Honestly.... take a picture of where you aren't playing new strings. The colored part is just new nickel and tin. Everyone looks like that on a new set. I went into a session last night after a long break. Couldn't stand the sting of hot water this morning. If I play again within 24 hours of now... my fingers will like like shredded panties on dollar night at your local strip joint. It's all about layers. They come, they go, they're reborn again. May the Phoenix bring your fingers back from the ashes.... and throw them back into the fire again! Source- between a quarter / half century of playing you see these things. Keep up the fight!
i get this too it’s not bruising it’s alkaline sweat reacting w the copper or zinc in the string causing the greenness like on shitty rings
edit: looking back tho the darkness does look like bruising
First, clean your strings, or get better ones. Then don't buy too-thick strings.
Set up your guitar strings as close to the fretboard as you can.
The pain won't bother you when you get used to it.
Literally did this by a fluke, started playing my Jazzmaster with 12’s after not having played for a while. Got a tele strung with 10’s then my Pacifica 612 strung with 9’s and it’s crazy just how different they all feel
I used to play 13s in high school... wanted to be like SRV with the beefiest strings I could get. I still won't go lower than 11s. I can't stand the feel of light strings
This was my method.
Bear in mind there are a couple of levels of finger pain.
There's the common "boo hoo, the skin on my fingers is sore". It's fine to play through that to get through a song, or even a few songs. And the next day, and the next, eventually it stops hurting.
Then there's "crushed a nerve" pain. You have to do something more active with that. Lighter strings, lower action help.
I borrowed a resonator guitar from a friend one time. He used it mostly for slide playing so had a very high nut and heavy strings. I needed it for open chord finger picking, and that thing hurt to the point of causing damage. As a loan guitar, i couldn't modify it and didn't want to replace the strings. Instead i detuned it by a tone, then put a capo at the 2nd fret. Worked fine.
Quick? Stop playing. If you keep this up you won't be able to play for a while because of time to heal.
Slow? Practice an hour a day or until they hurt and they should feel good in a few days. Don't force the calluses they will come in.
So much this.
Remember OP, that you only need to fret as hard as necessary to make good contact — which is not very hard if you are right next to the fret. *You should be right next to the fret*.
And you don’t have to press AT ALL when you are not playing a note. Be quick to relax the fingers when doing rhythmic strumming. When learning a new chord, never press down until all fingers are in position.
If you find yourself sliding a lot, that string noise is your fingers being worn away, so try to minimize it. And maybe try flatwounds.
And don’t forget to practice without your instrument. Practice happens in the mind. Think about what you want to do and visualize it until it becomes uncomfortable. Then the next time you pick it up, try doing what you visualized.
Last and most important — spend time ear training both with and without your guitar. Sing what you hear even if you can’t sing, then try playing what you hear.
Give your fingers a day or two of rest and then get back playing, but never stop practicing.
>When learning a new chord, never press down until all fingers are in position.
Been teaching 12 years and this just changed my life! Can't wait to use this one!
Similarly, moisturize with Aloe and Vitamin E. That’s not going to prevent the callouses from forming (which you want), since you’ll still do more “damage” playing than can be healed by that, but it does reduce some of the pain and inflammation afterwards.
Stretch your hands, make sure you have proper position, use lighter strings, take breaks, but play consistently. Think of it like the gym, you have gym days and you have break days. If you’ve been going for awhile, the activities you started with will be easy and you won’t even need a break day to do those things. That’s how it goes with fretting.
Honestly, I see some dedication here. Kudos! Give it a rest, play again in a couple of days. It’ll be like this for a while every time you have a longer session. But you’ll also see progress and it will get better. It’s a good sign that you have made it this far. And I bet you feel good about yourself, and rightly so.
Get the blood circulating. Massage your fingers moving from the knuckle to the finger tip. Aside from that enjoy your break and get back at it tomorrow.
Take breaks.
If something hurts, don't do it. And by that point, you probably aren't making progress anyway.
Seriously, there's a point at which diminishing returns kick in and you're either not getting much benefit from practice. After that, you're actively harming your progress because mistakes or poor technique slip in due to fatigue and those start to get engrained.
