Finger Callouses/Strength?

Question

Spelled wrong? Whatever.

I play guitar like everyday but my chords sound stumpy cause i cant push them hard enough and my fingers are practically bleeding.

I dont really ever have time to play and now schools starting so it will be harder.

How can i make them stronger/coallousy so that when i do get a chance to play im not wincing in pain.

DONT SAY "PRACTICE MORE"

Duh.

I know. Thats not working for me.

Answer 1

Hi LOL

Change the strings to .009 extra light gauge. This will ease the action and allow you to lower it a little. This will facilitate your playing and will end your dilemma on sore fingers etc....

Any guitarist can have issues playing on a light or medium string guitar because it requires more pressure to play and would also osund bad. Why? Because the fingers get lazy and the left hand works twice as much on extra light strings which accounts for the speed .

Answer 2

Well if you want to develop finger calluses, you have to play.. there is no way to improve on it unless you make time! By the way, maybe use strings with less roughness (steel strings to nylon) or maybe an electric would help out.. just make sure you get some practice in each day man, or else those fingers won't be able to get used to it.  

Answer 3

Play like 20 minutes a day.  If you're bleeding, you should stop.  No one wants a blood stained fretboard (okay maybe that's kinda cool). 20 minutes of focused playing is enough to save your fingers and be able to play good at the same time.  once your fingertips harden, you'll be able to play longer eventually.  Just be patient and follow my advice.

Answer 4

Stop.

Bleeding fingers aren't normal. Indentations of the strings in your fingers are normal, and go away. Skin peeling is also normal, which fall off and your fingertips get hard.

Calluses may take a month or so to come through, but once you stop playing for a day or two (ok, maybe not a day), they'll disappear and you have to start all over again. But the second time around your fingers won't hurt since they'll be stronger and be used to the strings.

Answer 5

Try rubbing your fingers back and forth on the strings. Ouch.. XD

Answer 6

Try this site, it has some finger exercises:

http://www.justinguitar.com/

Answer 7

I'm not a guitarist; I play Irish harp. But if I lose a callus, or if a blister forms, I use a little bit of superglue on my finger pad; it will protect the skin from further damage until the callus forms again.

The posters who suggest keeping in regular practice are correct though; there's no shortcut and no substitution for that. You will need to develop some patience with that.

As far as exercise...I got into the habit of just exercising if I have some idle time. Maybe I'm sitting and chatting with friends, or sitting in my car at a stop-light, or just watching TV--I frequently make a point of stretching the tendons in my wrists, massaging the muscles, and doing little strength exercises, like gripping or pushing. You'll develop a routine for yourself as you become more experienced--you'll know which muscles are weak and need building, and you'll feel stiffness in the muscles that are getting the most work. Keep those muscles and tendons loose and stretched, before, during and after playing.

Answer 8

When I was learning, it helped me to soak the fingertips of my chord hand in a little rubbing alcohol for a few minutes after I played each time...it helps the callouses form faster. However, if your fingers are bleeding, then I wouldn't try that. It will burn like crazy on open skin.

But, you don't mention the type of strings you've put on your guitar. It's possible that your strings are medium or heavy in weight, which can put extra stress on your fingers and will definitely sound bad if the person playing doesn't have the finger strength to hold them down all the way. Try re-stringing with lights or extra-lights. And then be careful how heavy you're strumming and how thick your pick is, because lights break easier. Also, your fretboard could be not quite tight enough or warped, which causes the strings to be set too far from the frets. Then it's definitely painful to try to press them down because you have so far to go. I would take your guitar to a shop or an experienced player if you change your strings and still have aching fingers, because they will be able to show you how to tighten the neck (it's easy) and get your strings closer to the frets.

Good luck!