MY FINGERS HURT!!!!

[Daddywarbucks]

I can barely type and it hurts to even look at my guitar. I want to play it so bad , but I am sure my fingers will bleed if I touch the case.

[Fngrstyl]

That will go away in time... :)

[Rockerbob]

It sounds like you're doing it right! Keep it up!

[Brackett Instruments]

After you've played and your finger tips hurt soak them in rubbing alcohol. That helps toughen them quicker. Don't play right after soaking them though.

[bobkat181]

Try dabbing your finger tips with rubbing alcohol, as someone earlier posted. I believe it was Eric Clapton who used to do that. I will help to speed those fingertip caluses that you will eventually get. Then you will be like the rest of us; unable to pick our noses with accuracy due to our calused finger tips...
Anyone else agree????? :)

[kidtwist]

... Then you will be like the rest of us; unable to pick our noses with accuracy due to our calused finger tips...
Anyone else agree????? :)

Yes, I've had many bloody noses.

[mtnByker]

Try dabbing your finger tips with rubbing alcohol, as someone earlier posted.

Anyone else agree????? :)

I did this with my feet when I went out to hike the Apalachian Trail, and yes Virginia, it will build calluses (or however it's spelled) fast. I thiks the evaporation dries the skin, which helps it toughen.

[hcole]

Well your doing it right if your fingers hurt. Don't look back, you won't regret it.

[Daddywarbucks]

thanks guys you as usual know how to encourage a guy. the playing is coming along slowly, but steady and i am starting to hear( not alot) noises that sound vagely like...like...music

[thisisbrianly]

Try avoiding washing your hands too much (especially for unnecessary situations such as going to the bathroom) :)

[cotten]

EEEeeeee-yuck! :eek:

When your fingers are really too sore to play, you can still practice. By that, I mean simply practice putting your fingers in the right positions for various chords and scales, without actually fretting the strings. This is a great way to learn moving from chord to chord quickly and smoothly.

You can be learning all kinds of new guitar techniques without making a sound. No, it's not as much fun, but it will give your fingertips a chance to recover without interrupting your progress.

Sore fingers is a small price to pay if you really want to play some day, OK?

cotten

[Thin Crust]

I also used to tune my guitar to a C, and just practice right hand finger patterns. Of course, that really gets old..........even irritates the dog. :D

[Michael K]

I also used to tune my guitar to a C, and just practice right hand finger patterns. Of course, that really gets old..........even irritates the dog. :D

Shoot! My dog gets irritated when I play SONGS :D Smart dog!!

[MadeintheUSA]

i first started playing and were just forming my guitar calluses. pretty painful, especially playing chords. now i can take a hammer and hit the tip of my finger. it still hurts like hell but the skin wont break...

[Michael K]

i first started playing and were just forming my guitar calluses. pretty painful, especially playing chords. now i can take a hammer and hit the tip of my finger. it still hurts like hell but the skin wont break...

Okay, that's cool, but I'm not going to try it out!! :D

[MadeintheUSA]

training? that is the philosphy i put in my guitar experiences. no pain no gain. that goes with performing live in front of folks tooo!

[John712]

I play guitar to keep my fingers in shape to play mandolin. You have to have pretty hard callouses to get a clear ringing tone. The ends of my left hand fingers have the texture of a golf ball! Makes for great mandolin tone.

[Michael K]

training? that is the philosphy i put in my guitar experiences. no pain no gain. that goes with performing live in front of folks tooo!

Carry on Grasshopper!! :D ;)

[aggie182]

I can barely type and it hurts to even look at my guitar. I want to play it so bad , but I am sure my fingers will bleed if I touch the case.

put some super glue on them.

[Daddywarbucks]

put some super glue on them. MAN!! You do want me to stick to this guitar thing!! :D Actually the fingers are getting better even though I practice several hours a day..... I will play the music in my head....someday. ;)

[jimbro]

The other day a buddy told me that martial artists shove their hands in sand to toughen up their fingertips, I thought that actually made some sense, so of course I went to home depot and bought a bucket and a bag of sand!! I know, goofy, but I am so tired of my fingertips hurting, even though i have some decent calluses. Its the pain, not the practice that bothers me. I'm trying to do a minimum of 30 minutes a day and a max of however much I can. Anyway, theres my 2 centavos on finger pain!!

[MiddleAgesMan]

I play guitar to keep my fingers in shape to play mandolin. You have to have pretty hard callouses to get a clear ringing tone. The ends of my left hand fingers have the texture of a golf ball! Makes for great mandolin tone.

Are they hard enough so you don't even need the frets anymore, just touch the strings? ;)

[DJR]

My other big interest in life is martial arts - specifically, jiu-jitsu (the martial art of the Japanese Samurai). Talk about sore fingers. After a class practising, say, finger-lock takedowns, my fingers aren't in the best shape to play guitar. Guitar and jiu-jitsu: two interests that clash?

Anyone else have an interest that maybe doesn't fit well with guitar playing? (Juggling chainsaws?)

[Serenity]

I'm finding that sore fingers come and go. Perhaps from the dryness in the air or something but this week they've really hurt and are kind of pealing other weeks it doesn't seem to matter how much I play. I just try to fight through it and stay with it.

[darkwing]

Yeah, we've all been there. I find a day off works wonders. Easiest solution of all. All exercise requires rest now and then. Alternatively, you could take your shoe off, and kick the nearest wall really hard. That will take your mind off your fingers!!!!!! :D

[cotten]

....Anyone else have an interest that maybe doesn't fit well with guitar playing? (Juggling chainsaws?)

(First, you have to remmeber that there's never a time when I don't have a guitar in my hands.)

When they threw me out, I decided not to pursue my goal of becoming a guitar-playing air traffic controller. Something about closing my eyes on the high notes, I guess....

So I sang as I strummed going down the stairs, "I'm leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again...."

Directing traffic was a bit easier, but they wouldn't let me try my hand at brain surgery. Didn't have one free at the time. That's OK though. The patient wasn't listening.

cotten

[Choirboy]

Try witch hazel. They sell 'em in drug stores and usually mixed in an alcohol solution. The witch hazel is supposed to help with inflammation and the alcohol solution should help form calluses.
Been there...done that...and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. :)

[Jackp]

Since this thread was started almost a year ago.... How are you fingers now Daddywarbucks???? Jackphttp://www.acousticguitarforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

[The Guitarman]

Whats bad is when you get groves in your calluses or when they start to peal off and you have to file you fingers :)

[flaggerphil]

Huh! Back when I started playing in the '60s (you know...the last century...) we played 'til we hit bone! Then we filed the bone down and kept playing!

Yeah! That's how we did it back then...

;)