My 12 year old's been overdoing the practising and has developed blisters on his index and middle fingers. He can rest his fingers tomorrow but he and his 14 year old brother and their friend are playing at friend's mother's wedding on Saturday evening. I'm afraid these blisters will burst and he'll be in agony. Any suggestions to avoid this?
You can get very thin
Micropore dressing from pharmacies. It's a bit like a sticky plaster but much thinner, so when he plays he will still feel the strings almost like normal, but with added protection. Unlike ordinary plasters it doesn't come off when you play, and you can wrap it round individual fingers in most directions. Hope that helps.
Of course, too much practice is not good. When the fingers hurt, practise with the mind, not the fingers. You'd be amazed how effective it can be to practise rhythmic patterns
without the instrument, and sing the melodic patterns, or the intervals slowly. When you come back to the instrument, you may well have improved. I call this technique Armchair Practice, and it's not as stupid as it sounds.
