peiplayer Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Couple of years ago, I was trying out a snow blower for the first time. It became clogged with wet snow and I put my hand down the auger to clear it. (What does a Jamaican know about snow blowing right?) I felt a “bbrrrp” on the end of my left middle finger, pulled off my glove and sure enough the tip of the finger was gone. It wasn’t hurting yet, but I knew it soon would so the first thing I did was I ran inside and quickly put down a large glass of whiskey…………then off to the hospital where they couldn’t do anything to help. They probably thought I was snowblowing while impaired! Most of it has grown back and thank God I didn’t lose the finger, but it is still extremely sensitive even with callouses. I cannot hold an open A chord very well....the only chord that causes me problems. Any song that has an A in it I have to use my capo. Perhaps I should write a song about it?........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hey peiplayer... As a true Minnesotan, I know how dangerous Snow Blowers are... I have a wooden handle from a broom for clearing clogs. I love my fingers! This is how a good Minnesotan cleans his driveway and stay's sane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 A friend lost most of one hand doing the same thing. You are lucky. I'm paranoid enough so I will shut mine off completely before clearing it. A couple years ago I thought I was smarter than the engineers who designed my snowblower and I installed a bigger drive pulley for the auger so it would go faster and presumably throw the snow further. It worked! I mean it threw the snow practically to the power lines! But I went through about 4 belts that season too. They died violent deaths. So I went back to the original design and lived with it. Sears crap. GAWD, what a piece of junk. I think they made it out of densely packed tin foil and paper mache. The Tecumseh will still be running long after the rest of it is growing into the ground. Not a grease fitting to be found anywhere, too much plastic, and most everything is exposed to the elements, meaning lots of ice the next time you go to use it... unless you're bringing it inside the kitchen to dry out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peiplayer Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 My wife has a name for me (amongst many others of course)... she calls me a "rugged indoor type" won't let me near one of those things again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Sorry to hear of yor misfortune, but the only thing that comes to mind is what the hell were you thinking?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peiplayer Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hi Buc....well I had glanced down the chute, my hands were off the controls, it was in neutral, I had assumed everything had stopped....I didn't know that underneath the packed snow there were things still turning! I was indeed very fortunate. I was completely new to these machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Bought me one of the new fangled two stage blowers... well new to me... last fall. Has a Tecumseh motor on it. I prefer a Briggs and Scrap Iron. IN deed every one I've owned still ran like a top while what it was sittin' on was scrap iron. I tore one apart once that had no right to start, let alone run. The connecting rod was plumb wore out.... But, I've got my update to the snow hound planned. The bolts that hold the hold blessed thing together are threaded into what used to be stamped, trumpet shaped holes with threads. Now they're just trumpet shaped holes. With the help of a flash light and a couple zip ties I was able to get a nut on the inside so it would hold together the rest of the season. COME ON SPRING! ... Perhaps I should write a song about it?........ Sounds like a good idea PEIPLAYER. I've got your title: "Bird is the Word" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robekert Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Most of it has grown back and thank God I didn’t lose the finger' date=' but it is still extremely sensitive even with callouses. I cannot hold an open A chord very well....the only chord that causes me problems. Any song that has an A in it I have to use my capo. Perhaps I should write a song about it?........ [/quote'] I feel your pain. Had the tip of my left (fretting hand) index finger damaged in an industrial accident a few years ago. Nothing major just lost a tiny bit of the tip. Did not play guitar then. When I did start noodling around with a guitar I would almost see stars when I fretted an A minor chord. I avoided that chord for a while. The tip of my finger eventually got tougher but the finger nail extends farther on that finger because it has less of a tip. The nail needs to be very short and that creates other problems. I grin and bear it, I hope you can too. Good luck. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Strangely, I sometimes am playing before I realize my frettin' finger nails are a bit long but, my clippers are in the other room. Mashing the nails so they fold under the tip of the finger sometimes gives a better, cleaner tone. I know it ain't traidional, but one wonders if a set of sewing thimbles would work just as good? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWilson Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 ksdaddy-Were did you find that Beaver logo? lol I'm surrounded by guys wearing that on their T-shirts all day at work. I'm walking distance from the University and actually finished my degree there but am a Duck fan. If you want a shirt let me know. A buddies wife has a black one with orange letters and all it says is "Got Beaver."? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I have to say Scott, that the "Beaver" avatar has generated the most buzz around these parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 You should try the first position A chord like this: You dont' get the high E string but it works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Yep, there's more than one way to skin a cat and fret an A. Ditto on the two fingered A. I do it myself, but with a different attack, with my m and a fingers, that lets the e ring.... usually. If you do it right, your index is only good for barring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 It was a gift from Rscott4079. http://www.osubeavers.com/ And of COURSE I want tshirts. Summer's coming up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I smacked my left index finger back in '94, can't recall how, but the nail turned black and I lost it after a while. Now the nail seems thinner and more flexible and very sensitve to being 'too long'. If it's not trimmed back to where a nail-biter would have it, it just gives me a creepy feeling like something's stuck on the end of my finger (insert joke here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peiplayer Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 Thanks for the tips re the A chord guys, best I can do with it is use two fingers, the injured middle one and my ring finger pressing down 3 strings. I can do it ok I guess, but its the hardest one and I generraly avoid it. Any other chord, even barre chords are ok. My finger is like robekert's little tip and keep the nail short. Drathburn..I'll try that. Sometimes I'll play a 7th too which is much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Thanks for the tips re the A chord guys' date=' best I can do with it is use two fingers, the injured middle one and my ring finger pressing down 3 strings. I can do it ok I guess, but its the hardest one and I generraly avoid it. Any other chord, even barre chords are ok. My finger is like robekert's little tip and keep the nail short. Drathburn..I'll try that.Sometimes I'll play a 7th too which is much easier.[/quote'] Oh.. I was thinkin' your index was the injured digit. Good luck on the work-around. There was some feller I heard of that only had two good working fingers on his frettin' hand. Last I heard he was doin' pretty good... until the day he died, anyways. His name was Django Reinhardt.... couldn't read a lick of music either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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