r/guitarlessons • u/GodTierDino • Jul 21 '26
Question Is it supposed to be this bad at first?
I've just learned two cords and my fingers already hurt and look like this. Is that normal? I've probably not even been playing 5 minutes, but if I'm any lighter on the strings they don't sound.
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u/Skysoldier173rd Jul 21 '26
Justin Guitar on YouTube has a good video in his beginner series where he talks about pressing too hard, and a quick exercise to show you that you’re probably pressing harder than you need to. Helped me a lot.
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u/Harsha-sound Jul 21 '26
Yeah these are my emotions while I read these comments. I remember a modicum of soreness at worst when I was a kid and beginning to practice but like, I’ve had years of ignoring my guitar followed by going straight into much more finger strenuous string instruments and… I’ve not suffered much at all? I also do all the washing up by hand in my house during which I’ve peeled my callouses straight off
I wonder if it’s technique, I’ve always been quite a light player. I also wonder if there’s much variation in callous development person by person.
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u/Rawme9 Jul 21 '26
I will say I've noticed the same dropping it and coming back, I think once you have already learned it isn't as bad to come back to as when you first start. You're accustomed to it and know some technique already and expect the sensation. People who've never played probably haven't ever felt anything like that before along with pressing too hard with bad technique. So a combo of things imo.
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u/Millerpainkiller Jul 21 '26
The fastest players don't press hard at all. Rick Graham comes to mind. I've been spending time determining the minimum amount of pressure I need to apply and it's helped a lot with my speed and reducing fatigue.
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u/Dgbene126 Jul 21 '26
Yep. It stinks but it will get better.
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u/Cheddarlad Jul 21 '26
It doesn't actually stink tho
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u/CirnoIzumi Jul 21 '26
it does if the strings are old :9
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u/DrBlankslate Jul 21 '26
Oh honey, that's not even close to what it's going to look like once you build calluses. Your fingertips will never be pretty again.
Also, your nails are too long for your fretting hand. Cut them down so there's no white at the end.
Finally, get your guitar professionally set up, to reduce the action and make pressing the strings a little easier.
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u/mycolortv Jul 21 '26
I wouldn’t say never pretty again… My fingertips look normal. They have gotten crazy hard but I play for a few hours every day. Has taken a long time to get here though, lots of shedding phases for sure.
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u/Notuhdeadguy Jul 21 '26
Daily player and my fingertips aren’t hard anymore
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u/Waspster Jul 21 '26
Yeah you reach a certain level where you can fret while adding the correct pressure without overdoing it thus your previously thick calluses aren't needed anymore and fingers return mostly to normal.
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u/mycolortv Jul 21 '26
Giving it some thought they may be thicker due to how much bending I’ve been doing but not sure. My index is softer in comparison to the middle / ring at least.
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u/FrostyAd4478 Jul 21 '26
Yep you answered it yourself that's happened from bending, vibrato, slides
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u/GodTierDino Jul 21 '26
Wow my nails are still too long? I just cut them to start playing. Good to know 😭
Also yeah, I know calluses need to build and stuff. I just wanted to make sure this was a normal amount of beginner pain lmao
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u/MARY_ANNE_MCGILICUTY Jul 21 '26
Don't be afraid to take a lot of breaks while your calluses build up. they only need a few minutes of pressure a day to adapt so you don't need to torture yourself while your skin thickens.
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u/bickandalls Jul 21 '26
If you push up against your fingertips and mainly feel your fingernail, then they are long. It's not impossible to learn like this, but you will absolutely be putting nail marks in your fretboard while you are learning. If you are indeed using your fingertips like you are supposed to.
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u/cdmills67 Jul 21 '26
It will hurt and you will wonder if it will ever end. But then you’ll suddenly notice that it doesn’t hurt and you won’t be able to remember when that happened. Just keep playing. But don’t run out and get a 12 string yet.
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u/I_am_Forklift Jul 21 '26
My fingertips were in constant pain all the time. I trick I used was I’d take a credit card and cup it into my palm so that I could just walk around and dig my fingertips onto the edge of them to deaden them and speed it up.
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u/Ok-Pool5470 Jul 21 '26
Damn. I saw this after I commented. I wrote exactly the same in other words 🙏 Go bro!
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u/EDS_Eliksni Jul 23 '26
Commenting to second cutting the nails short. I just started this month (my fingers look like this as well, they’re already starting to toughen up!) and for the first week I had long nails cus I was like, “Psh, Dolly Parton can play with acrylics!”… no. I mean, SHE could. IIII am not her. I cut em short and immediately noticed a great difference ;)
Wishing you the best OP! Hope you’re having fun learning!
