GMC Forum > Sore Fingers

GMC Forum > Discussion Boards > PRACTICE ROOM

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 28 2008, 11:44 AM

Even though I’ve been playing guitar for many years, I still sometimes have this problem that’s holding me back: Sore fingers

When I play guitar on a daily basis I get kind of thick calluses/hard skin on the fingertips which really makes it painless to play. But if I take a break for a week, or even just a couple of days, it can be really painful sometimes when I pick the guitar up again. I heard an absolute beginner who said that it feels like the strings cuts the fingers like razor blades. And yes, I guess that's almost how it feel

What I’d like to find is some kind of “magical recipe”, like… I don’t know… soak the fingers in lemon juice for ten minutes?

Or, put superglue on the fingertips and rub vinegar mixed with soap and salt?

Or, etc. etc… well… you get the idea!

Do you have any tips to share?

Bogdan Radovic

Aug 28 2008, 11:47 AM

I also have this problem !! My fingers hurt if I don't play daily..Looking forward to those tips

ZakkWylde

Aug 28 2008, 11:48 AM

My advice is killing you fingers with a guitar that has at least 11 gauge (or thicker strings) on it in standard tuning. Playing on those heavy strings will hurt like hell, especially when bending a whole step etc... but at the same time it will make your fingers stronger and you'll build up a extremely thick skin on your fingertips that won't vanish soon.

DeepRoots

Aug 28 2008, 11:49 AM

I'm looking forward to tsome replies here too...i have nothing to share though!

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 28 2008, 11:49 AM

QUOTE (Bogdan Radovic @ Aug 28 2008, 12:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I also have this problem !! My fingers hurt if I don't play daily..Looking forward to those tips

Yeah, I hope we can make a great list with "Do's and Dont's" here

Marcus Siepen

Aug 28 2008, 11:52 AM

I guess the easiest way to avoid this is NOT to stop playing for a week or even longer

Another option of course is to take a black cat, wait for the full moon on a friday 13th, then...

But seriously, I don't think there is a way to prevent this from happening. All of us have to take some breaks from playing from time to time and I guess all of us go through exactly the same thing then. It happened to me many times already, and the only way to fix this problem is to keep playing and building up this hard skin on your fingertips again. I really know people that used super glue, but in my opinion this is a bit over the top. The only time I had to use this super glue method was when I cut the tip of my finger while we were on tour. When I grabbed my guitar the strings were always opening the cut and actually cutting it deeper and deeper, so super glue was my only chance, but I didn't like it. But lets see if anybody else has an idea, I am curious too

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 28 2008, 11:58 AM

QUOTE (Marcus Siepen @ Aug 28 2008, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Another option of course is to take a black cat, wait for the full moon on a friday 13th, then...

ok, noted. Thanks!

QUOTE (Marcus Siepen @ Aug 28 2008, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The only time I had to use this super glue method was when I cut the tip of my finger while we were on tour. When I grabbed my guitar the strings were always opening the cut and actually cutting it deeper and deeper, so super glue was my only chance, but I didn't like it.

Thanks for sharing Marcus. Very interesting to hear that you actually did the super glue thing, and I guess that it's a quick way to solve this problem if we play live!

Emir Hot

Aug 28 2008, 12:05 PM

I havent practiced guitar properly for almost 3 years and never had that problem. The reason I don't practice is my full time job and other stuff I do. Maybe once in a week I spend 3-4 hours playing. I haven't noticed that I can't play what I played before. Somebody mentioned thick skin, that is a good point. I have that from acoustic guitar where the strings are much thicker. When I switch from acoustic to electric feels like I am wearing light trainers after 10 days walking in heavy boots. Probably because of that I never feel any pain.

Ivan Milenkovic

Aug 28 2008, 01:09 PM

I also don't have problems with sore fingers, my tips are constantly hard. BUT if I were had these troubles I would go first to general doctor, and then to pharmacy and ask pharmacist about it. I'm pretty confident in their knowledge because they have to have degree in pharmacy, so they should know their chemistry well

Jose Mena

Aug 28 2008, 02:14 PM

I get sore fingers every once in a while, this is usually if I have stop playing for weeks and come back to it. But what really kills me and I really hate is that my 3rd finger gets hurt if I do to many bends, it's like the fingernail will separate from the finger a little bit and it stings, the worst is when by mistake a string gets in there (between the nail and finger), at that point I have to stop doing bends for the rest of the day.

It happened to me in one of my lessons that will be published soon, but I had already started, so I had to continue, but I was in pain.

