Newbie Blues..

[x_789]

Hello All,
I am a newbie to the guitar just picked one up two days ago. Im 30 years old and decided its never to late to do something you have always wanted to do.

Well I thought I would bounce some questions off you all since there dosen't seem to be to many newbie threads that I have seen in the past couple days.

First how long till my fingers stop hurting?

I have a buddy that has been playing for 30 years or so and is going to give me some instruction but I haven't been able to meet with him yet. So I have been looking at some stuff online. But that has brought about even more questions.

So can you have a look at this http://guitar.about.com/library/weekly/aa071200g.htm and tell me is that a good way to start out holding my pic? When I do it that way my other nuckles want to sit lower than the pic is why I ask. Do I need to rotate my rist out away from the guitar?

Other than that those are my first basic questions. This site looks pretty hardcore so if you need to point me to a site that is more beginner focuse fell free. I also would appriciate any words of wisdom from you all that have been where I am at currently.. Thanks in advance.. X

[cotten]

Welcome to the AGF family, X! You've certainly come to the right place for freindly, helpful advice, along with some strong opinions on most everything (all of which are wrong except mine ) and more than a few laughs, even when we're not trying to be funny!

I'm moving your thread to the forum section on Playing and Technique. People who visit here often are quite knowledgeable and always willing to help.

How long before your fingers stop hurting? Short answer: nobody knows.

Longer answer: There are a lot of variables in play here, such as
* how "tough" your fingertips were to begin with,
* whether you're playing nylon strings, which feel a bit softer in the early stages of learning, or steel strings,
* how well your guitar plays - my first guitar's strings were so high off the frets that I had to use a set of vice grip pliers, which slowed my chord changing considerably
* how much pain you can tolerate (I'm really not kidding here, because some people don't want to tolerate the slightest soreness after playing, while others enjoy it so much they will gladly play until their fingers begin to bleed),
* how often and how long you practice (two or three short sessions per day are far better and easier on the fingers than one long session, even after you've played for a while,
* how good your technique is - you should use the minimal amount of pressure needed to get clean, clear sounds, and your hand/wrist position has a lot to do with it, etc., etc.

I would really recommend getting with a good teacher immediately, even if it's just for a few lessons. You'll avoid getting into bad habits that will slow you down and make later progress harder. Nothing against your guitar-playing buddy, but not everyone who plays well can teach well.

Getting a good start can make a world of difference in your enjoyment of your first few weeks of playing. Do it right and you're way ahead of the game, but do it too badly and it almost guarantees failure and frustration.

Feel free to ask this group questions - they know absolutely everything about any subject!

This is long enough. I'll leave the pick question to others. Again, glad to have you among us!

cotten

[Jeff M]

Re; holding your pic, I say let it drop. (Fingerstylist here )

[Bm7b5]

Welcome Home !

Cottens advice on finding a good teacher sounds good to me.

As to holding the pick, thats about right, IMO.

Stick around !

[Jackp]

wellcome x... put up with sore fingers for a while.. soon the pain will pass .. to speed things up I would practice forming cords and strumming each untill they sound crisp. Holding the guitar and finger placement correctly will make your cords sound pleasent. strumming with your thumb will make a smooth sound with out having to worry.. "am I holding the pick correctly". Short practice times are better than long painfull ones, I would guess that less pain will occure in about 2 weeks. Even people that have played guitar for years will have some discomfort after they play for extended times. Ever wonder why the band takes a break?? Sore /tired fingers! Good luck and keep a playin. Jackp

[Jeff M]

BTW, try as much as possible to relax your fretting hand, beginning at the neck and shoulder all the way down to the finger tips. It isn't about how hard you are pushing the strings, but how well your fingertips are placed. Tension will slow you down and tire your hand out.

[x_789]

hey all thanks for the replies. As for the person teaching me he has taught many people so I think I should be ok there. He used to give classes for free at a church and such.

As for my pratice the first night I spent a good hour or more and it was pretty bad afterwards. The last couple days I will just pic it up and pratice G, C, D, and The Chromatic scale for 15 or 20 minutes numerous times a day. I think the multiple times is deffinatly easier on the fingers. As for holding the pic. Do you grasp if firmly or losely? I see people talking about pics slipping and such so I was just wondering how tightly I should hold it.

Other than that thanks for the nice welcome and the pointers. I will keep you informed on my progress.. Please keep the pointers coming if you have them.. X

[4Gtrs]

X,
Welcome to AGF.
Make sure your guitar is set up properly. There's nothing worse than for a newbie to suffer with a too high saddle or nut. You may also want to consider a lighter string gauge until your fingers become accustomed to playing (lighter than prescribed will affect the tone, though).
I agree with Cotten, take some lessons from a good teacher. Definitely worth your time and effort!
Main thing is: HAVE FUN!

[jeffrey]

I think the biggest thing you need to remember when working on right hand/left hand placement is: don't place your hands in such a fashion that you are making more work for yourself.

Guitar is hard enough as it is.

I know that sounds like common sense, but you'd be amazed how many people let their technique hinder them and never realize it.

Just make sure that you're holding your pick in such a fashion that it gives you full mobility of your hand, wrist and forearm (and remaining three fingers if possible) with out having to work around your hand placement.

Left hand placement is just as crucial, if not more so. Try and keep your fingers slightly bent always (accept when barring groups of strings, because you will be using the side of your finger in those cases). Your hand strength is far greater with slightly bent finger than straight fingers. Also focus on keeping your fingers relatively paralell to the frets.

Welcome and hope some of this helps.

[Midnight Shadow]

Finger pressure can make a difference also on your fingertips hurting also. Try forming a cord with your left hand and then slowly begin releasing the pressure on your left hand while strumming or picking. When the sound get muffled apply just a little more pressure on the fingerboard to get the better sound. This is then all the pressure you need to play the cord.

This was one of the hardest things for me to learn and I still need to work on it when I am playing a new piece. I tend to grip the fretboard harder when I am learning something new which really is not needed and slows down my learning a new piece.

When I was starting after laying off from the guitar for 10 years my fingertips hurt. I spread superglue on the tips of my fingers to allow me to continue playing. It also dulled the pain for the nect time when I started. Most likely it also slowed down the growth of the calluses.

Welcome to the group and keep asking questions. There are some very knowledgeable people here, like Cotton and others, who can help.
MIdnight Shadow