How to Get Calluses on Fingers for Guitar | Guitar Tricks
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- Stop waiting and finally learn how to play guitar today: bit.ly/2Ph0VeP
Getting calluses on fingers for guitar playing is important and one of the main complaints for every beginner guitar player. Gary is going to give you some tips on how to toughen up your fingertips for guitar.
There are a couple of ways to deal with finger pain. One is to use lighter string gauges. Or you can also tune your entire guitar down a half step and put a guitar capo on the first fret. This shortens the scale length of the guitar and eases the string tension.
Beginner Guitar Playlist - • Beginner Guitar Lesson...
3 Chords You NEED To Know - • 3 Chords You NEED To K...
How To Tune Your Guitar - • You Are Tuning Your Gu...
3 Guitar Strumming Rhythms - • Guitar Strumming Rhyth...
Learn To Solo - • 4 Easy Guitar Licks Yo...
Scale Patterns For Beginners - • Super Easy Scale Patte...
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE!
LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE FOR MORE VIDEOS!
Get Guitar Tricks Full Access 2 weeks free: bit.ly/2nBkxL6
Guitar Tricks has helped over 2 million people learn how to play guitar since they invented online guitar lessons in 1998. Make progress with easy, step-by-step lessons, whether you're an absolute beginner or an advanced guitar player.
+ Over 11,000 lessons
+ Over 1,000 song tutorials
+ Step-by-step instruction
Android app: bit.ly/2qnHcMN
iOS app: apple.co/2ppPkgl
Like Guitar Tricks: / guitartricks
Follow Guitar Tricks: / guitartricks
Read Guitar Tricks Insider: www.guitartricks.com/insider/ - เพลง
Great info. I have a new Ibanez Mikro because I have fairly small hands. The strings are much lighter than my other guitars and I keep wondering why I was out of tune. Must be pushing to hard. Thank you.
Thanks for watching J!
I want my index finger to turn into a capo
Me too.
BeastMaster 64 Dont we all...
Me too
Same
Lmao
A point about the bit at the beginning
You don’t have to blister to build callous. If you’re building callouses youre probably gonna blister, but if you play little and often. Maybe like five minutes every few hours. You will build callouses by playing little and often
I never build them beyond level 1, or 2. Meaning I hurt, and my notes are horrible (especially the fingers with the calluses almost gone). I don't care how long I play for I just have never been able to build calluses that stay so I am always in pain. What really punches me in my junk is when they begin to build up and my notes/chords begin to ring out I go to bed to wake up to them half of what they were so back to square peg one. I tried learning this damn guitar stuff last year and hurt my wrist/thumb joints to leave for six months then the same thing happens. Make me so upset to the point of beyond frustrated. I know the notes, I can keep up with the timing but without those calluses I end up with dead notes (due to my fingertip now sinking in to the string so the pudge hits the other strings). My body will just not cooperate with my head. Having very small hands doesn't help and is partly how I hurt my thumb joints/wrist. I have the drive, the want, but the damn fingers. FML.
@@generalawareness101 I understand your pain 🥲. I have the same problem
@@aniruddharao3157 I am not alone with this? I have the drive, I have the knowledge but without those calluses I am toast. After a year I am still on lesson 1 of Justin Guitar because of the pain involved. Fact is I am now at a point I have to force myself to even pick up my guitar. I tried three different guitars, but I just feel I am fighting a losing battle. From the injury the guitar gave me last year, to small hands (for gloves I am almost XS sized) to the lack of calluses I just feel this is beyond me. I have other people do something they just take for granted and I can't do it. Find other ways to do it I was told. That is great but without those calluses the pain gets me as well as the fact my fingers fold over the string into the other strings next to it so dead sounds. I even went so far as to try and not do as much pressure but when you are dealing with an open A and the finger is so far away you have to apply tons more pressure to it. If I had been born 5-10 inches to 6-5 inches all of this would have just been so much easier, BUT this calluses issue would still be there stopping me.
@@generalawareness101 well I have the same problem. My fingers won't develop calluses. I want to play badly but my fingers just won't let me. I have always been held back because of them. I had my guitar classes online and the teacher couldn't understand why I was playing dead notes. He used to scold me and tell me to press harder, press untill I break the fret board. I put a lot of pressure, pressing the strings with my finger tips but the harder I pressed, more the string buzzed and at last, dead. It is so sad. I got discouraged. I feel jealous when people younger than me( I'm 17) play better and their finger tips have calluses.🥲.
