of having my banjo with me has been worth it.  note:  typical travel, especially work

Edited by - pinenut on 04/23/2025 10:08:45

B19 - Posted - 04/23/2025:  10:47:20

I find that taking time away occasionally can be a huge benefit (in case you don't want to take the banjo with you).

You probably dont need it, but one good exercise I have used unrelated to banjo: see if you can buy a mesh bag full of golf balls with one of those little hand towels hooked onto it. Hold the tip of the towel between your finger tips, palm facing down and slowly roll it up tightly using just your thumb and fingers. Then slowly unroll it (still just the fingers on one hand). Then roll it up in the opposite direction. Repeat in each hand as desired.

Golf balls are easy to add or reduce eight, but you can add heavier items to the mesh bag (or hook the hand towel on something heavier) as needed to increase weight.

Hope that makes sense/helps.

I got nothing for calluses, but as has been said I guess just don't soak your hands too much.

randybartlett - Posted - 04/24/2025:  18:29:23

I took a jack Hatfield practice board on vacation. I just did rolls to a metronome every night. It is very quiet.

I performed a solo show the day after we returned.

monstertone - Posted - 04/26/2025:  10:34:29

1. You talk as if not playing banjo for one month is a big deal, or will set you back multiple months. It won't!


2. Flying with a banjo is risky.


3. Use your phone & earbuds to listen to your favorite tunes.

CeeBeeBanjo - Posted - 04/27/2025:  14:43:02

Thanks, all, for your tips, ideas, and reassurances. A travel banjo isn't feasible for me (either with my travel backpack nor with my partner who is looking forward to a banjo-free holiday ;-)). The towel-roll exercise is interesting, I may adapt it. I'd never heard of the Banjo Board, now I'm pondering buying it for home to get some less-intrusive picking time in. I will definitely be looking forward to getting back to my baby when I return - I miss it already! Cheers

Owen - Posted - 04/27/2025:  15:08:35

Prior to my one-and-only banjo camp I figured I should try to put a bit of callous on my fretting fingers.  So when I was "killing time" [eg. waiting in the vehicle for my wife to come out from shopping] I'd tap my fingertips against the fairly dull blade of my pocket knife.  I pondered cobbling up a small board with a whack of nails pounded up through .... but sometimes pondering outstrips doing.  I didn't try to assess/measure it's effectiveness, but I made it through the camp unscathed.

Edited by - Owen on 04/27/2025 15:09:47

monstertone - Posted - 04/28/2025:  08:38:29

I've been playing banjo in excess of 40 years. Only beginners have calluses. In due time, your fingertips will toughen up & no longer show visible signs of calluses.

CeeBeeBanjo - Posted - 06/28/2025:  17:02:31

EPILOGUE: hi all - well, I'm back from my holiday. I was banjo-less for 5 whole weeks, and must confess I was in a bluegrass vacuum that whole time - I did no listening or prep whatsoever while I was away. I have now been back at it for about 3 weeks. Here's how it's been going.

My 'hard shell' callus skin peeled off both my index and middle the day of my return - go figure. I still had a bit of residual skin thickness, but indeed for the first few days back, those slides were painful! I could only practice about 40 minutes before my fingertips started to leak fluid, not blood, then I'd stop for the day. (TMI? ;-)). Shorter practices helped me manage the fatigue in my hand/arm muscles as I rebuilt my strength. I got right back to my weekly lessons and my teacher helped pace and focus me to get things back in line.

The bonus part I didn't really expect was my hyper-awareness of timing, tone, and technique I enjoyed for the first several days. [Wow, I hadn't realized before that I was always a shade late on beat 5 (/8)! I have recordings of my lessons, so I have the proof. So much daily repetition had dampened my ability to hear things clearly before, despite my teacher's efforts.] So, my timing is now better than before. Also, the fresh skin on my fingertips gave me an opportunity to adjust my fretting hand angle to default to a more optimal position. Now my calluses are developing at a slightly different angle than before. After two weeks, I'd resumed playing at the speed and endurance I was at before.

So, overall, I feel pretty good about where I'm at right now. Thanks all for your earlier reassurances. Yep, I'm ready to go back to bluegrass camp next week! oldschoolcamps.ca/bluegrass-camp

Wiredbanjo - Posted - 07/12/2025:  18:41:42

A friend in the UK actually rents an instrument when he travels. Another idea is visit a music store and play a bit. I've been playing for 50 years now and lift free weights to maintain strength in my arms and shoulders. No problems maintaining calluses. Happy pickin'!

writerrad - Posted - 07/13/2025:  15:33:59

I would be interested in maintaining calluses.   I used to play the guitr chiefly and didnt start playing the banjo until about 25 years ago.  I still was a guitar player who played banjo until about 10-15 years ago, but now I am pretty much a banjo player.  I am realizing that I dont have the calluses  from guitar playing with fairly heavy strings, and doing a lot of first position bass runs on a steel strung guitar.     

I am wondering if there are indepdent ways to build up calluses for banjo or guitar other than playing.

steve davis - Posted - 07/14/2025:  06:15:26

A month won't hurt anything.
Playing every day for more than 1 hour when you are home will help a lot and quickly.