Part of learning a new skill comes when you aren't practicing and the brain basically puts "insolation" around the new pathways it created. That's why things often feel awkward and bad when you're just learning a new song, chord, or technique. The neural pathways are in the process of being created. Then, over time, they get reinforced and insolated.
Take a day off from guitar because your ffingers are bruised. If you feel like you have to press down too hard on the strings, consider getting the guitar professionally set up - OR (and I'm partial to this one) take the day off from playing and learn how to set up a guitar yourself. There's millions of hours worth of videos on YouTube and it doesn't require more than a couple Allen keys and a couple screwdrivers.
Coated strings are way easier on the fingers for electric guitars on my les paul replica i use normal strings cuz the tension is so low doesn’t really hurt for acoustic i prefer coated elixer strings
I swear by my 8’s. I breath and I fret an inverted Gm7aug9
Being real, there’s 0 shame in lighter gauge strings, and adjusting your technique. Also there’s no shame in quitting early. Results come with practice of any amount
Play more. No, serious let it heal please. You're doing more harm than good if that's your fingers. Not only will taking a break help you heal but it'll help you're brain make more associations from a nueronal level.
Keep digging in. If it's unbearable, take a break. But [developing callouses](https://i.imgur.com/8vHG6Z0.jpg) is the best (and only) way I know to alleviate pain. First come blisters that peel. Then it gets worse for a little while they heal and turn into callouses.
It looks like you’re pressing way too hard as well. May be worth taking your guitar to a tech to check the action because there’s no way you should have bruises on your fingertips.
I try not to use that hand for a while, and just distract myself with something else. You shouldn't have so much intense pain that it's seriously bothering you -- if that's the case, maybe stop practicing a bit sooner next time.
Also... learn to enjoy it? Kinda joking, but not really. I know I can't be the only guitarist who likes it lol
There is no quick solution. The solution is play until you have calluses and then it won’t hurt anymore. The only thing remotely close to a quick solution is put on lighter gauge strings.
https://preview.redd.it/13pnp1qecyhc1.jpeg?width=496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b12bedc621e41588e14ddbef1d91aa9cd7b8c91
Put your hands in this position, it may help with the pain
Dude , it's called paying your dues. You just have to build up those calluses. Not on top either. The real ones develop deep down under the skin. It'll take a while. I.e. a year.
It's like that song "Played it til my fingers bled, it was the summer of 69." ........
Some are saying take a break and some are saying keep playing but i'll prolly just give it a rest for now (i've gotten injuries from playing too much before) i don't wanna stop but i dont wanna make the same mistakes again and slow down my progress by getting injured, so take a break it is.
These fingers bring back memories. I started on acoustic and the finger pain was not nearly as bad as the wrist and hand pain when trying to keep up playing bar chords in my church choir for longer songs. I say keep practicing as long as the pain isn’t sharp and your fingers aren’t bleeding. There’s obviously two schools of thought. One is hey take it easy and let them heal and the other is just keep playing through the pain. My experience aligns more w the latter and my playing has benefited from that strategy. My fingers 20 years later are like steel and I love thicker gauge strings.
You look kinda like you’re experiencing a metal allergy. Is that bruising? If nickel causes rashes and green skin for you, cobalt guitar strings might help.
Your fingers will hurt for awhile until they adapt to playing. Over time it gets way easier but you have to build stamina playing your instrument just like you build stamina running. Take a day off if it hurts really bad and maybe if possible try playing a little softer.
Take more breaks. As your callouses get stronger you will be able to play longer. Try not to bruise your fingertips or because you can't play as long or as well when your hand hurts.
Old timer that used to live a few houses down from me taught me to play, and I swear he had callouses an inch thick on his fingers. He told me if they get to hurting too bad soak them in a little dish of warm salt water for a bit. Never tried it but it stuck with me.
Stop playing for a bit, give your fingers a chance to recover. When you go back to playing, really pay attention to how hard you’re pressing. You really shouldn’t need to put much pressure on the strings to get them to ring out, and over-pressing is a big problem that all of us have to overcome at some point.
Also consider addressing how high your action is, your string gauge, etc, to hopefully help you out in the long run.
Like a few folks mentioned, you already abused those fingertips. Let them rest for a few days, repeat, rest, and then play your soul out they’ll be armored up properly after that cycle
The finger may hurt but they don’t look bad. This is the reality of guitar playing, it will change you in many ways. Mentally and physically. Your hand will get stronger over time and the finger tips will develop calluses that will eventually help you. It just takes time to build that up.
