Before I get flamed for this one :lol: I'm not talking about general guitar finger toughness. I've been playing since January this year and my fingers are pretty tough, but the last few days I've been soloing along to a backing track of Pink Floyd's Shine on you crazy diamond. This is an 11 minute backing track and for most of it I'm doing at least single tone bends, if not more, on strings 1,2,3 somewhere in the high teens on the fretboard (usually 17,18,19,20 etc.). Thing is, I've just done three consecutive plays of that track (which is amazing incidentally!) but my fingers are quite raw and noticeable lumps of skin have been sliced off by the strings. :shock: I haven't had this problem before really because I've never done such sustained string bends for so long before (I find myself holding these bends with vibrato for 10 seconds sometimes in this song, rightly or wrongly, I think it sounds good :)). Will this situation improve with time playing this sort of thing?
Probably worth noting that my fingers get slightly sweaty when I'm really concentrating on something like this, which probably doesn't help as that will soften up the fingertips too. :oops:
Thanks. :)
Rob
If something's not worth doing it's worth forgetting about.
Epiphone Les Paul Std - Yamaha Pacifica 112XJ - Takamine EG340SC - Taylor Baby - Grainger Hammerhead 50 - Grainger Valve Five
http://www.youtube.com/yashicamatonline
yeah. things will improve. previously you were building baby callouses. now you are making the real ones.
your fingers will get tougher. still, there will be days when they or one will be sore and tender.
after 43 years pf playing I woke up this morning with a tender spot on my ring finger pad. played hard yesterday during the snowstorm. the groove is still there and when I press a string ..ow. it all gets better. callouses. playing, tone.
bends will do that to fingers as you found out.
yeah. things will improve. previously you were building baby callouses. now you are making the real ones.
your fingers will get tougher. still, there will be days when they or one will be sore and tender.
after 43 years pf playing I woke up this morning with a tender spot on my ring finger pad. played hard yesterday during the snowstorm. the groove is still there and when I press a string ..ow. it all gets better. callouses. playing, tone.
bends will do that to fingers as you found out.
Very true. And I know about that snow/ice storm. I was able to get three jam parts done yesterday for here. Huge for me. :mrgreen:
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
Cheers for the replies. :)
Yeah I guess it's a case of hacking away at those poor fingertips until they toughen up then. :D I had to wait about 4 hours before I could play that song again, I've just done the same thing again, played it 3 times or so through and now I'll have to wait again before touching it again lol. Need to clean the "remains" off the strings now. :shock: :oops:
Rob
If something's not worth doing it's worth forgetting about.
Epiphone Les Paul Std - Yamaha Pacifica 112XJ - Takamine EG340SC - Taylor Baby - Grainger Hammerhead 50 - Grainger Valve Five
http://www.youtube.com/yashicamatonline
yes. it is always best to clean one's flesh off the strings. you get better tone then. 8)
don't you love guitar. despite the sore fingers I just have to play that one song again!
Yep, well I have been making a habit of cleaning the strings, even during play, now. He he, yeah I know what you mean! Even when my fingers are hurting I still have to play that song once more :D . . . . then I'll move onto a different song which hurts less. :mrgreen:
Rob
If something's not worth doing it's worth forgetting about.
Epiphone Les Paul Std - Yamaha Pacifica 112XJ - Takamine EG340SC - Taylor Baby - Grainger Hammerhead 50 - Grainger Valve Five
http://www.youtube.com/yashicamatonline
