Coming back to my guitar after 5 or so years of not playing
How long before my fingers are nicely calloused and it stops hurting?
The 3 fingers on my left hand are completely numb on the tips, but still not fully calloused. Suppose it depends on how much I practice, but at the moment my fingers need a days rest in between sessions.
when i used to learn bass the really foxy girl who had the lesson before me was pissing on her fingertips to harden then up 
play less more often, say 3hrs per day for a week, I find if I don't play for a few days they tend to get sore quickly, also avoid lots of washing up or girly creams!
I was hoping to say 'man up'... Give it a few weeks and you'll be fine.
thom, that post is useless without pictures 
Surgical spirit - dip, let evaporate, repeat.
Then play some more.
Lighter strings to start with too, though I always have a death grip on the neck when I take too long off from playing so it makes little odds.
Gently rub a little MTFU onto your fingertips each morning.
They're not really sore until you have blood on the fretboard.Even then, that just helps damp string noise down. There are no real shortcuts.
I've been learning for about 7 months now and the tips on my left hand are just beginning to really toughen up. I play everyday. I'm practising a spanish piece in triplets and my middle finger stays on A for the whole piece. It still really hurts at the end!
I went away for 2 weeks on the summer without my guitar and felt my tips soften up day by day! 
You'll get used to it, just keep practising and your fingers will harden up. I hardly remember my fingers being sore when i first started, but that was a few years ago.
You could try the old white spirit on the finger tips! 
all above advice is good, particularly mr Nutt's avoidance of dishes. 
Stevie Ray Vaughan used to use very heavy strings, and when on tour and suffering from knackered fingertips, he was known to superglue the fingertips of his left hand to the inside of his right arm and then rip himself off a fresh layer of skin. Eeeeeeeew!
This topic has been closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