@@aniruddharao3157 I am 40 years your senior and back in 2005 I started my journey to end it the same year to pick it back up 16 years later. Let me tell you due to no calluses, and small hands I wrecked my thumb joints, and wrist, because my hand was doing stuff (sub consciously) due to the pain. I had to stop for six months as I was close to needing surgery for the pain, and the loss of complete mobility. The gripping your instructor was telling you to do is what finished off my thumb joints. Having small hands is what did in my wrist. I will always have pain now in the thumb joints with some loss of mobility. The lack of calluses forming is what started all this, and it is a hereditary problem where my entire family will blister instead of calluses which is why I have to use gloves when I do yard work, or use a hammer, axe, pickaxe, shovel, etc...
I carry around an old credit card and press on it while I'm driving or watching tv. Works for me....So, it's like I'm fretting without a guitar in my downtime.
Wow, the old credit card trick! Just be careful when you're driving!
Guitar Tricks lol
@@GuitarTricks OR trying to charge something with the card.
i use a guitar pick! one that i dont really like, of course. Tho i lost it after 5-6 months
My brother learned the intro to Hotel California on my dad's acoustic. He would tap his fingers on the table at breakfast out of boredom and we noticed over a month or so his dam fingers sounded like wood on wood.
Thanks for the tips, I tuned my acoustic guitar down a half step and now my fat little fingers can play the A chord. 😁
“have aNOTHER GUTAR!”
ha my broke self
Just remind your self every pain theres progress
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton once shared a tip on building callouses faster.
His theory involves the reaction to callouses from moisture, that if a callous is wet, it retains more water and becomes soft. His trick is to apply isopropyl alcohol to your fingertips before playing to decrease the moisture in your tips.
Remember, dry tips=harder callouses.
Wet tips=Softer callouses.
Edit: A better solution is mineral oil. Rubbing alcohol promotes cracking, peeling and splitting.
does cooking oil works as substitute? xD (real question tho)
I actually use the oil from my face/nose . Works like a charm
@@Gwynsladle 😂
I just started learning a week ago, never even touched a guitar before getting one. It hurt like hell on the first day but kept doing it 10-15-20 min a day in shorter sessions. After a couple of days my fingertips became hard and smooth/shiny and just feel numb, not just with the guitar but 24/7. It's good I guess? Cause now I can practice a lot longer and don't feel shit. But then again, I've been told by 3 tattoo artists and one dentist that I have an outrageous pain tolerance, maybe the numbness is what should have felt like pain lol.
Comfortably Numb
For me it is just starting out on an acoustic guitar given to me by a friend. I made it into a lefty by turning the bone around and restringing. I know that is not ideal but for this first stages of learning it is okay.
That's a gorgeous guitar..
Truth!🎸👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
The harder the tip is, the less you'll feel it...
Am I sure I'm mature enough to be part of thos comunity
Your profile pic says it all
@@calciferhotorobi8124 You're probably right. Time to go 😅
I mean i lost lost it at 2:04
"The harder the tip is, the less you'll feel it..." She most definitely didn't say that. :D
@@mayo-3788 lmaooo I didn’t catch that
I am also a bassist who bends strings in almost every practice session. It is like a habit of mine. Bass strings a lot harder to bend than guitar strings because they are much thicker. And thicker strings demands stronger fingers. It's not a problem for me because my fingers pretty much adapated to my string bending habits.
Lmao urr a facist
Carlos Fernandes Thanks for sharing?
Don’t care
(Me, a lead guitarist) You lost me when you said, “bass” XD
What’s funny is that I have no issues with bass but I’m trying to learn guitar and it’s killing me, probably bc the strings are smaller and this cut into me a bit more. I’ve never had this kind of finger pain on my bass!
All this talk about pain in the fingertips is reminding me about my beginner days in the sixties when there was no Internet just a chord book and the rest was up to me I was clueless but I figured it out on my own. and you can too.
Times sure have changed given technology. Those were the good ole days, but I appreciate guys like the gentleman in the video.
