Is it a good idea to "just keep playing?"

[SausageCreature]

I stop playing when it hurts, because...well...it hurts.

When I first started, my guitar instructor was very clear that if you have any sort of pain (joint pain especially) that you should take a break until you heal. Fortunately, I'm not a professional musician, so I have that option.

[handers]

Originally Posted by ryanhoots

Hi everyone, I'm just starting out as a guitarist, and I love it. I've got my calluses (all except for my little finger), but a question is burning in my mind. Is it a better idea to just keep playing as much as you can until your fingers bleed and you can't play anymore, or will you develop calluses faster by going slow?

Is it possible to play too much as a beginner?

I'd say YES. But blood is never a good thing and not to be striven for. I have never in 45y gotten to the point of having blood on my fingertips.

Could you be pushing too hard? This is a common problem of beginner guitarists who are trying so hard to play well. The goal in playing is almost no tension at all in the arms and just enuf tension in the fingers to close the note cleanly. Practice with each finger on one note closing and letting go with the least travel of your fingers. Maybe1/2 inch, no more than 1 inch travel. Push only as hard as necessary. Notice the amount of extension or PUSH that you need to close it and consider whether you have been pushing too hard. once you can do this with one finger (L hand) do each of the other 4 fingers (I don't use my thumb to fret). Then put them together in pairs. The when this is good , weeks later, consider your push action for chords. Moving between chords is much harder if you push too hard.

As a beginner, practice 1-2 hrs per day. If you want to go longer, just make sure you don;t feel pain. Pain is a sign of something you are doing too hard or too long. Sort out how to do what you want without pain. That takes weeks, months, years. Be patient. Enjoy every advance you make. They will be useful and will fill your bag of skills which will always serve you.

Enjoy. It shouldn't be mostly work. No blood.
hans

[mhs]

Sometimes it's OK to keep playing, but by the time you understand when those times are, you also understand that sometimes it's not OK as well. Figuring out which is which becomes pretty intuitive.

Seems like a useless reply as I look it over. It's how it works for me. If I was bleeding from playing which has happened many times on new instruments (like an upright bass) that I wasn't used to, is really a good indicator to stop and heal. (and then later on play like nuts again).


Good luck.

[Doxyshusband]

Originally Posted by handers

I'd say YES. But blood is never a good thing and not to be striven for. I have never in 45y gotten to the point of having blood on my fingertips.

Could you be pushing too hard? This is a common problem of beginner guitarists who are trying so hard to play well. The goal in playing is almost no tension at all in the arms and just enuf tension in the fingers to close the note cleanly. Practice with each finger on one note closing and letting go with the least travel of your fingers. Maybe1/2 inch, no more than 1 inch travel. Push only as hard as necessary. Notice the amount of extension or PUSH that you need to close it and consider whether you have been pushing too hard. once you can do this with one finger (L hand) do each of the other 4 fingers (I don't use my thumb to fret). Then put them together in pairs. The when this is good , weeks later, consider your push action for chords. Moving between chords is much harder if you push too hard.

As a beginner, practice 1-2 hrs per day. If you want to go longer, just make sure you don;t feel pain. Pain is a sign of something you are doing too hard or too long. Sort out how to do what you want without pain. That takes weeks, months, years. Be patient. Enjoy every advance you make. They will be useful and will fill your bag of skills which will always serve you.

Enjoy. It shouldn't be mostly work. No blood.
hans

Really good advice. It never occurred to me, to dial back the pressure until I had been playing awhile, and the problem I have now Isis that pressing too hard is a bad habit that I fall into unconsciously. But I know that learning to apply. Only as much pressure as I need will keep me playing. As it is, I have days when my. Index fingertip feels bruised when I press down and that is no fun. I hate not to play everyday, and so it is hard to stay off the guitar for the day or two that I need to recover. These posts are a good reminder of the need for technique and realistic pacing.