I forgot to ask, any advice here?

wrk

Aug 28 2008, 02:25 PM

Your lessons have been a few times responsible for me having sore fingers:) You have a lot of strong bends in your playing style which are kind of demanding to keep the calluses in good shape. I have the same problem as i often don't play for a few days because of work etc...

As far as i know, calluses is a sort of "dying skin" .. when you play regular its a constant process of replacing it ... if you search the ground in front of your chair with a microscope you will find endless particles of skin you rubbed of ..

Maybe try to get the habit to use at least something like a shredneck for a few minutes every day when you don't have the chance to play guitar. A bit like brushing teeth .. just add 5 minutes shredneck to the daily routine. I think it will help to keep the cycle of building new skin and rubbing the old skin of in balance.

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 28 2008, 02:33 PM

Thanks for your input guys!

audiopaal

Aug 28 2008, 02:40 PM

QUOTE (Marcus Siepen @ Aug 28 2008, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...take a black cat, wait for the full moon on a friday 13th, then...

Best tip yet, I'll definitely try this

Kristofer Dahl

Aug 28 2008, 02:48 PM

Yes I get this on my right hand fingers when I practice tapping (I only do that once every three months...

)

My advice would be in the same lines as wrk - to keep your calluses up by exposing them to a similar scenario a couple of minutes, even the days you don't touch a guitar.

Of course I want to be extreme so instead of recommending a shredneck - I think you you should tap the fingers on a razor blade every day

Please don't do that we want to hear more of your awesome solos

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 28 2008, 03:05 PM

QUOTE (Kristofer Dahl @ Aug 28 2008, 03:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of course I want to be extreme so instead of recommending a shredneck - I think you you should tap the fingers on a razor blade every day

Please don't do that we want to hear more of your awesome solos

Well, yeah... maybe that's a bit extreme

But we could tap the fingers on something less sharp perhaps, like scissors?

Oxac

Aug 28 2008, 03:26 PM

Do like tommi iomi. Cut your fingertips at work, then substitute them with forged iron.

-edit- Kris, did you get my mail?

Capt.Z

Aug 28 2008, 03:30 PM

QUOTE (Oxac @ Aug 28 2008, 10:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do like tommi iomi. Cut your fingertips at work, then substitute them with forged iron.

-edit- Kris, did you get my mail?

That sounds painful...

wrk

Aug 28 2008, 03:48 PM

hm .. could someone quickly do a "Razor Blade" lessen ... i have tried it together with the super glue on my black cat ... don't know how to tell, but something is not right ...

bubbafat

Aug 28 2008, 03:56 PM

Don't use hand lotions or soaps that soften the skin and break down callouses.

I've only been playing for a few months and had trouble building up callouses until I realized that the hand soap my wife was buying had a skin softening lotion that was reverting in seconds what took hours to build. Doh!

Once I switched to a non-lotion soap the callouses came on fast and thick.

jacmoe

Aug 28 2008, 05:01 PM

I rarely rinse my fingers in hot water, always cold (or luke).
And I use a skin conditioner regularly, to keep my fingers moist and fit for fight.
You don't want your fingers too dry, or the might crack up and become sore.

Once in a while I get sore fingers, but that's a rare thing.
I should do more tapping!

I never allow myself to play with newly washed hands: they should be dry.
And any skin conditioners should be fully absorbed.

Well, that's the only 'tip' I can offer..

QUOTE (bubbafat @ Aug 28 2008, 04:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't use hand lotions or soaps that soften the skin and break down callouses.

Hand lotions will indeed soften the skin, and that's a good thing.
Doesn't mean that your skin is weakened by it - to the contrary!
A high quality hand lotion will only strengthen your skin.
Just allow it to be absorbed fully before playing.

Soap can irritate and crack your skin, so use a mild one.

My two cents.

Marcus Siepen

Aug 29 2008, 11:56 AM

QUOTE (Marcus Lavendell @ Aug 28 2008, 04:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, yeah... maybe that's a bit extreme

But we could tap the fingers on something less sharp perhaps, like scissors?

Oh C'mon, scissors? Don't be such a coward

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 29 2008, 12:07 PM

QUOTE (Marcus Siepen @ Aug 29 2008, 12:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh C'mon, scissors? Don't be such a coward

buttmonk

Aug 29 2008, 09:05 PM

Think I read somewhere that SRV used to whip out his knife and cut a bit of hard skin from the heel of his foot and super glue that on his finger tip....apparently it improves ur tone

.......................(last bit was a joke btw)

fkalich

Aug 29 2008, 09:24 PM

QUOTE (Marcus Lavendell @ Aug 28 2008, 05:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even though I’ve been playing guitar for many years, I still sometimes have this problem that’s holding me back: Sore fingers

this surprises me. as I understood it, your fingers develop callouses from the inside out, that is why over the first year or so of playing they peal, and then after that no more problems.

