Pinky Callus

[davidbeinct]

Where should it be? Looking at my left hand palm up my pinky callus is off to the right. The other three are dead center. I’ve only been at this about a month so if I’m developing bad habits now is the time to correct them.

[PeterMN]

Everyones' hands are sized and shaped a bit differently so where your fingers meet the strings will be unique to you. My pinky callus is also a tad right of center. As long as you are fretting cleanly I don't see a problem.

[Rev Roy]

For what it’s worth...my pinky callus is dead center like all the others.

[Slothead56]

Wasn’t she a character on Happy Days?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by davidbeinct

Where should it be? Looking at my left hand palm up my pinky callus is off to the right. The other three are dead center. I’ve only been at this about a month so if I’m developing bad habits now is the time to correct them.

hi David...
Mine is off center to the right. Your callus is likely not as a result of any bad habits.

I've taught for more than 39 years and pinky callus location has never been an issue I ever even mentioned. Play your guitar and have fun learning!

[Wade Hampton]

Peter wrote:

Originally Posted by PeterMN

Everyones' hands are sized and shaped a bit differently so where your fingers meet the strings will be unique to you. My pinky callus is also a tad right of center. As long as you are fretting cleanly I don't see a problem.

Exactly. To which I’ll add, if you ever decide to learn additional instruments, your callouses will extend along their edges and cover more of your fretting hand fingertips. In addition to playing guitar, I also play banjo, mandolin and mountain dulcimer, and my left hand position is slightly different on each of them. So the callouses on my left hand are basically domes that cover the entire fingertips! (Fingernails excluded, of course.)

I’ve also got a callous on the side of my left thumb, which is one of the digits I use when playing mountain dulcimer.

So your skin will provide a callous wherever you need one. It’s not a cause for concern that the callous you’ve developed on your little finger isn’t centered the same as your other callouses; it’s simply your hand’s response to your guitar playing.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[donlyn]

Originally Posted by davidbeinct

Where should it be? Looking at my left hand palm up my pinky callus is off to the right. The other three are dead center. I’ve only been at this about a month so if I’m developing bad habits now is the time to correct them.

I've been at this for over 50 years, and I sincerely doubt it's the results of bad habits. My fretting left hand pinkie has a callus that starts at the far right of center and extends up the outside of the finger. When I start to close my fingers, the pinky naturally twists toward my ring finger, so when I'm fretting with it, it's that corner that comes in contact with the strings. It's actually at an angle of about 45 degrees. Since I do not ignore my pinkie and really use it to execute bends and other tricks, it has simply callused over toward the side. This happens when stretching it to pick a note, and also when I simply use it to hit the treble G with a cowboy chord. It's just the way my pinkie works. And as long as it works, I'm not going to worry about it. Nor should you.

Good luck and happy playing,

Don
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