Sore fingertips from guitar?

Question

I've just started playing an acoustic steel stringed Yamaha guitar. I know you usually get sore finger tips from holding down the steel strings to the frets, but didn't expect it to be this bad :( Even typing this is painful on my fingertips. I know callouses will develop, but until then, how can I lessen the pain! I don't want to stop playing, what do I do?

Answer 1

ice it for now then you will develop hard callouses and you cant feel anything

Answer 2

Until the calluses develop, try to tough it out. The only pain that isnt good in guitar is if your hand starts to actually cramp up. Then stop immeadiately or you can get tendonitis. But  pain on the very tips of your fingers where you push down on the strings is extremely good and shows you are practicing well... I'd take a break if it hurts to type though, or maybe practice on an electric guitar or a nylon-stringed.

Answer 3

There's nothing you can really do about the pain. That is something that will go away after a while. But in the mean time, if your fingers hurt too much to play, there are still some exercies you can do.  For example, choose two chords that are difficult for you to finger. Practice switching from one to the other. You can do this by just barely touching the strings. You don't have to even strum, which makes it good if someone is watching TV or something like that.

This is a good exercise to improve coordination and it keeps you practicing while you can't play.

Answer 4

tough it out,

Answer 5

Someone told me that putting nail polish remover on your finger tips helps toughen up the skin faster.

Stick with it! When i started playing bass my fingers canned, but just take it slow. You'll be alright.

Answer 6

I'd usually say just tough it out for now but you can try changing the strings, over time they can get rough.

If your not afraid of spending a little extra money I'd recommend getting light "elixir strings", they have a coating that gives a very soft almost lubed kind of feel but their usually hovering around $20 a set. So more likely in your case just go for a cheap set of light strings. This might help a bit with the amount of pressure you need to apply to them

Hope it helps!

Answer 7

use a pic.

or take a break

Answer 8

It does get pretty painful. You gotta suffer through it, like I did (and every other guitar player). But know your limits: when it gets really bad, take a break.

When you practice, though, you shouldn't feel any pain. Just afterward.

Answer 9

guitar is a painful instrument.

Answer 10

Try relaxing your grip on the neck when you are not strumming the strings.  Practicing guitar usually hurts, but you can lessen the pain by not holding chord shapes longer than necessary.  There's no reason to have an Iron Grip on the "G" chord when you aren't playing it.

When I started, I had lines on my fingers and sometimes they even stuck to the strings.

Try playing a chord, then remove your fret hand from the strings, then replay the chord in that same manner a few times so you are releasing when the chord is finished.  That can help to lessen the discomfort.

Also, if the strings are old, sometimes they will be a little more rough from rust/oxidation.  A fresh set of strings will probably feel smoother.