A newbie guitar player (well, not quite a "player"

I am a newbie too. So far, I have not had pain in my fingertips, though they felt "funny" (don't really know how to describe it). My calluses are slowly coming in (the index finger has a pretty good calluse, the middle and ring finger a tiny bit of calluse, and none on the pinky yet.

I think it is maybe because I am playing an electric guitar with light strings (9-42)?

Hey guys,
Am too a mature beginner ( 6 months done ) and moving ahead well, rather ok.While playing barre chords and moving them and shifting them btw each other for long my wrist certainly pains.I think it all takes practice.Intially it took me hours to get Cmajor right and now i don know why the heck i couldn't play it.Keep playing 8)

And lets not forget , i play a classical guitar , which has a WIDE neck and high action.Oh sometimes its darn pain , but the music is soo sweet.... :P

No expert BUT I've been playing long enough now to tell you that everything stated so far sounds about right. Initially, atleast for me, my fingers felt very odd (I do alot of computer typing). The index is more calloused than the rest, followed by my middle and ring.

In another few months you wont notice a difference. Occassionally, I feel my fingers just to make sure that the callouses are still there. Everything feels about normal now.

Buzzing is quite normal in the beginning too. You see that go away too as you play more and get used to forming the chords. I still buzz when I learn a new chord or have to go back to one I dont use to often. In fact, sometimes I will find a song with a particular chord in it just so I can use that one over and over again.

Just have fun with it.. dont take it TOOO seriously.. Your guitar is great for relieving stress so dont let it become a source of it.

Have fun
Jim

Hello,

I'm new at guitar too and found this wicked site!

I've got about the same amount of calluse as vagas_jay!! none on the pinky yet etc.

Obviously its been said it will be sore at first and then you'll get used to it, which i'm experiencing - every time i play i can play for longer before i have a break.

What hasn't been mentioned is the action of the guitar - the space between the fretboard and the strings - the more space there is the more you have to push the strings down to hit the fret. If its a quite high (alot of space) action then it will be harder on your fingers - it can be adjusted - by a professional.

I'm not sure what the average range of distance is but i'm sure someone will have some more info.

please correct me if i'm wrong - i'm knew yet trying to help with what little knowledge i have!

:D

.... sounds like your going through the regular beginner stuff and making normal progress. I've been playing just under a year, iand nitially may fretting fingers hurt big time when i played and i felt that weird buzzing sensation when using my fingers afterwards. It'll all become second nature once you get used to it all - the tips of your fretting fingers will get harder and somewhat flatter (less rounded) than the other, but you won't feel the difference anymore. Playing will become less painful - painless most times, but i still hurt when i play for long. Your calluses will develop according to which fingers you use most or press hardest - which is usually the index, but as you progress you should make more use of your other fingers (even your pinky!) and things'll even out some. And the chords will come with practice - 3 chord songs like knockin on heavens door will help. Its a good idea to start by learning songs with few chords like that to keep you interested while practicing chord changes. Maybe chose some 3 chord songs that have different chord changes. Good luck....

hi being a sort of beginner too and quite seasoned also (next monthn I'll be 34) I could give you my two cents suggestions

Don't spend too much time in learn a lot of chords: a dozen are more than enough to start to play

let's say

A, Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G, G5 (if it is the right name it's the G played with four fingers) and Cadd9 (it's the C with four fingers)

It is very very important that you can play without thinking a few strummin patterns that are really helpful to play real songs.

To me the most important for a beginner are the following (4/4 measure, I gave the strum for each quarter beat):

D DU D DU
D D DU DU
D DU DU DU
D DU U D
D DU U DU

If you succeed with them also try

D Ddu D Ddu which is very good with slow songs (N.b. Ddu is an octave plus two sixtheens so it has the same lenght of a quarter note like the D on the first beat)

Don't forget that when you play the measures are linked toghether so don't stop at the end of each one

Matteo

I'm sure I'll be on here more since there's friendly cool folks like I've seen so far.

Yah, I do a lot of typing, too - so it's wierd having my fingers feel different than normal. They're not in any real pain (except when playing - hmmmm) :o

Now that I have learned a strumming pattern (D-D-DU) for the Clapton song I'm seeing how the transition between chords comes more naturally and quickly. It'll come to a point where my fingers just land at the right spot. Like typing I suppose.

I'm 32, so this is something I've wanted to try for years now. After piano when I was very young, and trying violin 5-6 years ago on a whim which I stuck with for about 6 months, I've been telling myself "guitar is next" for some time.

Why did I wait so long?! :lol:

I'm 32, so this is something I've wanted to try for years now.

Why did I wait so long?! :lol:

I'm 35. I had played before, years ago, but never as consistantly or committed as now. As for your fingers landing there.. Thats exactly right!! My guitar teacher is always telling me not to "think" about it. When I think about what I am doing then the flow and everything goes out the window.. But when I relax and just go then it sounds great.

I dont post as much as I used to but this is by far the best website out there for guitar. Just my opinion. The people are terrific, lots of information.. Its great all around.

Jim

I've been playing for around 13 years. You guys are right on par!

The fingers feel "funny" because you're pressing bands of metal into the tips of them. In a way, it deadens the nerve endings just a bit. The calluses will develop, but take care of them. If you play right after you get out of the shower, for example, you can damage them and they can actually peel off like dead skin (at least until they've developed a bit more maturely).

Aches and pains? Perfect. You're using muscles on your arms, hands, fingers, shoulders, etc. that you've probably never used before. They'll strengthen, the moves will become easier, your fretting will feel "lighter and softer," and you'll be well on your way.

Time, patience, and a bit of elbow grease... That's what it takes. I'm still working on it myself.

I am 56 and have just been learning for a few weeks. That tingling/numbness in the fingertips is weird. And you're right about the aches and pains especially with the barre chords.
When I think about what I am doing then the flow and everything goes out the window..

I am like that with my touch typing. I can whiz along at 60-80 words a minute and suddenly think, "hey, my fingers are really flying on this keyboard" and that's it: I am totally stuffed with mistakes every which way.

I had a few guitar lessons when I was 13 or so and wish I hadn't dropped them. I think of all those years wasted (at least for guitar playing: I've had lots of other fun along the way :wink: ).

Hi everybody,

Being a beginner myself,- it's really nice to see so many newbies around; well it took two months for the ache in the fingertips to go away, so now it's not a problem (well if don't play for 3 hours in a row, anyway :lol: )

So I guess it's just a matter of patience and practice.

And Knocking On the Havens Door isn't Clapton's - it's Dylan's :lol:

And Knocking On the Havens Door isn't Clapton's - it's Dylan's :lol:

Correct. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was written and performed by Bob Dylan in 1973 as a soundtrack for the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Probably the two most famous covers are from Eric Clapton and Guns N' Roses. Other artists that have covered it include the Grateful Dead, George Harrison, U2, Bob Marley, Avril Lavigne, the Byrds, and Elvis Costello. John Lennon made a version called "Knockin' on Dylan's Door".

I don't know what the heck callouses are...... :shock: