Just started yesterday -- injured finger tips

Hello,

I just started playing yesterday (I'm LOVING the Guitar Tricks lessons by the way), and I'm already in love with the guitar (only played the piano in the past). I feel like I could sit and learn for hours, but my fingertips (on my left hand) are so damaged from the strings that they are almost bleeding. I'm a girl, so I have softer fingers, and I cut down my nails so I would be able to master the curled finger technique. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is it better for me to let my fingers suffer so that they get tougher? Or are there other options, like wrapping the tips with tape?

Has anyone else had this problem?

Thanks so much!!
Manda

Hi Manda,

Welcome to Guitar Tricks!

EVERYone's had this problem, it's just part of the beginning phase. The more you play, the more they'll toughen up. Once you develop calluses your fingers won't hurt like that but you gotta keep playing for it to happen.

It's good that you cut down your nails, they can really get in the way. Sounds like you're really diving in, way to go!

Hiya Manda

(sorry for my bad english)
It's normal, you need to wait about one or two weeks before the fingertips skin get hard enough.
If you want better and faster results, use each day moisturizing cream(or lotion) on your fingertips but not before you play (could be before you sleep).
Believe me it will be a lot better than without using that.

Originally Posted by: Neal WalterEVERYone's had this problem,

Yep.

Only thing I would add is to be a little careful that you don't push through so hard that you all the sudden can't play for a few weeks because a blister is healing. I did that after my first hiatus from guitar playing.

The callouses you build are the great evening out. The guitar doesn't understand girl versus boy. Just notes and once you build them bad boys up, you're good to go.

The guitar demands its bit of "blood." It lets you work out the "sweat and tears" part on your own. :) Just another part of playing. As others point out, daily practice should see they're toughening up, and you won't feel it quite as bad. After a month, your fingertips will probably feel like they could poke holes into granite. :D

Yeah, very normal like everyone else has nicely pointed out.

I'd say after about a week or so of playing, you won't even notice.

Originally Posted by: MandaCatherineI'm a girl, so I have softer fingers

That's no excuse! lol

Ha Ha! You are all right! Being a girl is no excuse!! Thank you all for your helpful tips and for being so encouraging :) I guess I was just hoping that there was some secret trick I didn't know about.

I'm having so much fun here on Guitar Tricks! I don't know many people who play the guitar, so it's really nice to meet people in this forum.

I'm just going to keep chugging away and will look forward to having finger tips of steel!

Manda

It was the blister factor that actually got me onto the electric when I picked up the guitar again. I figured I'd get toughened up on the easier action first, then back on to the acoustic. I still ended up with a blister, and I have stuck with electric. I'm glad it worked out that way, though. :)

Good luck!

Good morning Manda,

I think it is a universal problem until you get those fingertips toughened up. One thing I've found that has helped me is using GHS medium Silk n' Steel guitar strings. They are a little easier on the fingertips and the mediums give good sound, stay in tune well, and last a long time. The GHS brand was given to me by a professional musician and they are reasonably priced too. I hope this helps...have a wonderful day and keep practicing......

Ray J.

I am going through this right now. I have been playing for about 15 minutes at a time, and it's not as bad. I'll do finger exercises first on each string, then I'll do some simple chords. I think the finger exercises are helping toughen them up, but by not trying to play for long periods of time, I don't overdo it. It's working pretty well.

razbo, I was wondering if it was different on the electric guitar. I've wanted to play the guitar forever - because I love the instrument, and in memory of my dad who loved to play. My husband said that he would buy me a guitar, and we hit the shop in search of a cheap-but-nice acoustic. I'll tell you, it took a lot of strength not to purchase an electric. They were all so beautiful and sexy - I had to literally force myself into the acoustic room in the back! But, now that I have my guitar, I absolutely love it, and wouldn't trade it - even with my poor battered fingers :)

gaspasser, Thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely give that a try. I'm just using the strings that came with the guitar, but I'll go online and order the ones you suggest to see if they are easier on my hands.

2thankful, What types of finger exercises are you doing? I've just been following the exercises on GT - I'm in the second set of chord lessons in Fundamentals 1 (still trying to master that F major). I've been playing until my fingers are so dented that the strings stop ringing correctly, and then I break down and tape my finger tips so I can keep going. I just can't force myself to stop. Hopefully the taping won't keep my fingers from toughening up -- I do play without the tape until I can't stand it.

And thank you everyone else for your help also! JeffS65, I really appreciate the warning. I think I may have pushed myself into blisters if I hadn't read your post!

