ETHERIDGE TO THE RESCUE

I’m in the process of dealing with a mallet finger injury on my left hand, compounded by additional soft tissue injuries around the knuckle joint. The injury occured earlier in the year while tucking a thick bed throw into the back of my sofa, so the dog’s muddy paws didn’t ruin the furniture…

Mallet finger involves the fine extensor tendons on the back of the finger suddenly splitting from the fingertip, and the finger bendingforwards at the end, all by itself. Hence ‘mallet’. It’s an innocuous injury, unless you’re a right-handed string-instrument player, as it removes any capability of articulation from the tip of the most left-hand finger. And it also hurts like hell.

After a visit to the hospital, I am now in recovery. So no gripping with the left hand, and exercises to keep the other fingers up to strength and mobile. It could be a never-to-recover injury, but your excellent magazine came to my rescue in issue 444. The John Etheridge Masterclass gave me an idea that has spurred me to a new, glorious place. Exercises 4 and 5 were something I could envisage playing with right-hand taps. Suddenly I’m starting to play again, in an entirely different way.

Then I remembered some lessons that I had from my teacher and UK guitar legend, Esmond Selwyn. Suddenly I had a Pandora’s box of right-hand tapping, which I would never have started on were it not for the wonderful interview and masterclass from John Etheridge.

I still worry I may have lost my left-hand’s touch and articulacy after 45 years of conventional playing, because the injury itself has a poor prognosis, even with the best approach to treatment. But I’ve also rediscovered what a brilliant instrument the guitar is, when you know your way around it. So thank you Guitarist issue 444! Brian Towell, via email

Thanks for sharing your story Brian. We’re delighted John Etheridge’s masterclass opened up some avenues for progressing on guitar even in the face of what sounds like a nasty injury. And, perhaps, it will be some consolation to know you are in good company: guitar luminaries from Django Reinhardt to Mike Stern have faced battles to recover their playing technique after accidents. It’s testament to your courage and love of guitar that you’re getting stuck into it straight away.