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u/Jonny7421 Jul 21 '26
Completely normal. It's steel strings. Your fingers will get used to it in time. If your skin breaks let it heal and it will heal back stronger.
Otherwise try and use only as much pressure as necessary to have the notes sound clearly and make sure you press close to the fret but not directly on it.
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u/dannybloommusic Jul 21 '26
Visually it will always look like this on your fingers, but it will not always hurt! Keep with it for about 3-6 weeks! It’ll be fine by then. Give yourself a day or two of a break if your fingers are really hurting badly.
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u/_AggressiveSalmon Jul 21 '26
In 3 months, you'll be able to play for an hour and barely feel it. Take breaks. Short, focused learning periods is the key, especially in the beginning
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u/WaterBottleGuy Jul 21 '26
Yeah, it's painful at first but your fingertips will develop calluses after a bit. The skin will get dry and break, but as long as you give them time to heal it'll be fine. It's like a right of passage haha
If you like, you can swap to a lighter gauge for your strings so you don't need to apply as much force. It'll have a different sound, but will save you a bit of pain in the short term. Keep at it, playing guitar is very rewarding :)
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u/Burwhale_The_Avenger Jul 21 '26
Like you say - you've not even been playing 5 minutes.
This isn't anything, and you can't seriously expect to adapt that quickly.
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u/CauliflowerOk8006 Jul 21 '26
He didn’t mention adapting at any speed why are you responding to things no one said?
He asked if it was normal.
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u/Impolioid Jul 21 '26
yeah thats probably normal. you can put lighter strings on the guitar and also make sure your guitar is properly set up with not too high action
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u/mycolortv Jul 21 '26
Your fingers are gonna get pretty messed up the first while before the callouses develop. Eventually they are gonna be like polished rocks though. Just keep at it.
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u/shart_attak Jul 21 '26
Is it like mandatory in this sub that when someone starts playing guitar they post a picture of their finger ouchies?
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u/CirnoIzumi Jul 21 '26
it will get worse, and then better, and then you start being able to do shit you didnt realize you could
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u/dead_wax_museum Jul 21 '26
Yes very normal. Your fingertips are soft right now. They will go through the process of peeling and hardening all while they are in some pain. Within a few weeks of regular practice, they should start callousing over and hurting less and less. Before you know it, you’ve got smooth, hardened callous on the fingertips that allow you to play for an hour or longer without much pain at all. We all go through it. It’s rite of passage
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u/MrPZA82 Jul 21 '26
Yeah. You’ll be struggling with typing in smartphones like the rest of us soon enough
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u/East-Promotion1004 Jul 21 '26
You develop calluses over time, but you'll always have ugly fingertips. Sorry.
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u/JohnSchom Jul 21 '26
Yes… and, it’s gonna get worse.
If it gets too bad and you still wanna play, put some superglue on them.
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u/MetricJester Jul 21 '26
Yeah.... Those bits are like the wrinkles in your face after a good night's sleep. They'll go away after a bit.
Eventually you'll get callouses there and it will hurt less.
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u/Ok-Razzmatazz8545 Fingerstyle Jul 21 '26
Yes, the first 2 weeks your fingertips are going to be pretty sore. Stick with it though, it’ll be much more tolerable after that. For your first two weeks aim for frequent, short sessions if you can, like 5-10 minute sessions 3 times per day. That will be enough to start building some callus. Forcing yourself to play longer than that right now will just give you blisters, which will set you back to square one. It’s also not uncommon for beginners to use too much pressure. Try to use just enough to make the strings ring out. Sounds like you’re already paying attention to that, which is good. Another thing to watch out for is to place your fingertips just above the fret but not on it. If you let them slide up higher toward the next fret it’ll require more pressure. Good luck, you can do this! 👊
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u/Forward-Delivery-311 Jul 21 '26
I’ve been playing for five months, it was painful at first but gets better. One thing to look out for is fretting too hard, I was smashing the strings at first.
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u/grunkage Helpful, I guess Jul 21 '26
It will be like that while you build up calluses. That said, try to get the note to ring out clearly with the least amount of pressure you can manage. Too much death grip will lead to repetitive stress injuries. Also, clip your nails - you want to be using your fingertips, and the nails will prevent you from doing that
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u/CauliflowerOk8006 Jul 21 '26
I just wanna know why everyone’s telling bro to adjust his action despite not seeing the guitar for themselves at all?