This lesson is gold for a beginner like myself, without an in-person instructor or even an experienced player to bounce questions off of. I've been discovering many of these little realities on my own, like the pitch distortion that occurs if you press too hard on an electric. It's awesome to hear a lesson where all these little pragmatic points are discussed.
Quick tip salt water dip 3 times a day, removes the moisture and the skin will toughen up as well. My problem wasn't pain but clean sounding notes when fretting. 10 days in my finger tips are rock solid
@TMGYT just enough to make the skin wrinkle maybe five minutes per soak
@@k2000kidd1 Thank you. I was just about to ask the same question. You’ve always soaked three times a day?
It's been three days since I started playing Guitar, And btw I am in love with this person's guitar.
i used to just forcefully press my fingers against the strings for long periods of time to give my self calluses faster ahah
And how did that work out for you?
@@this_rishi works but hurts
@@Lia-sp7ey definitely speeds it up if you take a break. I always find if my fingers hurt I’ll just hyper focus on my phone while holding my fingers down as hard as I can
Callouses are formed from constant friction, not just pressure.
@@kiillabytez right what the heck? I kept seeing comments about this too lol friction. Not pressure ya'll haha
i'm a "hard metal" ukulele player, where i pkay strum like super hard 😂 my fingers are cracked! it hurts so bad. on top of that, i play piano with sore fingers. glad i'm toughening all my fingers up for the long run.
Wow! These are all such great tips!
The world shall know pain
- nagato
Weeb
It's sad that most people didn't get the reference
Lmao good one
I saw a fella in a bar strumming a song and as he leaned into the guitar the high e tiny string broke and it stabbed his eye!
Everyone one was saying 'OMG OMG OMG OM OM OMG' The dude pulled it out and cursed a lot, put a new string on then asked for some tape to keep his poked eye closed and played another 90 minutes. To top it off this guy was only being paid $300 per night! Many, including me, put $20's in his tip jar that night. His name was Toby Gandelf. He sung like a cross between Axl Rose and Garth Brooks, beautiful voice and played liked his hands were robots.
Massive Respect for him 🙌.
But now I'm scared of keeping my guitar close to my face.
How the hell does that happen LOL
Thank you, Gary. Great video and very helpful.
Great lesson! Cheers!
2:47 I did NOT know u could make does sounds with acoustic! Absolutely LOVEEE it!
😶yess i had the same thought
Great video! Very useful tips 👌
My calluses are pretty huge now. I can play for a while without pain. I don’t have to press nearly as hard to get a good sound now. It’s much much easier. It’s so hard starting out! My pinky for some reason has always been behind the rest of them 😂 there is callus there just not as much as the other three. I need to hammer it more and bend with it more.
😂
Yeah!! FINALLY! Determined to finally build Callouses, I gave myself 1 Month but came in at 3 weeks! Starting out, I blistered, I cried, I sent Pics to friends (for sympathy) lol, I scabbed, etc. Thru the Day/Eve, whenever I passed by my Guitar I'd pick it up & press out some Chords. (1-2 min). Next time, 5 min.etc. Made my Practice Sessions more Frequent but LESS Time each. Gloves to do Dishes! Try to keep Hands dry during this Process. No Hand Cream for a few weeks.
I also bought this weird "Gadget" Fretboard I took in my Purse. ($11 Amz) Its JUST Steel Strings on a Slide Out piece of Wood w/some Frets. You don't play it, just there to BUILD or KEEP Callouses. (I actually panicked going away w/out Guitar for a weekend worrying I had put in so much time & pain, didn't want skip even One Day! For the first 2 Weeks, I wished I could just take my Fretboard only to carry around & couldn't believe it when I found my Wish on Amazon. ! ? That was Freaky. )
I pulled Fake Fretboard out in Dr Waiting Rms, Bank Line, my A.M. Coffee at Cafe,. I was almost obsessed trying to build Callouses. Thought I never would but I got there (still working on the Pinkie). Will admit my Fingertips are Numb & feel strange but I'll take it as I can now play longer. NOW, its all about building Finger STRENGTH! Lol. Always something ...
I just went WAY over Budget, indulged & bought a gorgeous Larrivee (LV10) - both a Reward & Incentive to keep going!
Hell. Building Callouses is NO Joke. So I feel I EARNED that Guitar ;)
You got this!