I'm on day 6 and they still hurt like heck -- but I'm going to keep at it and hopefully they will turn to stone soon!

Manda, I don't think the electric will be easier on your fingers, but it might be easier on the rest of your hand muscles and reduce fatigue. Unfortunately, the fingers take time. Don't play so much at a time in the beginning. An hour a day maybe and they will toughen up a bit before you forget about it. I like my finger calluses. They make me think of the guitar while I type at work. ;)

Think of all those women guitarists who rock out and have gone through the same pain. Nancy Wilson, Sheryl Crowe, Chrissie Hynde...

If you haven't yet, try Lisa McCormick's Spider Legs exercises...They are great.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=621

I haven't seen mention of this, so I'll throw it in. There are products that are supposed to condition/clean your strings to make them slick and keep them sounding bright. One I use occasionally is "Fast Fret". I can't say for sure how much it might help, but less friction can't hurt! :)

I used to use it a lot on my acoustic, especially. This one cost me 8 bucks and they last a long, long time.

I personally find the electric much easier on the fingers. When I picked the guitar back up after so many years, my acoustic was tearing me up. That's the main reason I started playing electric, which I had for a long time, but aside from cranking Smoke on the Water from time to time, I had never really played.

Then I got hooked on that. It's a different thing to me. If I play acoustic, I automatically want to chord and sing. On electric I want to bar and solo with no inclination toward vocals. It's weird. On the acoutstic I almost feel obligated to sing. :rolleyes: But I digress...

Good luck with the callouses! :)

swright00: Thanks so much for your advice!! The Spider Legs exercises are EXCELLENT!! They are exactly what I need. Just going through the first (and easiest) lesson has shown me how much control I DON'T have over my own fingers!! It's amazing how quickly the control comes though as you repeat the exercise. I also like them because they give my fingers a break from practicing chords. I work on chords until I start to feel pain, and then I switch to Spider Legs. It really seems to work -- switching back and forth. It's helping me keep playing with my sore fingers, AND I'm gaining finger control! I'm going to make these part of my daily routine.

It's funny that you mention the other women guitarists. I found myself thinking the same thing...trying to think back to seeing their photos at award shows and trying to remember if their nails were clipped to the nubs (as mine are now) and if their fingers looked as beat up as mine :) I figure as long as my husband is understanding, I don't need to worry about anyone else. I can get some Lee press-on nails for special occasions ha ha!!

Razbo: It was hard enough not to purchase an electric guitar -- if I had known it would be easier on my fingers, I probably would have been sold!! I had to force myself away from them. They were calling to me :D But, there's no going back now. Although the electric sounds like so much fun, and I see many of the rock tutorials on GT are geared toward electric, I love my acoustic, and I won't be switching over until I master it.

I definitely don't feel like I have to sing with my acoustic -- the world will be a better place if I can keep my singing to the car and the shower. Hopefully I'll be able to keep myself entertained with the acoustic -- without singing!!

Electric or acoustic, the guitar is definitely addicting. It's all I want to do -- I never thought it would be this much fun!! Even with the sore fingers (which seem to be holding up better already after only 1 week) :) I'm always open to new ideas though - I don't have my calluses yet - so I'm going to look into the string conditioner. Thanks!

Your enthusiasm is inspiring! :)

It sounds as if you're doing great!

I came back to the acoustic guitar at age 47 after a twenty-year break with no playing at all. I still had my finger calluses!!! (And chords, strumming and picking ability flowed back into my fingers while my brain thought I couldn't remember.)

So the pain you're feeling now is a lifelong investment!

Do Mi

Thanks Eugenefolkie! Your comment really helped me to keep plugging along through the pain -- that and my total fear of having to start again from scratch HaHa!

Well, I'm proud to say that I can now practice the guitar for an hour or two with NO PAIN!! I don't think I have actual calluses yet, but my fingers seem to have turned off the pain sensors in their tips :) Now, when I am forced to stop, it's because my tips are so dented that I don't get clean notes anymore! I'm looking forward to my calluses, but in the meantime, I'm loving playing pain-free! Thanks so much to all of you for your advice and encouragement!

The good thing about building callouses is playing is so much fun you just can't help it. I love the acoustic guitar. I did get an electric but I find that I do more fiddling with all the knobs and settings than I do actual playing. I like to pick up the acoustic and just play. Something about the way it sounds I guess.

Dents in the fingers yeah that means your almost there! Funny..the guitar got me into the piano. I find the theory of music much easier to figure out and understand on the piano, then on the guitar it doesn't seem quite as difficult to grasp. Good luck keep at it!,

Ed