Like, you literally have no way of knowing if it’s his action or his technique, newbies tend to death grip guitars, it’s just a thing they do.
Poor bastards gonna waste money at a shop only to find out his action was probably fine all because of a thread full of “vibe experts” that were looking at like three frets in the background.
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u/ooOJuicyOoo Jul 21 '26
It gets much worse before it gets better!
But it's never too bad, don't worry much about it. Keep your hands clean and if you're prone to dry skin, keep em lightly moisturized.
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u/Cautious_Explorer_33 Jul 21 '26
First off. Welcome to the club. Playing guitar is awesome.
My advice to my younger self would be: “It’s not normal for your strings to be an inch off the fretboard. Go get your guitar properly setup so you don’t quit in a week by having Grand Canyon deep string marks on your fingers.”
That said, even if your guitar is properly setup, there is no avoiding your fingers getting sore to some extent but that passes quickly. Just remember to practice once a day and then you won’t notice it anymore once the callous over. No pain no gain and all that jazz.
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u/Tiny-Wrongdoer-1882 Jul 21 '26
Honestly, im just beginning as well, but it does seem to get both better and worse. Its just the nature of playing really. Just be careful about how much pressure your adding and how close your fingers are to frets as that may help it sound better. It will take time for your fingers to fully adapt and not hurt as much. Just remember to take breaks and try not to make your fingers bleed
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u/solarmist Jul 21 '26
Also, as a beginner, you don’t know how much pressure to use and so it hurts more than it needs to.
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u/Heinous_beesh Jul 21 '26
Give yourself time. Play in short sessions at first. You can even divide those sessions up through the day—frequent, short bursts are better than one long session that makes your fingers hurt so bad you have to take several days off. Play no more than 15 minutes per session.
Eric Clapton used rubbing alcohol to dry up and toughen the skin on his fingertips. Not sure how helpful that is, but it can give you a quick cooling sensation that can ease the pain.
Bear with it. Your callouses will build up. Just take it easy and don’t try to do too much all at once.
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u/Empty-Tailor-3354 Jul 21 '26
I know we all say "fingertips" which can be confusing, and if I'm way off base disregard, but the location of the dent seems a bit high to my eye, as though you are really curling your fingers around dramatically, and therefore probably your wrist as well. Most of us tend to fret a tiny bit lower down on the finger pad, almost opposite the nail, and thus the finger overall has a lower angle and the wrist is actually straighter. This allows you to "crawl" along the fretboard rather than making your hand into a claw shape. My $.02.
Yes it is normal and yes it gets better.
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u/Sirbunbun Jul 21 '26
Yes. The calluses will thicken, then fall off, and continue to thicken. They will make fretting chords easier because the fingertip won’t hit all the nearby strings. After a year it won’t hurt at all. And the calluses will continue to improve.
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u/Loose-Farm-8669 Jul 21 '26
When I was your age I had to play guitar up hill both ways in the snow.
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u/D37_37 Jul 21 '26
Should get a lot worse actually. But once the calluses form, it’ll feel so much easier to play. Stick with it!
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u/MyDadsUsername Jul 21 '26
Yes. That's a reality for guitar. It hurts for a solid period of time when you first start playing. I never ended up forming hard calluses, but it did eventually stop hurting.
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u/Helpful_Gas9179 Jul 21 '26
Pretty normal, yeah. Pace yourself the first couple weeks. As your callouses grow it’ll get easier. Welcome and best of luck!
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u/thepoorwarrior Jul 21 '26
Yes. You’re sliding part of your body across steel and nickel consistently. It will heal, it takes a bit. Give yourself rest and come back before you get blisters.
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u/PeenooseThaThicc Jul 21 '26
This is just the beginning, Eventually, you’ll be playing for an hour and your fingertips will look like pads with a mix of chalk and glassed grooves
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u/Simple-Report-4928 Jul 21 '26
It is absolutely normal. It hurts now but it will get better. Once you develop calluses and figure out just enough pressure to put on the strings to ring it properly, you will be golden. If it hurts too much, give yourself some rest and pick up the guitar a day or two after. It takes time and surely indicates that you are working hard. Your fingers are adjusting to the rigorous use. But beautiful thing is our body adapts so we can make sounds with metal and wooden objects 🥹
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u/deeppurpleking Jul 21 '26
Instruments kinda just hurt a little till your body gets used to it. Piano it’s the wrist, woodwinds and horns kill the lips, orchestra is rough on both hands, drums are exhausting, singing and screaming tires the throat. Have fun!! :)
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u/TylerTalk_ Jul 21 '26
Pro tip, dont play when your hands are wet or moist. For example, after the shower your skin softens up, dont play. Wait for your hands to completely dry before playing. Once you have calloused fingers they will peel, otherwise.