Very good hints!!!
If your gonna play electric just get electric. Don't be disappointed when your kid don't play that acoustic after a week. Finger condoms, if ya wanna be made fun of. You were warned.
Hey, it worked for Tony Iommi, and I'm 100% sure nobody ever laughed at him for it.
haha finger condoms go brrt
amazing tips, thank you
very much
Thank you, lots of helpful information, much appreciated!
Thanks for checking it out, Colin!
Thanks buddy. Very good advices.
Great vid! Thanks
One of the best tutorials on guitar playing I've seen. Started fooling around with a guitar in college 50 years ago, but more or less gave it up. Pulled out the old Yamaha FG-180 every couple of years, but it hurt too much. Now you've got me inspired to take it up again. Great teacher!
Wow, thanks!
i’ve been playing guitar for a week and my fingers BURNNN😭🤕🔥🔥🔥
How about now?
Lots of really great info, thank you for that.
Thank you for watching!
I had an idea that my hammer-on’s sucked because my fingers aren’t hard enough, so I looked up “do hard fingers help you play guitar” and then boom! this came up, I feel a lot better now.
I haven’t played in five years and I completely lost my calluses. Now I picked up a guitar again and my fingers feel like a beginner while my brain and muscle memory are still pretty much where they were last time I played. It’s far more frustrating then the first time I started learning.
The calluses are simple to build back up. Learning the guitar is way harder.
@@GuitarTricks oh yeah that’s for sure! I played for about 15 year’s all self taught. So Im probably not the best technically but I always challenged myself to hard songs, manly fingerpicking classical songs on a classical guitar. The guitar I’m playing now is a steal string so it’s a little harder on the fingers then I remember and I need to get used to the closer spacing between the strings. It’s already getting easier on my finger tips I assume everyday will be a little easier.
I take lessons from Guitar Tricks and they are always helpful, professional, and to the point.
This video was very helpful.
I have a guitar but I recently got a ukulele and I didn’t really play the guitar very much but I was playing my ukulele for 8 hours yesterday (the first time I really committed to uke) and now my fingers aren’t blistered BUT the skin is peeling and they are probably going to blister soon, but other then that I’m hooked and I’m committed to get callouses because I think ukulele is such a beautiful instrument 💖
great video youre very knowledgable and articulate
Priceless video .. thank you forever 🙏 😊
You're a very clean player. That's the comfort level I'm aiming for rather than super technical playing. I just started though so I've got a ways to go
I have been a very-long-time beginner. Couldn't really figure out why I wasn't progressing. Even took lessons for a short time. Never was mentioned that I didn't have the calluses. Followed advice of learning basic songs with simple chords C-G-D. But my finger tips were mushy and after 10 minutes, I was muting strings and pressing harder and harder. I think that I wasn't getting enough variation of positions on my finger tips to build calluses. So I switched to practicing about 10 chords and then playing the simple tunes. Now I am developing stiffer fingertips and much better results with less pressure.
I had two of my acoustics setup and tuned to Eb Tuning 2 yrs ago and until now I am loving it! But I still do practice with my other guitars tuned to Standard esp when I am teaching developing novice guitarists. Btw the content is really helpful and keep em coming!
Rock on! Thanks for subscribing to the channel! Any other video topics you'd like to see?
Excellent, so much information, thanks.😃
Glad it was helpful!
Bends help a lot for calluses 🤕
Yes. The more it hurts the better!
Lablondejames
I know of a saying: Some of the best things come with a bit of pain.
Ethan Morrow no pain no gain baby
I freaking hate bends and bar chords 😂 the worst! But the best! They do so much good for me, but suck to practice
Oh hell yeah
Thanks man
I just started playing guitar and My fingers are starting to peel. I practice everyday and IM IN PAIN AGH
When did you started to playing guitar?
Me too xx
Same
Pain also can come from being on the strings to long trying to get the chord right. When you get better and faster you will only be on the chord for maybe a spit second before you move on, verses hit and go ,just hang in there pain will be gone before you even know it.
I started on ukelele with nylon strings with the goal of moving on to guitar. I had the strings changed on my first guitar to the lightest gage and that helped with pain. I'm at the point where I practice 6 to 8 hours a week. I often want to play longer but can't / won't because I know I won't be able to play the next day if I push it too far. I'll switch to electric sometimes 🎸 and turn it up to 11 !