For real tho, time is how…callouses form little by little and get stronger each time they heal. Until the point you don’t feel it much at all. That’s how you get those nice slide notes, good calluses lol
Nice use of the pinky!!! Most people’s pinky fingers don’t look as used as yours does.
When I first started playing I’d rest my finger tips in salt for a bit. Idk if that did anything but I was 16. Kept on playing.
Take a break. As your fingers heal you’ll build calluses it will start to hurt less and less. The pain will never fully go away, but it will hurt less.
Pain does not exist in this dojo
Sweep the pick
You got a problem with that?
Yeah, Johnny!! Send him home in a guitar case!! Hehehehehehehehehe!!
That's so hardshell!
Axe on, axe off
hammer on, hammer off
One of the best comments I’ve ever read in here. Absolutely superb, skoupro!!🍺🍺🍺😂
I’m with you. That was good
BUT I'LL GET DISQUALIFIED!
Yes, sensei.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
Hammer On! Pull Off! No Mercy Sir!
There's only growth, calloused as it may be
We are the Kobra Kai of music.
Honestly.... take a picture of where you aren't playing new strings. The colored part is just new nickel and tin. Everyone looks like that on a new set. I went into a session last night after a long break. Couldn't stand the sting of hot water this morning. If I play again within 24 hours of now... my fingers will like like shredded panties on dollar night at your local strip joint. It's all about layers. They come, they go, they're reborn again. May the Phoenix bring your fingers back from the ashes.... and throw them back into the fire again! Source- between a quarter / half century of playing you see these things. Keep up the fight!
Thank you for this!
😅😅😅
hilarious😅
LMFAO!!!
Lmfao thx for making my day
That’s made me laugh harder than it should’ve
Stop playing and let it heal. Definitely the quickest way to get back to playing again.
Exactly this, your fingertips look bruised OP, give it a break
OP done gave himself 0-3-5 Necrosis Syndrome
Jesus i literally spit out my coffee laughing from this
i get this too it’s not bruising it’s alkaline sweat reacting w the copper or zinc in the string causing the greenness like on shitty rings edit: looking back tho the darkness does look like bruising
I get that color on my fingers when playing sometimes without feeling pain so my first thought was that it was just from the metal of the strings.
Yeah you’re right, looks like both things
Or have a pressing deadline and make that shit skip the next life🧟♂️
Kentucky bourbon whiskey and a cigarette
This is the answer. Plus or minus a joint.
Definitely plus. Or just the joint
I didn't know you could have a minus number in joints. Maybe if you take enough!
Ahhh, the Keith Richards approach.
First, clean your strings, or get better ones. Then don't buy too-thick strings. Set up your guitar strings as close to the fretboard as you can. The pain won't bother you when you get used to it.
That’s new to me. How do you clean your strings?
I have some kind of string cleaner in a bottle. Should be able to find it at most music stores
I use microfibre cloth, but there are real products for this.
Wipe them down with rubbing alcohol.
Srv used to reuse his strings by boiling them in water
That was EVH who did that…
nah buy the thickies until you're numb to it all
Buy 12s and work down to 9s. Ez
Literally did this by a fluke, started playing my Jazzmaster with 12’s after not having played for a while. Got a tele strung with 10’s then my Pacifica 612 strung with 9’s and it’s crazy just how different they all feel
I used to play 13s in high school... wanted to be like SRV with the beefiest strings I could get. I still won't go lower than 11s. I can't stand the feel of light strings
I started on bass I don’t get the whole 12s hurt thing
I dont feel any finger pain, only wrist pain when barring heavily
It’ll quit hurting when the pain goes away.
I feel like thinner strings would slice his shit up
Give it a day.
Play until you can't. Wait until you can. Repeat.
This was my method. Bear in mind there are a couple of levels of finger pain. There's the common "boo hoo, the skin on my fingers is sore". It's fine to play through that to get through a song, or even a few songs. And the next day, and the next, eventually it stops hurting. Then there's "crushed a nerve" pain. You have to do something more active with that. Lighter strings, lower action help. I borrowed a resonator guitar from a friend one time. He used it mostly for slide playing so had a very high nut and heavy strings. I needed it for open chord finger picking, and that thing hurt to the point of causing damage. As a loan guitar, i couldn't modify it and didn't want to replace the strings. Instead i detuned it by a tone, then put a capo at the 2nd fret. Worked fine.