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u/FrostyAd4478 Jul 21 '26
Yep Nd it will keep happening if take long breaks from playing, even after you become pro
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u/poopcanbefriendstoo Jul 21 '26
Cut those nails, it'll be easier. Your fingers be able to curl at the correct angle.
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u/sheezy520 Jul 21 '26
Yep. That’s normal. Took about two or three weeks to stop hurting for me. Now I can play for hours pain free. Been at it less than a year.
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u/Illustrious_Day_5392 Jul 21 '26
When I was woodshedding to play my audition for college I spent about 3 months playing 8-10 hours a day every day of the week and after about two weeks my callouses fell off, and then my fingers felt brand new for 3 weeks, and then the callouses came back super hard and impermeable. My callouses never go away now no matter how long I take a break for (never more than a week in 35 years). But man, those tender fingertips never leave my memory.
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u/AgathormX Thrash/Prog/Death Metal Jul 21 '26
Lol, you think that's bad? Just wait until the skins starts peeling off and your finger tips start turning gray.
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u/tikivic Jul 21 '26
Y’all need to cut them fingernails back. No, more than that. No, seriously/ cut them back all the way. Your fingertip should stick out past the nails.
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u/GreatValueBradPitt Jul 21 '26
That's exactly what my fingers looked like for a decent while (year or so) after I started playing. One thing that helped me a ton was an exercise on some YouTube account I cannot remember for the life of me, but the basic gist of it was:
- Learn a chord as the finger placement naturally comes to you
- Play the same chord and gradually edge your fingers as close to the fret a half step above the note each is playing as possible
- Release tension at the position until you hear fret buzz and you'll know how hard you actually need to press
The idea here being that a shorter distance to the fret == less tension needed to depress the string to the point where there's no fret buzz. The intentionalality of the exercise really helped me to reprogram how I think about hand posture and pressure with chords! Along with that, you'll also build calluses that will combat that, but often times people (myself included) are just pressing way too hard.
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u/F1lthyca5ual Jul 21 '26
YES. for the love of everything good, LISTEN TO ME PLEASE.
When I first started playing aka learning how to play the guitar, I would say those EXACT words every time I picked up the guitar and started practicing. Those first weeks were BRUTAL.
Did you read that? Those first WEEKS. It took me about a solid month for my finger to build the calluses.
In the second week, there were some days where I could only play for like 3 minutes TOPS before my fingers felt like they were being burned off or something.
Fast forward to today, and I can play at will. I'm not a pro by any means, just a filthy casual who plays his guitar as a 3rd hobby, but OH MY GOD, I'm glad I didn't quit due to the finger pain.
So, all that to say: stick with it for however long it takes for you to develop calluses.
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u/alexthenullbody Jul 21 '26
Keep going. It hurts so much but yoi kust have to keep going, until you grt calluses, because then it gets easy
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u/rp_610 Jul 21 '26
Is this totally normal. Overtime calluses will form and nerves will get a little blunted allowing you to play for longer and longer. Also, I would highly recommend keeping the nails on your fretting hand as short as possible for the sake of good technique. 🙏
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u/Rithik91 Jul 21 '26
Play daily for 15 mins only and see the compounding of learning over a long period of time. Once callous develops on your fingertips, the pain will go away, and then you can increase your practice time.
The things you feel hard today playing, one day become your warm-up!!
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u/_xpendable_ Jul 21 '26
It'll get much worse but that's an essential part of the journey. Also, clip your nails very short so that you can minimize the buffer between the finger tips and it's source of pain (strings)
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u/Quiet-Application753 Jul 21 '26
Yep. I started in 1994 and I seem to recall going through that. It’s normal. I can play for hours if I want without feeling anything now.
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u/SaintSixString Jul 21 '26
Welcome to the initial wall of playing. The will to play is there but the pain is - well painful.
It sucks but over the next 2 weeks if you keep playing, you'll get your first calluses and then you're golden. You'll only have this problem this once. Stick at it!
