Grateful Dead Music Forum

Update-

After months of guitar playing, fiddle...err...cat noise making, mandolin plinkin', and a 9 day hike in the woods that destroyed the callouses (I actually got to see the knot when that one came off), I got to re-make callouses. Lo and behold, a new little knot spot reformed in the same place, but not really painful (just a tiny tingle). I was also mindful of the last experience, and didn't go absolutely crazy playing when I got back from the woods.

I guess the knot is from always using that one little part of the middle finger?

To prevent it from re-forming into the nasty monster it was before, I took it easy in building back up. For the longest I thought I had it licked and it wouldn't come back, but then I started playing full-bore again and it's back.

I've also learned lessons about other stuff, the difference between beginner aches and pains and real problem stuff. Now, if my wrist/forearm starts getting tender, I'll accept it and take a couple days off. As a rank beginner, that's probably normal, but now, the only time that sort of thing happens is after back-to-back days of playing several hours a day...which is Ibuprofen Horse Pill Time.

So I guess I was somewhere between "ouch, I'm new at this and it hurts" and "ouch, something ain't right." It's all good now (except for slicing into the ring finger on an electric's B string the other day...healed quick though)

That all sounds good. I am guessing that all but the really experienced players should expect some soreness if they play for "several hours" more than one day in a row, I am sure I would. I don't seem to have visible callouses anymore, I can feel where the tough spots are from playing, but I don't have the crusty white spots I used to get. Actually, when I fall into bad technique habits, I sometimes start to get those callousy white spots on different parts of my fingers, that tells me I have to pay more attention to technique again.

Technique- hmm that's interesting. I'll keep that in mind- eventually, I'm gonna have to improve mine.

I have the novice's left hand death-grip...slowly breaking the habit. Oddly enough, after a drunken acoustic session, the fingers are in better shape than an afternoon-after-work session. Maybe it's because I'm a bit looser on a weekend.

Slides and the like sure do take their toll on acoustic- that's my main instrument. I finally started messing around on electric though- much smoother on the fingers.

Back to technique and death grip- I'm thinking that it's related to not-quite-proper left hand finger placement and hand posture- I cheat on the thumb on the back of the neck big time. Therefore, I have to press harder to get notes to voice properly (especially in chords). I've noticed that experienced guitarists get big & sweet tone from an acoustic almost "effortlessly" whereas it seems I do way more work to get mediocre tone (we all use elixirs, and my instrument outclasses the others in my circle...spent a LOT of time evaluating $200 guitars to find her) Surely a combo of left and right hand technique.

As of right now, I quickly get the white skin on the fingertips, and grooves. Pressing too hard I guess.