Mah Finguz!!

Q: how long are my fingertips going to hurt?

A: Easy - until you develop calluses ;)

Seriously I don't know. Just hang in there and it will come.

Lars

There's what may be an urban legend about the young Eric Clapton who would rub his fingers down with rubbing alcohol after playing to speed the formation of calluses. It's worth a try, I suppose.

Ive heard the rubbing alcohol story.
Ive heard the super glue on your finger tips story.

the pain goes away in time. and I mean weeks to months of playting. that is because it takes time to form callouses.

after an hour of practice your finger tips should hurt.
they should hurt with pride.

way to go. hang in there.

Ive heard the rubbing alcohol story.
Ive heard the super glue on your finger tips story.

the pain goes away in time. and I mean weeks to months of playting. that is because it takes time to form callouses.

after an hour of practice your finger tips should hurt.
they should hurt with pride.

way to go. hang in there.

At this point I'm ready to have steel plates surgically implanted!

At this point I'm ready to have steel plates surgically implanted!

BAH.. Dont cheat yourself. Enjoy every minute of it. Soons you'll wonder where that awsome pain feeling went. :shock:

Geoo

Once you get 'em make sure you keep 'em by playing at least 15 minutes a day because they do go away they're not permanent.

30 minutes a day for about 3 weeks will do it.

You'll start to notice you can't really feel the keyboard keys when you type. Then one day you'll be moving a dish from one place to another and your wife will yell, "that just came out of the oven" You'll just put it down and realize the burning smell is your fingertips.

I think you are practicing for a little long.
Rarely, will I practice 7 days a week.

When I started, I wanted to keep playing and play... my fingers started going tender, and each day they would hurt.

My Dad then gave me a little tip whic he has always used. And stop playing for one or two days... Then when you come back, you will think "wow.. I can play that song now... and I struggled with it two days ago"... then a few moments later you will say "wow... MY FINGERS AREN'T HURTING EITHER!".

I practice roughly every monday, tuesday, have wednesday off.. thursday, friday, part of saturday. Possibly sunday. Then maybe three weeks later, I will practice money, tuesday and wednesday. Then not again until Sunday!

That's not because I'm lazy, and don't have a schedule, but its because I know where to limit - and sometimes (which you WILL).. you get upset, frustrated, and down about not being able to pull off a barre chord, or playing a song etc - It's good to chill.

And, a lot of people disagree, but I personally think the rest you have from music is just as important as the playing.

30 minutes a day for about 3 weeks will do it.

You'll start to notice you can't really feel the keyboard keys when you type. Then one day you'll be moving a dish from one place to another and your wife will yell, "that just came out of the oven" You'll just put it down and realize the burning smell is your fingertips.

Sweet!! I can't wait for that day. Right now, once I've played for about thirty minutes, I can tell I'm not fingering properly any more.

I think you are practicing for a little long.
Rarely, will I practice 7 days a week.

When I started, I wanted to keep playing and play... my fingers started going tender, and each day they would hurt.

My Dad then gave me a little tip whic he has always used. And stop playing for one or two days... Then when you come back, you will think "wow.. I can play that song now... and I struggled with it two days ago"... then a few moments later you will say "wow... MY FINGERS AREN'T HURTING EITHER!".

I practice roughly every monday, tuesday, have wednesday off.. thursday, friday, part of saturday. Possibly sunday. Then maybe three weeks later, I will practice money, tuesday and wednesday. Then not again until Sunday!

That's not because I'm lazy, and don't have a schedule, but its because I know where to limit - and sometimes (which you WILL).. you get upset, frustrated, and down about not being able to pull off a barre chord, or playing a song etc - It's good to chill.

And, a lot of people disagree, but I personally think the rest you have from music is just as important as the playing.

What you say makes a lot of sense. I'm just so eager to get good enough to play well that I want to keep at it every day. I will try your advice however. Thanks.

Take into account everything that everyone says.
I do around 2 or 3 hours a day when I do practice. And I know when I'm going to hit my limit.
I've just started "jamming" with a friend while she sings. And so I've re-arranged my schedule a little.

But yes, I do take a day or two a week off, to rest my fingers and let them "learn" so to speak.

I think calluses are only part of the story. As you practice you also get a feel for what's the optimal amount of pressure on the strings to make them ring clearly without muffling or buzzing. It's a lot less pressure than we think we need at the beginning.

Switching to lighter strings for a while or having your action/setup "checked" (it might not need any work) by a pro are also good ideas.

oktay

I think calluses are only part of the story. As you practice you also get a feel for what's the optimal amount of pressure on the strings to make them ring clearly without muffling or buzzing. It's a lot less pressure than we think we need at the beginning.

Switching to lighter strings for a while or having your action/setup "checked" (it might not need any work) by a pro are also good ideas.

oktay

What will switching to lighter strings do to the sound quality?

Lighter strings will change the sound, and whether that's good or bad is purely subjective. IMHO, this fall under the category of "how bad do you want it"? When I got the bug to play 23 years ago I played every day (still do) and often played til my fingers bled :). Everyone's path is unique. I'd be afraid to take a day or 2 off because my playing has become an important part of who I am. Playing is my drug of choice :shock: Wear the pain with pride! You'll develop character as you grind thru the difficulties of the guitar. My callous pads would always come off in the summer becuase I love to swim in the ocean (the saltwater softens up the fingers). I would also mindlessly chew them off like a person bites their fingernails until a friend said, "hey ya idiot you need those pads for playing"! The pain goes away soon enough, the joys we get from playing return every time we pick up the guitar. Just hunker down and push thru it.... If everyone on the planet cared about learning music the world would be a much better palce to live.

PK