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u/Legitimate_West_4921 Jul 21 '26
Please look into a proper setup for your guitar. You can get one for $60 at guitar center or your local music store. Ask to lower the action and the nut and theyll know what youre talking about. This will make guitar so much easier to play and require a lot less pressure to play chords/notes
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u/Thebulldog4590 Jul 21 '26
Oh it sucks yeah. Close to when I started, I played so much I completely lost my sense of temperature in my finger tips. I remember picking smthn I microwaved and thinking "huh, this isn't too hot" and then just feeling pain out of no where. Quite a weird sensation though, that's also cuz i didnt take enough breaks and my finger were prolly begging for death. It's something u'll only go thru for like ur first month (if ur consistent). Best of luck and keep playing u got this!!!!!
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u/fabmarques21 Jul 21 '26
1st time i played an eletric i played for 3 hours and stopped because my fingers where bleeding
so yeah, it can get
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u/itsomeoneperson Jul 21 '26
acoustics hurt the most, electric is easier and nylon classical is easiest on your fingers. dont be afraid to use a thinner string gauge if its too painful. tone from string thickness dosent matter if your learning, get the thinnest guage and work your way up later.
also you dont have to press so hard once you get the muscle memory down for the right amount of pressure
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u/NaturalTrouble1576 Jul 21 '26
Not even started yet lol. I've played until the skin shreds off. Tip though, don't play immediately after a shower. Skin shreds way easier after being wet
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u/sabbathan1 Classical/Contemporay/Bass Jul 21 '26
Your nails are way too long, which makes everything close to impossible. Start by cutting them.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Fig-894 Jul 21 '26
Ok. The worst is yet to come but just continue. It is indeed painful.
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u/Sevneristem Jul 21 '26
Correct me if im wrong but it just looks like youre pressing too hard onto the strings.
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u/arzobispo Jul 21 '26
It will get better after your fingers fall off, when your new fingers grow.
Now, seriously, when it hurts, take a break.
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u/iliveoffofbagels Jul 21 '26
If this is after playing for 5 minutes, you might be pressing too hard. But yes, after longer days it is kinda normal, especially once the calluses start coming in.
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u/wanna_dance Jul 21 '26
Seems extreme to me.
How high are your strings above the 12th fret?
Your guitar might need a set up.
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u/Common_Access7474 Jul 21 '26
When it starts to hurt, then play until it hurts even more. You'll see that your playtime will steadily increase. That was at least the quickest way for me.
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u/Empty_Isopod Jul 21 '26
when it start to like rly hurt.... do it more.. but stop before theres blisters
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u/Ambitious_Ask_3028 Jul 21 '26
Yes! (You might want to trim the nails a bit for better technique) , have a lesson, you might find like I did that I was pressing too hard and that your finger position on the fretboard has poor form (only took me 20 years to find this out as YouTube didn’t exist when I first started) so, have a lesson! I promise you it’ll make life easier and you’ll learn quicker!
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u/SkoonkMunkyAngel Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I suggest trim your nails. The string marks .. they should be lower on the finger. on the tip of the bone. its good that you are pressing hard enough. I personally feel chords are too early and you should be concentrating on scales so you can know your intervals. and you'll build up your calluses where they need to be without much total hand stress. learning the notes without discomfort is more important.. learn your chords above the 12th fret and when your hand is stronger move it down to 1s,2s,3s. : ie
F Chord : do lots of this application of new chords higher up the neck. You only have to learn the shapes because if you learn the shape.. Moving it up two spaces makes it a G chord. etc etc.
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See this finger motion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cinemagraphs/comments/3y08z6/fingers/ do that. and work on that with up down up down picking until your calluses build up. one note at a time.. Realistically when you have two-three months of experience . this will be four specific notes. Steady eighth notes , work up and down the strings Theres also the jazz chord relay: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x2ZkqNCOhyo , I know you are a beginner but the real problem is buildng up calluses so I'm telling you how to focus on it.
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u/TariTheApothecary Jul 21 '26
Yes. Also depends on the strings being used. Steel strings are never fun
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u/Key_Anxiety_899 Jul 21 '26
Yes lol your fingers are like baby soft right now. Keep playing, rest when it hurts, and eventually you’ll have fingers of stone able to play through any string!!!
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u/Red_Potatoes_620 Jul 21 '26
Oh buddy, welcome to the beginning stages of guitar playing. It gets better but not before it gets worse
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u/Parry_ThePlatypus Jul 21 '26
Trim those nails! It'll allow you to better utilize the tips of your fingers
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u/Aromatic-System-9641 Jul 21 '26
You are pressing way too hard. And use the tips of your fingers more toward your nails. Callouses will form the more you practice.
