Injury activities

So, I had a ganglion cyst removed from my hand, palm side, last week. (More than happy to post a picture of the sutures but only on request - don't want to break any rules of squeamishness!) It's my fretting hand and I'm looking at around a month before I can play again.

So far, I've been practicing clawhammer strumming with strings muted - does anyone have any other exercises or things to learn that focus solely on the rhythm side of things? I want to make this into a good opportunity to learn/practise rather than a misery of not playing.

Sorry to hear about the hand, but it sounds like you've got a good attitude about it. Sure, spend time on various picking patterns. I know I need that kind of practice. It's darn hard to keep the same pattern going for a long time. Good luck with it!

Sorry if this is too elementary - I don't know where your playing level is. But I've found Ralph Shaw's Essential Strums DVD really helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Strums-Ukulele-Ralph-Shaw/dp/B000A2RVUK

If nothing else, it gives lots of possibilities for varying strumming patterns, and some of them really take some right hand coordination - Bo Diddley, anyone?

And I 2nd the picking patterns - Ukulele Mike on Youtube has exercises I like - Travis picking, etc.

Wishing you a quick recovery!

Cheers guys, good points - if I could get some different picking patterns down as second nature it would really be a boost.

Ouch! Hope you have a quick and complete recovery! No right hand advice other than what you've already gotten!

You've probably already sussed it, but just in case ... instead of muting the strings for your clawhammer practice, try open tuning (drop the A string one whole tone). You'll get a much better idea of your progress if you can hear the tone of the notes, rather than just the rhythm. It'd be a shame to put in several days/weeks of practice only to find it sounded bad when you unmuted the strings.

Good luck with your recovery

I hadn't thought to drop the A string at all, had just been muting it! Thanks for that one.

As for thumb independence, that takes me back to my classical guitar days - I'll dig up a few of those exercises and brush up.