I suspect the nerve endings on your fingers are more sensitive. the year before I started playing, I sliced part of the tip of a finger off with knife, and it grew back. But it was sensitive for awhile. I expect some people have more sensitive fingers like that. Maybe it is a good thing. Maybe that is why you are so fast.

QUOTE (buttmonk @ Aug 29 2008, 03:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Think I read somewhere that SRV used to whip out his knife and cut a bit of hard skin from the heel of his foot and super glue that on his finger tip....apparently it improves ur tone

.......................(last bit was a joke btw)

just because a guy plays guitar and makes money doing so, don't assume he is not a few cords short of a full load.

Juan M. Valero

Aug 30 2008, 08:49 AM

mmm I think there is some liquid to put in the fingers used a lot by harp players, but I don't know what is its name...
Anyway I use Fast-Fret in my strings and I don't have his feeling.

here is an article about calluses explained by a harp player:

http://dangerousangel.wordpress.com/2007/1...es-will-travel/

QUOTE

Harpist for Hire - Have Calluses, Will Travel

Monday, December 31, 2007 by Ariel

As delicate an instrument as the pedal harp seems to be, most people don’t realize that a harpist needs to have very tough fingertips to play one for any length of time. I’ve been working quite diligently on tone and technique lately, and the increase in practice time was giving me blisters on my fingertips, particularly on my left hand from plucking the heavy wire bass strings. In an attempt to get more practice in sooner, I’ve tried out some ideas that other players might find useful.

Taking a cue from the days when I needed to toughen up my feet for wildland fire season, I tried my old remedy of swabbing alcohol on areas that endure friction. The alcohol dehydrates and thickens the skin. It did help some, but not enough. It only extended my daily playing time between 10 and 20 percent. Another method of skin toughening suggested by a hiker friend, but which I did not try on my fingers, was to soak the blister-prone area in Epsom salts. I’d be curious to know if any harpists have tried this and what their results were.

Another technique I tried was to use a “liquid bandage” preparation on my fingertips. This allowed me to practice for between a quarter to a third longer before I got “hot spots” or blisters. The bandage layer does tend to wear out and peel off. This method could work well if someone had a moderate amount of time to build up to multiple hours playing per day, but I wanted faster results.

So, I VERY CAREFULLY smeared a thin layer of super glue on my fingertips where the skin contacts the strings. That worked extremely well and allowed me to play for several hours straight with no blistering at all. It more than tripled the amount of time that I could play at a sitting. I was amazed. I wore out before my fingertips did.

WARNING: Here’s the down side - pay close attention - this will only work if you are patient in preparing your fingers and let the glue dry thoroughly before touching your strings or anything else! Get impatient and you will have a mess, and could end up with your fingertips stuck together or any number of other problems. Consider yourself warned. Also, this is definitely not a use that the manufacturer would approve of…so do the above at your own risk.

I would use this method again if I needed to play for a long gig and my fingertip calluses were not properly conditioned, but I found that the glue does tend to crack and collect grime. Not particularly appealing, as the dried glue layer takes a number of days to wear off. In my opinion, your best bet is the traditional method of building up your calluses gradually and then maintaining them, but if you’re in a time squeeze the glue method does do wonders. Just be careful!

At this point, my harp calluses are built up to an acceptable level for most anything I want to do. The trick now will be maintaining them when I have to be away from the harp for an an extended period of time, as I am this week. I’m packing up my place in the Arizona high country in preparation for putting it up for sale. Next time I sit down to practice, I’ll see how my calluses held up to the time away.

Marcus Lavendell

Aug 30 2008, 08:58 AM

QUOTE (Juan M. Valero @ Aug 30 2008, 09:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Juan, that's a great article!
Hm... I think I will give the super glue a try

Vinod Saranga

Aug 30 2008, 09:04 AM

Great topic Marcus

Sore fingers are norlmal for begginners.The most imporatant thing is not to get discourage and not to stop playing for a long time.Time itself will solve the problem

Juan M. Valero

Aug 30 2008, 09:13 AM

QUOTE (Marcus Lavendell @ Aug 30 2008, 09:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Juan, that's a great article!
Hm... I think I will give the super glue a try

don't forget to upload some pics !!! I want to see your fingers with super glue

Ajmurrell

Sep 5 2008, 04:10 PM

There are so many responses that this method could have already been advised.