But seriously 😄 figuring out the pressure needed to get the right sound is the best advice in this video. Why torture yourself (and your pillows) for no reason!
Thank you so much i subscribed
Thanks Sir. This is exactly what I'm looking for. The Capo technique is awesome.
Glad it was helpful!
Buy a VARIGRIP and on one side of the grip the made stripes which feel and look like a string, press the top of your fingers on the stripes.
Do it every time when you have the time and after a couple of days you feel Calluses on your fingers.
it really helps and I have nothing to do with VARIGRIP. (but the always can send me a present :-) Good luck
Thank you for these tips! I have an acoustic guitar with steel strings I’ve had for years but it doesn’t cause me pain surprisingly. I began playing for an hour consistently a week ago and my fingers tingle afterwards which I now see is my skin toughening.💪🏽awesome, great video!
im only 13 but im so glad i started with a crappy guitar that has a rlly thick strings, and the distance between the string and the fretboards are further than usual, i got used to it so it means its going to be easy for me to play electric :)
i havent touched an electric guitar my entire life
13 and just got a $200 yamaha fg800 yesterday, my fingers already hurt like a biiiitch
Very good info, I started out but was a bit discouraged because of the pain....I think my teacher should have explained me this
I actually play ukulele but this tips video was really good! I learned alotta new tips to use on my ukulele! Thanks!
Great info really enjoyed the video. I like the sound of your Acoustic Guitar what brand is it?
Pain is progress, you know the right kind of pain and the wrong kind of pain. Then you start to enjoy it, knowing you've nailed your practice and just at that point...no more pain 🤣
I agree. There seems to be a fine line between pain and strength. I find that knowing all this guy's tricks helps me find that line and not go over it. Then i can increase my playing time.
thanks so much!:)
I remember having finger pain in my middle finger cuz of playing with a yoyo, it took me about 3 months of daily playing to develop calluses there, can’t wait to get them on the fingertips too
Would love to see your YoYo skills!
Sadly it's not just the fingertips, it's also the hands, the shoulder, the forearms, everything hurts.
If you want to ache all over, try the violin. 😊
I use a tin box with rice in it. I JAM MY FINGER TIPS IN THE RICE TO DEVELOP TOUGHNESS.... WORKS FOR ME
that close to the fret wire tip just blew my mind
I like you! Thanks for this video! Made me hopeful I can do it to!! 🥰
Thanks bro. Appreciate your time and tips.
Pure gold buddy!! I just spent a lot and you gave me the immediate solution. For free.
Knowledge is always king. Money is just permission to buy. My money gets married to Knowledge. That's how I'm able to live just as well as people with 4 times my income. I'm smart enough to know that I am stupid. Pride stops people from learning. That's why I like SMARTER THAN A SIX GRADER.
This was absolutely perfect. No BS, plenty of tips, straightforward and understandable. I’ve been playing for roughly 15 years but over the years I’ve practised less and less which in turn made my fingers hurt like freaking hell all the time when I DO get to play. So I was obviously aware that practise helps but I was searching for a clip like this to find out if there are any tricks. Thanks for this!
I do have a question:
will tuning down the Guitar help even when you don’t use a capo and consequently don’t shrink the scale length? Isn’t string tension softer when tuned down, regardless of scale length? Furthermore, wouldn’t this mean that the higher you put the capo, the easier it is to press down the strings, making it easier for your fingers? I can’t really confirm that
If you tune the guitar down, the string tension will be less, even if you apply a capo.
Thank you very nice and informative video. You actually made thinking to buy an acoustic, and not just for building more strength. Also about the gorilla tips, it seems they are also useful when your fingertips want to become intimate with other fingertips :p I've tried rock-tips in the past and was so and so. Like you said if you had an accident and really need to play they'll be good
Nice Eastman. I have a D 10
"And if you wanna give your fingers a break switch over to the electric"
If only I had one😅
Everything you said is on point... Thanks for the video....
Thank you for watching Bruce!
What guitar is that? It's gorgeous!
I took a break, lost my callouses. I don’t know why, but it I remembered it hurting a lot more.
Worthwhile, comprehensive & useful vid, but as always, frustrating for those not genetically gifted with them seeing the huge advantage long slender non-fleshy characteristic ectomorph's fingers are with this instrument.
