"I've Got Blisters On Me Fingers"
 

Well not blisters but my fingertips hurt. Just started back on acoustic after many years and have been playing every day. Any suggestions for getting through this phase? Just gut it out? I can't remember back what it was like going through this.

Thanks!

Yeah, you pretty much just have to gut it out, but don't kill yourself over it. Play until it hurts and then a bit more, but callouses build up over time, so playing for hours in pain isn't gonna bring em on faster. It's just gonna make you hate playing. If you've been playing electric, play the acoustic for a while and when it gets really painful, switch to electric - it'll still hurt, but not that much, and you can keep developing your playing. Each day you'll probably be able to play a little longer on acoustic, and after a couple or few weeks, it won't be an issue.

I started playing again about 4 1/2 years ago after a 30 year layoff. I'd say it took the better part of a month to play without any pain, but for the first several months, I'd still have days where there was kind of a dull ache in the ends of my fingers. Don't know why - maybe just the nerves under the callouses reminding me they were still there??? That didn't last long either though. Now I play a good amount every day and basically no pain. You do have to learn to take care of your callouses, though. You don't want them TOOOO hard. There are threads about that around here.

-Ray

Try a lower-gauge string. Go all the way down to 10s if you need. Try a softer string like silk and steel. Tune down half a step. Then if you need to be a certain key or tuning, capo up. Hang in there... it'll get better!

My fingers got tender and sore, then calluses, but I never got blisters. One of the motivations to play every day is the fear that I'll have to go through that again.

Thanks all. Will re think my plan!

20 minutes twice a day is better than 40 minutes all at once if you're struggling with fingertip pain. Space it out

I don’t wish to hijack the thread but as everyone says, just play till it hurts then take a break. Who was it that said “played till my fingers bled”? Madman! Quick question though, I have hard enough callouses for it not to hurt too bad but does anyone else get troubled by what I call “tram lines” on the tips of your fingers? Where the string indents into the tip of the finger. It sometimes causes my finger to “skip off” the string and makes the note sound when I don’t want it.

I get lines pretty bad. After just a bit of playing they start getting deep to where sometimes I can’t slide to another fret and keep the string ringing.

I can’t think of the mechanics of what’s going on but once I pass over the fret the string just dies. I have to make sure to use a different part of my finger on the string when I know I’m going to slide and it works fine but it’s one more thing to take into account.

I’m not sure how to address the line problem. I thinks it’s like an awful circle type thing. You get the line so you have to push a little harder, which makes the line deeper so you push harder etc etc.

You do know it was Ringo who said this not John right? So stop playing those drums and get back to the guitar!

Seriously, I've found aspirin and tenacity, rather than lower gauge strings, to do the trick nicely, after a hiatus.

Didn't realize that it was Ringo. Interesting. The fingers are getting there but still a little raw. Taking playing in smaller doses which seems to help

yeah - know the feeling. I started playing again last May after ten years not playing, and really, it took my fingers several months, not weeks, to get back in shape where I can play all I want without fingertip pain at all. I play two to three hours everyday now without issue. It's a drag, but no way to hasten the process as far as I know.

That long? Wow. It's been so long since I played acoustics that I had no reference point. They're getting better but I'm still limited.

Normally I play a little every day, and there's no issue. I recently took a 4 week hiatus to work on some other projects. Now, after about 6 hours of playing this week, I'd say the tips are about half way hardened to the usual level. FWIW