What I used to do was buy some surgical spirit and dab the end of my fingertips. This harderns them up pretty good

Just make sure you dry your fingers thoroughly, as I've no idea what nasty things that might do to your much loved guitars. heh.

- This might sound pretty scary and illadvised, but my Aunt is a Doctor and when she played guitar she used this method. It really does work!

Noangels

Sep 7 2008, 10:39 PM

Join the club mate,I never had this problem untill I racked up big hours in a band every week-been playing for twenty years now and noticed that my finger tips getting sore(and shoulder pain from wearing the axe while standing for so long!)
The other guitarist metioned this over a brew at luchtime,and the bass players skin has been coming off his fingers for weeks now!lol In fact our drummers hands look pretty bad too!Only the singer gets off lightly

Bogdan Radovic

Sep 7 2008, 10:52 PM

QUOTE (Ajmurrell @ Sep 5 2008, 05:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are so many responses that this method could have already been advised.

What I used to do was buy some surgical spirit and dab the end of my fingertips. This harderns them up pretty good

What is exactly a "surgical spirit" ? Can you find me a link or something...Thanks

Ajmurrell

Sep 8 2008, 02:00 AM

QUOTE (Bogdan Radovic @ Sep 7 2008, 10:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is exactly a "surgical spirit" ? Can you find me a link or something...Thanks

I think its essentially a form of methylated spirit, but they widely use it in medicine practice for cleansing the skin or before surgery as an anti-septic.

It's common in most pharmacy's here, also sold in sports stores sometimes for athletes to use.

It smells a bit strange, but honestly I know in writing it sounds a bit dodgy, and with things you read on the internet these days!! But yeah, ask in a pharmacy or drugs store about it and they should confirm what I'm saying.

It basically hardens up the skin a little bit, I'm not sure if thats its intended purpose, but if you type in "surgical spirit" and "guitar" in to google, you'll notice that it comes up a fair bit in other forums.

Here's a link to what it is, but I warn you, looks very very dull!

http://www.firstaid4sport.co.uk/product.as...ELAID=153526095

Hope that maybe I've contributed a little helping tip to some GMC users, considering the quality of lessons, its the least I can do!! Besides paying for the lessons

100% worth it though

Edit - You'll notice on the link it says - "This general skin disinfectant constricts your skin, preventing dirt and grime from infecting the skin. Also can be used as a rub to harden the skin of the hands and feet."

IT WORKS!

Marcus Lavendell

Sep 8 2008, 07:19 AM

Thanks for sharing Ajmurrell. That looks very interesting

seagull

Sep 20 2008, 11:11 AM

QUOTE (Vinod Saranga @ Aug 30 2008, 10:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great topic Marcus

Sore fingers are norlmal for begginners.The most imporatant thing is not to get discourage and not to stop playing for a long time.Time itself will solve the problem

I sure don't hope you'd classify Marcus as a beginner, 'cause then what the heck would us students be?

Iluha

Sep 20 2008, 12:31 PM

Well the most extreme tales about this are Stevie Ray Vaughn's Colluses Legends.

The most extreme one I remember is that he glued his fingers to a surface, and than PULLED, causing all his fingertip skin to tear and in a day or so he will have super tough colluses to deal with his 13's strings

Don't know how true it is, and I never want to find out.

Vinod Saranga

Sep 20 2008, 03:30 PM

QUOTE (seagull @ Sep 20 2008, 03:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I sure don't hope you'd classify Marcus as a beginner, 'cause then what the heck would us students be?

I mean

Great Topic Marcus ,

And begginners here is my thought

Ian Bushell

Sep 20 2008, 04:43 PM

I haven't really experienced this myself but agree with Marcus S. haha;)
I think it is inevitable that your finger tips will soften if you take a break.
I have also heard of some mad ideas to get around it but i would never try them let alone suggest some hahaha
Maybe when you return to regular practice after a break build up the practice time over a period of days till your fingers have hardened up again. 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour for example. Or practice one day on one day off (to let the tips heal) etc. until fingers are back to normal.

Marcus Lavendell

Sep 20 2008, 07:45 PM

QUOTE (Iluha @ Sep 20 2008, 01:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The most extreme one I remember is that he glued his fingers to a surface, and than PULLED, causing all his fingertip skin to tear and in a day or so he will have super tough colluses to deal with his 13's strings

Don't know how true it is, and I never want to find out.

... man, that's crazy!!