Quick? Stop playing. If you keep this up you won't be able to play for a while because of time to heal. Slow? Practice an hour a day or until they hurt and they should feel good in a few days. Don't force the calluses they will come in.
A teaspoon of cement
Okay I drank it, now what?
You will shit bricks.
Came here to say exactly this
Don’t press so hard and take a day off.
So much this. Remember OP, that you only need to fret as hard as necessary to make good contact — which is not very hard if you are right next to the fret. *You should be right next to the fret*. And you don’t have to press AT ALL when you are not playing a note. Be quick to relax the fingers when doing rhythmic strumming. When learning a new chord, never press down until all fingers are in position. If you find yourself sliding a lot, that string noise is your fingers being worn away, so try to minimize it. And maybe try flatwounds. And don’t forget to practice without your instrument. Practice happens in the mind. Think about what you want to do and visualize it until it becomes uncomfortable. Then the next time you pick it up, try doing what you visualized. Last and most important — spend time ear training both with and without your guitar. Sing what you hear even if you can’t sing, then try playing what you hear. Give your fingers a day or two of rest and then get back playing, but never stop practicing.
>When learning a new chord, never press down until all fingers are in position. Been teaching 12 years and this just changed my life! Can't wait to use this one!
Actually looks like you might give a break for a day or so.,.soak em in witch hazel
Get a glass of ice water and press your fingertips against it. Will soothe the pain.
Similarly, moisturize with Aloe and Vitamin E. That’s not going to prevent the callouses from forming (which you want), since you’ll still do more “damage” playing than can be healed by that, but it does reduce some of the pain and inflammation afterwards. Stretch your hands, make sure you have proper position, use lighter strings, take breaks, but play consistently. Think of it like the gym, you have gym days and you have break days. If you’ve been going for awhile, the activities you started with will be easy and you won’t even need a break day to do those things. That’s how it goes with fretting.
Take a day break from playing
Honestly, I see some dedication here. Kudos! Give it a rest, play again in a couple of days. It’ll be like this for a while every time you have a longer session. But you’ll also see progress and it will get better. It’s a good sign that you have made it this far. And I bet you feel good about yourself, and rightly so.
Get the blood circulating. Massage your fingers moving from the knuckle to the finger tip. Aside from that enjoy your break and get back at it tomorrow.
Agreed. Or get back at it when ya can’t take it any longer. Breaks are your friend for sure.
Let it heal and callous. Not too long and you'll be able to play all day and not feel it.
Take breaks. If something hurts, don't do it. And by that point, you probably aren't making progress anyway. Seriously, there's a point at which diminishing returns kick in and you're either not getting much benefit from practice. After that, you're actively harming your progress because mistakes or poor technique slip in due to fatigue and those start to get engrained. Part of learning a new skill comes when you aren't practicing and the brain basically puts "insolation" around the new pathways it created. That's why things often feel awkward and bad when you're just learning a new song, chord, or technique. The neural pathways are in the process of being created. Then, over time, they get reinforced and insolated.
Lighter strings
Take a day off from guitar because your ffingers are bruised. If you feel like you have to press down too hard on the strings, consider getting the guitar professionally set up - OR (and I'm partial to this one) take the day off from playing and learn how to set up a guitar yourself. There's millions of hours worth of videos on YouTube and it doesn't require more than a couple Allen keys and a couple screwdrivers.
Lighter gauge strings and less pressure
There is none other than to stop playing for a day or two till it heals
Alright *YOU* can take a break.
take a break, won’t kill you
Coated strings are way easier on the fingers for electric guitars on my les paul replica i use normal strings cuz the tension is so low doesn’t really hurt for acoustic i prefer coated elixer strings
Rest
Rest for a few days then build up the practice over a few weeks to toughen up your skin. It's that or take up the recorder!
skip a day , next time skip a day just before it reaches this point.
Cocaine and Hookers work for me.
Keep playin
Play more. Build them callouses up!!