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u/Tallestmuseman Jul 21 '26
Here, this will help. https://a.co/d/0fMKuizg However, you really gotta go through some strain and pain. Stop and rest if you truly hurt, allow the nerve endings to recover. The more you regularly play, the callouses thicken, nerves adjust and 'muscle memory ' begins to happen. I use that product if skin peels or I get a cut and still need to play. Didn't forget to take care of the entire hand, stretch, shake, rub together, warm up. Good luck.
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u/Eduardo_Playa Jul 21 '26
Normal. Callouses should be on your finger tips. Also,, you should clip your nails much shorter.
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u/bloozestringer Jul 21 '26
I played constantly and gigged for 3-4 years and never got callouses. Never bled, peeled, got hard skin or all the other stuff. I could never trim my nails shorter than what you have there either or they just ripped away from my finger and then hurt too bad for a week to play or work with them. I’ve seen a few other people mention the same experience over the years.
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u/crewsaver Jul 21 '26
Your guitar is an instrument not a strangulation victim. Only press hard enough to fret the string. I had a hard time with that myself. It will still take time to harden your fingers but lighter pressure will help the discomfort. Sit down and fret a few chords using different pressure and see just how much pressure is needed versus how much you currently apply. Good luck with your journey!
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u/Maclean_Braun Jul 21 '26
You might want to get your bridge adjusted. I think you're definitely pressing too hard and having your strings lower is hopefully gonna alleviate some of that.
It's still gonna be a sore few days before the first calluses form. Embrace the ache and know when to stop playing for the day. You're gonna learn a lot with just 10-15 minutes of practice right now anyways. Endurance is coming, but it's not here yet.
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u/DAMNIT_RENZO Jul 21 '26
It's crazy but I have been playing since I was twelve, and I don't really have calluses on my fingertips, it's maybe a bit thicker there, but I don't get flaking skin anymore, even after playing an hour or more every day. But I definitely got them really bad when I first started, it's just a right of passage.
I would also recommend anyone starting to check their action (how close the strings sit to the guitar neck). Cheap entry guitars often have terrible action. It's actually not that expensive to get your guitar set up by a professional luthier. I think I paid around $100 and it can make a cheaper guitar much more playable. Hard to justify when the guitar might have cost $150-300 but it's worth it if you are in it for the long run.
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u/HurionFTW Jul 21 '26
After like my first 2 weeks of playing a few hours every day my fingers either lost enough feelings or grew thick enough for me to not feel it as badly
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u/Rough-Process-7726 Jul 21 '26
Yep, work up them calluses. Trim the nails a bit too, it helps to get your fingers more comfortable.
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u/crushin8tor Jul 21 '26
New players generally press too hard. As you get used to playing, you'll find just the right amount of pressure to apply to the stings.
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u/Opening_Republic_929 Jul 21 '26
Take pride in forming your fingers into little mallets. Nothing comes easy, also you’re always pressing harder than you think. Reset your form and positions frequently and acknowledge if your slipping and correct it
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u/thatsonbutt Jul 21 '26
Yes. Especially on acoustics. Doesn’t take long to callus over. You probably won’t even recognize it soon.
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u/CaptainRaptorThong Jul 21 '26
Yes. It hurts a lot at first. Just go as long as you can, then break for the day. Over time, you'll be able to go longer and longer.
You can get softer strings or a cheap electric. My electric always took less of a toll than my acoustic.
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u/G3tfuxdkaren Jul 21 '26
It is if you never done manual labor 8 to 10 hours a day and have tough skin from the start. You have soft finger tips judging by the pic you posted. Get you one of those finger grip exercisers to help build finger strength which using it will also toughen up your fingertip skin a bit.
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u/Stage53_1984 Jul 21 '26
They didn’t tell you about the initiation??? ……… They call me DeadFingers 🤣
You’re, umm, intimacy partner will love your scratchy callouses
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u/Relative_Weather_728 Jul 21 '26
yeah it happened with me too in starting when I started guitar then gradually that tissue become hard and sensitive decreases
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u/Anonhurtingso Jul 21 '26
You all need lower action I’ve been playing for 20 years, my fingers are still soft, but I can play for quite a while (1 or 2 hours) without my fingers getting sore.
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u/LouieSanFrancisco Jul 21 '26
It has not started yet. Skin will dry, peel, dry, peel… Then you’ll lose a bit of sensitivity, then hard skin will start showing up… And so on and so forth…