[BoneDigger]

You should play when you feel like playing and quit when you don't. Calluses will come at some point but there is no need to rush it or focus on it. Just enjoy playing!

Todd

[Oldguy64]

Originally Posted by ryanhoots

Hi everyone, I'm just starting out as a guitarist, and I love it. I've got my calluses (all except for my little finger), but a question is burning in my mind. Is it a better idea to just keep playing as much as you can until your fingers bleed and you can't play anymore, or will you develop calluses faster by going slow?

Is it possible to play too much as a beginner?

Since this has come back to the top there are a few pearls of advice I'd like to add.
1. Pain is the body's way of telling you to back off. Listen.
2. When you get to that point soak your finger tips in witch hazel, like the old Palmolive commercial. It pulls out the sting.
3. Have your guitar set up professionally, initially. Tell your tech how and what you intend to play, and have it set up accordingly.
4. Start early learning just how much pressure you NEED to exert. It may slow your callous development. But it will bump up your comfort and speed exponentially.
5. Remind yourself, of number 4. Every so often. When I finger pick, I tend to really dig in with my fretting hand. Less when I'm strumming. But Kung fu grip...will really cause cramping in your palm.

[Doxyshusband]

Originally Posted by handers

I'd say YES. But blood is never a good thing and not to be striven for. I have never in 45y gotten to the point of having blood on my fingertips.

Could you be pushing too hard? This is a common problem of beginner guitarists who are trying so hard to play well. The goal in playing is almost no tension at all in the arms and just enuf tension in the fingers to close the note cleanly. Practice with each finger on one note closing and letting go with the least travel of your fingers. Maybe1/2 inch, no more than 1 inch travel. Push only as hard as necessary. Notice the amount of extension or PUSH that you need to close it and consider whether you have been pushing too hard. once you can do this with one finger (L hand) do each of the other 4 fingers (I don't use my thumb to fret). Then put them together in pairs. The when this is good , weeks later, consider your push action for chords. Moving between chords is much harder if you push too hard.

As a beginner, practice 1-2 hrs per day. If you want to go longer, just make sure you don;t feel pain. Pain is a sign of something you are doing too hard or too long. Sort out how to do what you want without pain. That takes weeks, months, years. Be patient. Enjoy every advance you make. They will be useful and will fill your bag of skills which will always serve you.

Enjoy. It shouldn't be mostly work. No blood.
hans

Really good advice. It never occurred to me, to dial back the pressure until I had been playing awhile, and the problem I have now Isis that pressing too hard is a bad habit that I fall into unconsciously. But I know that learning to apply. Only as much pressure as I need will keep me playing. As it is, I have days when my. Index fingertip feels bruised when I press down and that is no fun. I hate not to play everyday, and so it is hard to stay off the guitar for the day or two that I need to recover. These posts are a good reminder of the need for technique and realistic pacing.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by ryanhoots

Hi everyone, I'm just starting out as a guitarist, and I love it. I've got my calluses (all except for my little finger), but a question is burning in my mind. Is it a better idea to just keep playing as much as you can until your fingers bleed and you can't play anymore, or will you develop calluses faster by going slow?

Is it possible to play too much as a beginner?

Slow down. Besides playing, there are many other things you can spend time with to grow as a musician and guitar player. Listening to music is a big one, as is studying music theory and music history, among other activities. Let your muscles and fingers rest. Bleeding fingers are not good.

[MJRB]

Originally Posted by ryanhoots

Hi everyone, I'm just starting out as a guitarist, and I love it. I've got my calluses (all except for my little finger), but a question is burning in my mind. Is it a better idea to just keep playing as much as you can until your fingers bleed and you can't play anymore, or will you develop calluses faster by going slow?

Is it possible to play too much as a beginner?

I have a large book by Barney Kessell in which he recommends playing for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and having a good number of sessions each day, rather than having really long sessions. Apart from finger problems he says that the brain gets "waterlogged" after about that time and needs time to absorb what it has learnt.
It seem to have worked for him.
MJRB

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