Hi Mike,
I have an acoustic guitar and am a beginner. I find it painful using my left hand fingers to hold down the strings. Any tips on how I can overcome this?
Thanks
Jess
Sore fingers playing guitar
by Jessica | Sep 11, 2016 | General Queries | 1 comment
Hi Jess,
This is a common problem that affects most beginner students especially those starting with a steel sting guitar (Acoustic Guitar).
I’ve listed a few tips in no particular order that can help with this
1. If you have access to a Nylon string guitar practice with this for a while, it will be softer on your fingers and will give you a chance to build strength and calluses to handle the tougher steel strings
2. Try changing the strings. Light gauge strings should be easier to play then medium or heavy gauge strings and cause less finger soreness
3. Don’t press too hard on the strings, only press as hard as you need to
4. Change the action on your guitar. If your strings seem far from the fretboard then this is a ‘high action’ see if you can have them lowered to be closer ‘low action’ as this will reduce the amount of force needed to press the strings. Any guitar tech will be able to make this change for you
5. Build strength and calluses in your fingers. Practice guitar exercises daily (don’t over do it. You do not want blisters, make sure you remove any moisture from your hands before practicing) and after a few weeks you’ll see calluses. Once you have calluses and practice frequently all the pain will go away.
Hope this has helped and remember the pain is temporary.
Keep playing!
Mike