Marek Rojewski

Sep 20 2008, 08:40 PM

I would recommend a Shredneck, make the strings as hard to push as possible ( bad words but I am sure all of Ya understand;) ) and train with it for example in a traffic jam or while watching the daily news. It works for me.

visi0n

Sep 21 2008, 10:03 AM

Mostly my fingers hurt while practicing for a while, because youre repeating things like new bends, new chords (stretchy chords) or practicing a song with a lot of bends especially when i was learning vibrato lesson 1 of Marcus

haha man o man, that high bend almostly cutted my fingers back then, so when my fingers hurt i mostly practice something else like scale's so i no more bends for a while, and when its not hurting again

woohoo we going bend 2 note's again

haha

Muris Varajic

Sep 21 2008, 12:40 PM

Great that you brought this in Marcus,
cause first time when I REALLY felt pain in fingertips (ring finger actually)
was when we were making "Instructor Plays Instructor".
Frets on my guitars are almost jumbo and all those
wild slidings really make you crying.

Raw

Sep 21 2008, 12:41 PM

I would definetly go for the Iommi-method if I was you

.

Don't really have that problem myself in my left-hand, but when Im playing jazz chords (I dont use that technique as much as regular picking) I can get sore if I havent done it for a while. What I will recommend is to consider the strings you're using. D'addario for example, have a very metallic feel over them and they're used a lot in metal, but D'addarios are very dry strings with not much of a "layer" on them, that creates more friction which my tear a bit on you fingertips. You should try Elexsir instead because they've got a spray or something on them which make them softer, smoother and more sustainable than not-layer strings, it kinda feel more organic. Personally I use GHS strings at my 010-string-guitars and D'addario at my 012 guitar, but often with the "fast-fret" which oils the stings a bit so you can get that layer. Try it out, it might work for ya!

AdamB

Feb 16 2009, 05:53 PM

might be bringing back a dead thread here, but I have been using the gripmasters at work recently, and it keeps my calluses like rock, even used it to create calluses on my right hand ready to start tapping away like a maniac

I think it's helped quite a lot, as I never have pain in my fingers now, and the calluses are really smooth.

GuitarJones

Feb 16 2009, 06:33 PM

I rub a little rubbing alcohol on my fingertips if they lose their toughness and I've noticed that it really helps to build them back up quickly and keep the pain away. I thought it would dry my skin out and make the skin peel around the edges of the fingernail but it doesn't. Give the alcohol a try and let me know if it works for you too.

djohnneay

Feb 16 2009, 10:58 PM

When I first started to learn the guitar, I didn't know where to start, and therefore the first thing I did was learn all the techniques, such as sliding, hammer-on & pull-off, vibrato and bends. I did this on an acoustic and it hurt like hell, but I liked to play so didn't care much about it and the pain went away.

Recently I have bought some 11 strings, because I wanted a more 'metal' sound. I actually enjoy these strings more, because they are harder to bend and I can bend with more accuracy. At the beginning, tapping was kinda hard, but I've gotten the hang of that too now.
Although I used to get serious cramp when playing chords for a long time, but now I found that when I do a warm-up excersize, this won't happen also.

My advice to any who read this is : Just make sure you surely play once a week, or when you feel your fingertips get soft. It doesn't have to be long, just 5 min a day will do and keep your fingers active.

Vasilije Vukmirovic

Feb 16 2009, 11:44 PM

QUOTE (Bogdan Radovic @ Aug 28 2008, 11:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I also have this problem !! My fingers hurt if I don't play daily..Looking forward to those tips

:)Yeah, mine also hurt if I don't play on regular basis.
Good thing is to shake your hand, and to stretch it before and after playing, especially after one hour intense workout.
Blood starts to rush, and you gain back your strength. I saw this on Petrucci's videos.

WanderMan

Aug 3 2009, 08:30 PM

There's a lot of nice tip here for hurting fingertip

Also I had some problem with the other hand. I tried the Gabriela tutorial from Rodrigo y Gabrielle as you can find on internet, I suppose it's the same with the Spanish guitar style here. You have got to brush the string fast and at first it's not really precise. So you brush with your full nails instead of just the fingertip. Quickly enough the join point where your nail get out of the finger wears off, and there's tiny bit of blood coming.
I remember still playing, and then droplets of bloods where propelled on the guitar. Of curse doing acoustic stuff on sharp electric guitar strings does not help... Some time it looks like playing guitar can turn to a deal with some evil, you got to sign with blood

But at least there is a easy cure here, it's accuracy

And in comes quickly enough with practice, and I'm at a lower level than what's called a beginner here

Now that there is 2-3 cool suggestions in this thread, that would be nice to sum-up

This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.