What's "normal"?
Without presenting all relevant parameters, "normal" is about as useful a gauge as "a piece" of string.
[br]Changed over from what? Electric with 9's, or nylon stringed Classical?
How frequently is "consistently" .."for about a month"? Ever day for two hours a day divided into two one hour sessions over the past thirty days?; or, an hour a couple of times a week for three 'n a bit weeks? (from your sub join date).
Your new tip tenderness could be down to one or several of many concurrent things. To list a few of the main culprits.
- Acoustic strings have higher tension require higher frettting pressure,
- and a higher frictional coefficient with fingers,
- You're pressing too hard. Especially on acoustic, most beginners tend to,
- The acoustic strings are old, oxidised or corroded and rough, Ouch!
- Your acoustic is fitted with heavy gauge strings
- Higher action on the acoustic, perhaps even higher than spec.
- Your fingers - soft, fleshy, bony etc. We're all different.
[br]This is an image I took of my own fretting hand fingertips at about nine months in when something else about fretting was under discussion. I was playing [u]a lot[/u] as in averaging daily six days out of seven for at least a couple of hours a day at the time that pic was taken. I play acoustic, electric & nylon.
Back then, my skin would still shred and regrow. Seventeen months on, it just doesn't any more. Nor do my tips get tender or sore. I guesstimate I'd have to play something like [u]five hours[/u] a day [u]every day[/u] now for that to occur now, and of course, that's not going to happen. The hardened tip skin is now unbroken on all fingers and remains that way even with frequent regular playing. e,g, An hour or so minimum on most days, through an easy two or three some days with a day or two break every three weeks to a month average.
What is[u] "normal" [/u]is that [u]calluses will develop with hands on exposure[/u], and they take time. Be patient. Work through it.
As your tips develop to callus stage, first they become tender, then assuming you continue to work through it, shred. At this time, you'll want to space the practice, probably lessen the frequency and lower the session time to reduce exposure until the skin sublayer toughens. Work though mild discomfort. Let its severity be your guide.
Raw Apple cider vinegar dabbed on the fingertips with a cotton ball or tip after practice is a well known aid to assistng both alleviation of soreness and accelerating toughening of those tips. I can personally attest to its efficacy. If you use it, remember to wash hands before playing again because it's acidic. Mixed with skin oils skin detritus and moisture, it'll accelerate steel string corrosion.
manX
PS. Just watched William's vid. Should mention, omitted above, that I no longer use apple cider vinegar as I just don't need to, but I do use a skin moisturising cream on my finger tips, either after longer sessions or alternately a couple of times a week. I use and prefer Eulactol heel balm formulated to treat cracked heels over cosmetic moisturisers marketed at soft female hand or facial skin. It contains urea and lanolin and is femni-fragrance free. Superior for our purpose IME&O. Works great and comes supplied in a decent size tube (biennial supply) convenient to dispense tube. Works better than inexpensive sorbelene moisturisers sold in bulk tub or press dispensers IME.
Also relative to skin dryness, impact of climate. I live in the opposite climate to William. Coastal sub-tropical, so high humidity, high temps, saline. That said, I spend most of my time these days in air conditioned comfort, and that's low humidity, moderate temps.