Hi all
Just a couple of question about callouses. I'm playing more often these days and the callouses are starting to build back up on my left hand, mainly the index and middle fingers, what I was wondering was, as I'm working on using my ring and little finger more, should I be trying to get callouses on them? Are callouses a good or bad thing for guitarists?
Also, the fingernails on my right hand don't stand up to fingerpicking that well, and unlike Dennis I'm not yet brave enough to visit a nail salon, so I just cut my nails down, so would building callouses on the pads of my right hand be an aid to fingerpicking?
Thanks
Joe
Callouses
Callouses are good, and yes, you should be developing callouses on all your left-hand fingertips (not the thumb, of course).
As to the right hand fingernails, Tommy Emmanuel has the same problem (and so do I). He has built up callouses on his right hand fingers and uses them instead of fingernails. I am still working on this...
-David
As to the right hand fingernails, Tommy Emmanuel has the same problem (and so do I). He has built up callouses on his right hand fingers and uses them instead of fingernails. I am still working on this...
-David
-
cosmicmechanic
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:39 am
- Status: Offline
Hey, Joe ...
Humor me ... eat 2 apples a day for a month.
If your fingernails ain't hard as nails after that, ask Apple for a refund. They are usually very understanding.
Raw root vegetables, such as carrots, are also good for this purpose. The harder the better.
Horses already know all about this, but they couldn't care less about fingerpickiing a guitar.
So in this case, I think it's a good idea to pay attention to the "neigh"-sayers :silly:
Pierre
Humor me ... eat 2 apples a day for a month.
If your fingernails ain't hard as nails after that, ask Apple for a refund. They are usually very understanding.
Raw root vegetables, such as carrots, are also good for this purpose. The harder the better.
Horses already know all about this, but they couldn't care less about fingerpickiing a guitar.
So in this case, I think it's a good idea to pay attention to the "neigh"-sayers :silly:
Pierre
Callouses are a good thing I think Joe, but they don't take long to start to soften I think, even after a couple of days off.
If you think that Den getting his nails done in a salon called for courage, imagine how bold he was to ask for a perm and bikini wax. That's brave!
If you think that Den getting his nails done in a salon called for courage, imagine how bold he was to ask for a perm and bikini wax. That's brave!
David, thanks for confirming what I thought, I'll keep going
Tony, I'm playing every day at the moment, so the callouses arent getting a chance to soften. I'm really enjoying playing, seeing and hearing progress- its been like this for a few months now- I think its because, like you, I''ve found a style I really want to play, and am determined to learn how to do it.
Are you sure about the perm and bikini wax? Can you imagine if he had got those mixed up.
Pierre, thanks, I think. I'm confused-enough about me, I'm off to talk to some horses about nail hardening techniques.
Thanks all
Joe
Tony, I'm playing every day at the moment, so the callouses arent getting a chance to soften. I'm really enjoying playing, seeing and hearing progress- its been like this for a few months now- I think its because, like you, I''ve found a style I really want to play, and am determined to learn how to do it.
Are you sure about the perm and bikini wax? Can you imagine if he had got those mixed up.
Pierre, thanks, I think. I'm confused-enough about me, I'm off to talk to some horses about nail hardening techniques.
Thanks all
Joe
-
neverfoundthetime
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:14 pm
- Status: Offline
Hi Joe
I have had callouses on all my left hand finger tips for as long as I have owned a guitar and I don't use a plectrum and have no callouses on my right hand at all. My nails on the right hand are good.... but its usually the pads of my fingers and thumb which pluck the strings. So its a yes from me for the left hand and a no for the right.
I have had callouses on all my left hand finger tips for as long as I have owned a guitar and I don't use a plectrum and have no callouses on my right hand at all. My nails on the right hand are good.... but its usually the pads of my fingers and thumb which pluck the strings. So its a yes from me for the left hand and a no for the right.
Christhanks for the reply.Its good to know I'm on the right track.
A callous has just started to appear on my ring finger, now just my pinky to go.