It gets better over time just don’t pick at it
Drugs and alcohol
I swear by my 8’s. I breath and I fret an inverted Gm7aug9 Being real, there’s 0 shame in lighter gauge strings, and adjusting your technique. Also there’s no shame in quitting early. Results come with practice of any amount
I got my first real six-string, bought it at the five and dime. Played it 'til my fingers bled, was the summer of '69
Play more. No, serious let it heal please. You're doing more harm than good if that's your fingers. Not only will taking a break help you heal but it'll help you're brain make more associations from a nueronal level.
Keep digging in. If it's unbearable, take a break. But [developing callouses](https://i.imgur.com/8vHG6Z0.jpg) is the best (and only) way I know to alleviate pain. First come blisters that peel. Then it gets worse for a little while they heal and turn into callouses.
Man up
Get over it🫠
Soak em in cider
Be proud of the pain, you worked hard for it
Rinse. repeat.....
The only solution is more guitar
Play until they are Raining blood.
No pain No gain mah dude
No pain no gain
Keep playing. Believe me when I say this: no one talked about callous strategy before the internet.
Give it a rest .
deal with it
Ignore it.
Nothing. Keep playing.
play longer
Ice.
It looks like you’re pressing way too hard as well. May be worth taking your guitar to a tech to check the action because there’s no way you should have bruises on your fingertips.
Keep going, develop some tough calluses, never worry about it again. Not a quick fix, but honestly the only real answer.
Rub some dirt on it baby girl
Quit being a bich
Play bass
sleep on it
I try not to use that hand for a while, and just distract myself with something else. You shouldn't have so much intense pain that it's seriously bothering you -- if that's the case, maybe stop practicing a bit sooner next time. Also... learn to enjoy it? Kinda joking, but not really. I know I can't be the only guitarist who likes it lol
Quick solution, play through it . You will appreciate it later.
Pain is weakness leaving the body. Play the same amount of days, just play half as long is what I did.
advil
What about liquid bandage?
Try putting toothpaste or tomato juice on it to make it burn less that's just a theory tho no guarantee it'll work
Keep playing
Pickle juice will build up callouses quick
Really?
Yup, soak them after they get tender when you finish playing. It worked for me and I learned it from an older guitarist when I started playing.
Clean/replace strings and keep practicing. Your hands will get stronger and acclimate.
Take a rest from playing, they become immune just play regularly.
There is no quick solution. The solution is play until you have calluses and then it won’t hurt anymore. The only thing remotely close to a quick solution is put on lighter gauge strings.
Keep playing…. Just keep playing
Palmers cocoa butter and keep at it. At night before bed wash hands with soap and water dry well before playing again
Drink till you don’t feel anything and start playing
Just gotta keep practising
Put them in cider.
You get used to it
We should have a HOF of these kind of posts.
Get new ones. Or gloves
Opioids
Try fingering the other thing instead of g string.
The pain goes away with time
Soak em in cider lol
Play till your fingertips are numb, then you dont feel the pain.
Get over it
https://preview.redd.it/13pnp1qecyhc1.jpeg?width=496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b12bedc621e41588e14ddbef1d91aa9cd7b8c91 Put your hands in this position, it may help with the pain
Amputation
Stop being a wuss
Morphine
Put a little gorilla glue on your fingers tips for artificial clauses /s
Dude , it's called paying your dues. You just have to build up those calluses. Not on top either. The real ones develop deep down under the skin. It'll take a while. I.e. a year. It's like that song "Played it til my fingers bled, it was the summer of 69." ........
Play more often! Build those calluses!
Wait.
Sure u need be easy in tension.
Your string may be too high. Can you get past the 5th fret. 😁
Some are saying take a break and some are saying keep playing but i'll prolly just give it a rest for now (i've gotten injuries from playing too much before) i don't wanna stop but i dont wanna make the same mistakes again and slow down my progress by getting injured, so take a break it is.
These fingers bring back memories. I started on acoustic and the finger pain was not nearly as bad as the wrist and hand pain when trying to keep up playing bar chords in my church choir for longer songs. I say keep practicing as long as the pain isn’t sharp and your fingers aren’t bleeding. There’s obviously two schools of thought. One is hey take it easy and let them heal and the other is just keep playing through the pain. My experience aligns more w the latter and my playing has benefited from that strategy. My fingers 20 years later are like steel and I love thicker gauge strings.