You can reduce finger fat by consuming less salt and drinking more water.
@@cadencooper1828 You can increase intelligence by ... in your case, forget it.
@Renan Rischiotto Whoosh!
haha yeah my fingers are like cocktail sausages compared to him.
Well that makes me feel happy
:)
Great video, very informative. I just started with ukulele but your tips are helpful for those too. I would love to give a like and subscribe but my fingers are still in pain... anyway thank you very much.
Haha, thank you!
ty Bruzz
I was playing eruption tapping it hurts my fingers and now it works thank you
Thanks for watching!
First time I played, I felt that pain and I was guessing it was normal so I kept going, after a week, I was used to it...and it was a Paracho I played...double string made it kinda painful lol.
Lost all my calluses ages ago and I haven’t had them since I was so mad lol
I'm at 1:01 and I wasnt even going to listen at all but the intro sounded nice. You already hit it in first minute! Play a lot, often, as much as you can.
What if your not shedding old skin and your finger tips are just red and sensitive?
easy for YOU to say!~ omg, it's so hard to get those calouses to still press as light as you look to be pressing to get that noise.
Calluses are the #1 reason people stop on their guitar journey. Don't give up! Make it through this and you'll be further than most.
@@GuitarTricks i've got them but pressing down lightly is buzzing...then my pinkie is not as long as other peoples so getting that to the top E is impossible. I press my nail into my callouses when i'm doing nothing, driving, watching a movie, so that's great. I think a lot of people also quit because they've not learned exercises that bring enjoyment so I believe chords you can play a song with are huge in-between the other exercises so that a song can help draw out the practice beyond the pain. Satisfaction in progress is so key.
Got my first Acoustic yesterday, ready to start this journey with it🤟🏼
For me, it doesn’t really hurt that often. I’ve been playing ukulele for years, so I already had calluses and my skin was hard. It still does sometimes hurt, when I’ve been playing for a while. Right now my fingers are beginning to blister, but at least then I’ll get new skin? I do prefer playing steel-stringed guitar, they sound nicer to me.
If you're having nerve pain, don't push through it. There are other types of pain as well that you should listen to. Just adding to the convo.
This is important, and thank you for bringing it up! Callus pain should only be in the skin of your fingertips. If you have pain throughout your hand, or up into your wrist, there are other issues which need to be addressed.
@@GuitarTricks Yes. I replied to the guy who brought up his pain. I knew exactly what is going on with him. It’s his ulnar nerve. It goes from the elbow to the pinky. I’ve been there and had surgeries.
My guitar has half nylon half steel, does that have an effect on the sound it makes? I have only just started and the strings were like this when I got it
Soaking my finger tips in surgical spirit as I watch this. I'm surprised it isn't mentioned - it's the only way I ever got past the pain and got decent enough callouses fast.
Play, get to the pain stage, then dip your fingers in surgical spirit and give it a few hours. Rinse and repeat
Love this tip, thanks!
This is turning into a controversy for me. When I tell my instructor I have finger joint (not finger tip) pain,finger knuckle pain,wrist pain, he wants me to take time off. My callouses are forming a bit oddly. My fingertips bottom out on the fretboard before the string is held down (I see this only on the 'high E" string.) I used to play a Yamaha FG830 with the action lowered and thinner strings. One month ago I bought a Martin D16E. No action work needed but I can still wear myself out (the other pain places). I do have osteoarthritis in my fretting hand fingers.
You need to follow up with a doctor, because there's no instructor than can advise you on medical issues.
I play with phospher bronze strings. Are these just as good as steel? I think it sounds better but is it just as good to build my fingers?
I started playing guitar when I was really young so I don’t really remember getting that sort of pain when I started out
I barely have real calluses anymore because I've been playing for years. I keep my guitar neck as straight as possible and my action low. My problem is my fingertips blistering from bass plucking.
2:04 hahaha jab jab
You can get guitarists gloves.. they work well.. thin stretch tight.. sliding is good with them on.. all good..
I’m playing for several hours a day, I don’t feel my fingertips anymore, best strategy. And I play a classical so it has nylon strings, which I suppose are easier to press than steel on acoustic.
Can you use nylon strings in steel string guitar?