Thinking about something Tony mention, is there a way to keep your callouses hard, apart from guitar playing?
Joe
A callous has just started to appear on my ring finger, now just my pinky to go.
Thinking about something Tony mention, is there a way to keep your callouses hard, apart from guitar playing?
Joe
heyjoe wrote:
Well, aside from plunging your extended fingers repeatedly into bowls of hot sand and gravel (you know...all those kung-fu movies), I have a finger exerciser that has ridges on it that are supposed to emulate strings and keep your callouses healthy. I don't know if it actually works as I have not tried to use it for callous maintenance. Look for Planet Waves Varigrip Adjustable Hand ExerciserThinking about something Tony mention, is there a way to keep your callouses hard, apart from guitar playing?
Callouses on your left hand will happen automatically if you play enough. When you start playing, you'll probably experience a lot of pain in those fingers for the first few weeks. Once you have thick enough callouses, the pain will go away.
After a few years of fairly consistent playing since the beginning of TG, I find that I don't really have hard callouses any more. The fingertips are just hard and I'm guessing don't have many pain sensors left in them because I can now press really hard on the tips and don't feel any pain at all. I think that's a good thing.
As far as my right hand fingernails go, the first year was very frustrating. I'd break or crack one of them every week .. and usually not while playing guitar. Strangely, it no longer happens any more. Even after rock climbing or playing frisbee, I haven't broken a fingernail in the last year.
I think that constant use plucking at the strings has actually forced my nails to grow out tougher or at least more resilient. They don't crack any more and just bend if I do something stupid. Anyway, I don't know if it's common for fingernails to get stronger with use, but it sure seems to have worked out that way for me. If anything, they grow too fast forcing me to file them down every few days. (No matter what, my wife absolutely hates the long fingernails ... but I'm not going to give up guitar playing!)
-Tom
After a few years of fairly consistent playing since the beginning of TG, I find that I don't really have hard callouses any more. The fingertips are just hard and I'm guessing don't have many pain sensors left in them because I can now press really hard on the tips and don't feel any pain at all. I think that's a good thing.
As far as my right hand fingernails go, the first year was very frustrating. I'd break or crack one of them every week .. and usually not while playing guitar. Strangely, it no longer happens any more. Even after rock climbing or playing frisbee, I haven't broken a fingernail in the last year.
I think that constant use plucking at the strings has actually forced my nails to grow out tougher or at least more resilient. They don't crack any more and just bend if I do something stupid. Anyway, I don't know if it's common for fingernails to get stronger with use, but it sure seems to have worked out that way for me. If anything, they grow too fast forcing me to file them down every few days. (No matter what, my wife absolutely hates the long fingernails ... but I'm not going to give up guitar playing!
)-Tom
tvarga wrote:
Chas
I could have written this and it would be absolutely true for me also, although a recent job change played havoc with my right hand nails but that has settled down now.Callouses on your left hand will happen automatically if you play enough. When you start playing, you'll probably experience a lot of pain in those fingers for the first few weeks. Once you have thick enough callouses, the pain will go away.
After a few years of fairly consistent playing since the beginning of TG, I find that I don't really have hard callouses any more. The fingertips are just hard and I'm guessing don't have many pain sensors left in them because I can now press really hard on the tips and don't feel any pain at all. I think that's a good thing.
As far as my right hand fingernails go, the first year was very frustrating. I'd break or crack one of them every week .. and usually not while playing guitar. Strangely, it no longer happens any more. Even after rock climbing or playing frisbee, I haven't broken a fingernail in the last year.
I think that constant use plucking at the strings has actually forced my nails to grow out tougher or at least more resilient. They don't crack any more and just bend if I do something stupid. Anyway, I don't know if it's common for fingernails to get stronger with use, but it sure seems to have worked out that way for me. If anything, they grow too fast forcing me to file them down every few days. (No matter what, my wife absolutely hates the long fingernails ... but I'm not going to give up guitar playing!
-Tom
Chas