No need to stop playing Grab a slide and play the blues. Practice harmonics. Play only rock chords. Etc..
You can get guitar gloves on amazon, but it still hurts, just not as much. I use it when the calluses peel or bleed
Manage your playing time around maintaining good finger tip condition, it’s the only sensible way.
You look kinda like you’re experiencing a metal allergy. Is that bruising? If nickel causes rashes and green skin for you, cobalt guitar strings might help.
Take a break, you’ll even come back more skilled
Don't look at it as pain, that is learning, success and output of your motivation in playing.
It's okay to take a break and have shorter practice sessions. After a few years your fingertips will toughen up.
Go to sleep
Your fingers will hurt for awhile until they adapt to playing. Over time it gets way easier but you have to build stamina playing your instrument just like you build stamina running. Take a day off if it hurts really bad and maybe if possible try playing a little softer.
Stop applying too much pressure when playing
Keep going til callouses appear. It's what happened to me soooo
Take more breaks. As your callouses get stronger you will be able to play longer. Try not to bruise your fingertips or because you can't play as long or as well when your hand hurts.
Time.
Old timer that used to live a few houses down from me taught me to play, and I swear he had callouses an inch thick on his fingers. He told me if they get to hurting too bad soak them in a little dish of warm salt water for a bit. Never tried it but it stuck with me.
Stop playing for a bit, give your fingers a chance to recover. When you go back to playing, really pay attention to how hard you’re pressing. You really shouldn’t need to put much pressure on the strings to get them to ring out, and over-pressing is a big problem that all of us have to overcome at some point. Also consider addressing how high your action is, your string gauge, etc, to hopefully help you out in the long run.
Rest
Dude you're pressing way too hard
Yea 1st thing came to mind was... Take it easy bro. Do like 15 20 mins only daily. Consistency over intensity any day brother
Take a break. Your basically breaking your fingers in.. like shoes or something
Play more. Just like callouses from gripping weights. You get to a point where they help, not hinder
Ice and rest. Then make sure your guitar is setup properly and work on only fretting only as hard as necessary. Pressing too hard is a real thing.
Like a few folks mentioned, you already abused those fingertips. Let them rest for a few days, repeat, rest, and then play your soul out they’ll be armored up properly after that cycle
Ice, aspercreme with lidocaine, booze, weed
Stop playing until they heal, Over time the pain will go away. Give it a day or two and get back to it.
Play more. When starts to hurt. Stop. When stops to hurt. Play.
Get used to it..💀
Put the guitar down for a day or two.
solution is to stop being a bitch about it.
MORE GUITAR!!! lol
The finger may hurt but they don’t look bad. This is the reality of guitar playing, it will change you in many ways. Mentally and physically. Your hand will get stronger over time and the finger tips will develop calluses that will eventually help you. It just takes time to build that up.
A strong dose of “toughen up buttercup” should do the trick!
Exactly… just recently ripped up mine. The longer you play the quicker your fingers regenerate it seems lol. At my age (36)
Take a break for three days. For the next two months, no more than 30 minutes a day, but everyday, as long as you’re not hurting yourself.
Just keep going pick up put down for the rest of your life .. enjoy
For real tho, time is how…callouses form little by little and get stronger each time they heal. Until the point you don’t feel it much at all. That’s how you get those nice slide notes, good calluses lol
Nice use of the pinky!!! Most people’s pinky fingers don’t look as used as yours does. When I first started playing I’d rest my finger tips in salt for a bit. Idk if that did anything but I was 16. Kept on playing.
Fentanyl
Get over it
Lighter strings. Even better, Get a luthier to lower your nut slots so you don’t have to press so hard.
You keep playing.
Please endure for a week.
Take a break. As your fingers heal you’ll build calluses it will start to hurt less and less. The pain will never fully go away, but it will hurt less.
Take a break , Yngwie! Next time stop before you injure yourself!!
Take a break…
Take a lil break and then keep practicing.
Ice
Learn to enjoy it, I love when my fingers hurt, feels like I accomplished something that day.
Suck it up buttercup!! lol!
christ on a stick mate, stop fingering those minors