pain!!

[headgear]

don't be put off by the title - i didn't know what else to call the thread!

i've just started learning the guitar and it's steel strung so my fingers are taking a pounding. apart from changing to a nylon string (which i don't want to do because steel sounds better) is there anything i can do to stop them wrecking?

you know, like some secret tip all guitarists trade in the bathroom, 'jees you're finger tips look sore have you tried aloe vera?'

[arob71]

I'm not aware of any secrets really. Just keep playing and in a while you'll develop calluses on the tips of your fingers. No pain, no gain!

Aaron

[nitejule]

i agree its really the only way!!!!

[Uriah]

Callouses are definitely the best...though it takes a while to get them built up. The tips of my fingers are like rocks, and they still get sore the morning after playing at a coffee shop or wherever else that requires a couple hour set. But it's never a problem with shorter duration stuff, like opening for bigger bands etc.....anything under an hour or so, and even then, sometimes it's never a problem no matter what the duration of play.

You can put superglue on your fingertips IF you want...but that could get annoying with other things. *shrug* I've never done it but I know people that have, and it's worked well for them.
Also, (and this probably won't be much help because I can't remember the name) but some people I train with have some sort of oil that they rub into their skin, and it toughens it up, makes the edges of their hands 'leathery', which works well for them. (martial arts stuff)

So, anywho!!! other than that, just keep playing, and take a break when they start hurting, and just keep at it.....your finger endurance will steadily increase until you get to the point where it's never really a problem or annoyance. Good luck!

Grace and Peace, Uriah
http://www.uriahwnielson.com

[headgear]

thanks for your advice!

this callous thing doesn't sound as if it's going to have the boys flocking to my door. hmm, how knarled and leathery your hands feel... lovely...

i tried someone's nylon stringed guitar today - so much easier, but i'm sticking to steel - told him was a wimp and i was totally hardcore!

[sarah]

i have a habit of picking at my callouses and eventually ripping them off and having to grow them again lol. also you should keep your fingernails clipped short.

[Reignfall]

The callous business isn't so damaging appearance-wise. There is hardly any noticeable trace of them on my fingers... unless of course they are peeling... Which tends to happen from time to time. When you first develop callouses, they go through a lot of phases. In the beginning, especially. It does take quite awhile to build up the pain tolerance due to the ever-changing callouses. It took many months for me, and still my fingers get sore when I haven't played in awhile, or if I've been playing for an extended amount of time. No pain no gain, right?

Best of luck in your callous-forming endeavors! May your playing be fulfilling, and the pain minimal!

-Rebecca