Grateful Dead Music Forum

So, I've been playing acoustic for nearly a month now.

I've been working on several dead tunes and I've learned a dozen or so chords.

I started on a friend's Takamine, which felt like a real cheese grater compared to my new Michael Kelly, which has an adjustable neck (I've got the action almost "too low" right now). It came from the local mom n pop music shop set up pretty well- no funky intonation problems, some evidence that someone at the factory or store did a setup job on it.

Anyway (sorry for the ramble) it's a lot easier to play.

So I'd been playing 1-3 hours per day since I got it about 2 weeks ago. Progress has been friggin' amazing- I guess it helps to play songs you know inside and out.

This past weekend, we headed down to my buddy's little place on a lake in the boonies, and we jammed all friggin' weekend. I'd already begun to see callouses develop, and I probably spent 8 out of 24 hours playing.

I went home Sunday with a big ol' groove in the middle finger. Now, the callouses aren't big worn out dry skin ones, simply thick pads on the fingertips. The groove seemed to be pressed into the fingertip, not gouged in.

Monday or Tuesday night, I was jamming some electric, playing around with some rockabilly sounding stuff, bending this A chord. I noticed a tingle in the groove.

The next night I broke out the acoustic, and found that I couldn't fret a string with the middle finger!

The groove is not as noticeable now, but the fingertip is flattened and there's an indent with the groove in it.

When I press the finger down on the desktop and wiggle it around a bit, I get the sensation like in the other fingers- a bit of a "desensitized" burny feeling from being a beginner player building up callouses, but at a certain angle I get a tingly stabby sensation right on the fingertip. It doesn't take much pressure.

So now I'm frustrated- I couldn't play the last two nights, and I don't think I'll be able to play this weekend unless this thing heals itself. It's almost as bad as quitting smoking...I just want to reach for the guitar, but every time I do, BAM...ouch!

It feels like its deeper than the surface of the skin, like it's a pain in the meat or on the tip of the bone.

I do think I've been fretting too hard trying to get notes to ring clear.

Who has had this experience? How long will it take to go away? Any ways to accelerate the healing process? What the hell is it?

I tried to play with a different part of that fingertip, but I've already developed some muscle memory, so I keep hitting the tender spot. And also, I don't want to develop any more bad habits than I have already developed unwittingly.

Grr. I guess this weekend I'll just and relax...but damn, I've already become severely addicted to making music.

Learn to play piano and you won't have that problem!

Actually, if it hurts to do it, then you shouldn't do it til it's better.

That's kinda what I figured. There's pain that's natural, and there's pain that tells you "STOP!"

After doing some internet research, it appears that it could be a bruise of sorts on the bone or in the fingertip meat.

I guess we do need a keyboard in the jam room after all.

I think I might need to chill on the pressure and work on technique...get closer to the frets so I don't have to apply as much pressure...assuming this is something that should not be and not just a symptom of starting out.

Learn to ease up on the fingers. Use the natural weight of your hand and position it so that your body does the work for you. There really should never be a concentrated effort to fret a note, it should just rest there just so.

Try using bandaid tape on your fingertip. I sometimes get thin sliver cuts in my finger when I play golf in cold weather and the only way I can play guitar with them is with the tape. It is a little cumbersome but you will find some chord positions are bothered less by the tape than others so try changing up the chord shapes. Better than not playing.

Not playing is like

I laid off for a few days, and didn't touch my acoustic till Saturday night- I had a party with several players in attendance, so it was only a matter of time until everyone had passed my new baby around and then it was my turn to jam some Althea and Chan Chan.

Since the groove had finally worked out of the fingertip, I was able to play further down on the finger, which was difficult, but it worked once I got the hang of it.

I'd tried a piece of medical tape, but the pressure on the fingertip still came through and zapped me. (I'd thought of Tony Iommi's leather fingertips)

I've also been following Capt.Trips' advice. I realized I was fretting way too hard because I noticed that I was bending notes by pressing too hard.

I've cut back on the pressure. I read someone's post about a classical instructor making them play notes that buzzed for a while, then slowly adding just enough pressure to get good tone.

I'm still not sure if I'm making a mountain out of a molehill...it might just be finger break-in. That spot is still really nasty when it gets bumped, but I was able to play for 3 hours Saturday and about 4 hours yesterday without hitting it too often.

Thanks for the replies. I've learned my lesson I do think we're getting a keyboard too though- especially since the guy that lives in the jam room is learning electronic music programming.

Just thought I'd pop in and update.

I think my problem did arise from too much pressure while fretting notes. I've really tried to keep an eye on it...not easy, because when I'm concentrating, I start to get pretty tense. (Need to work on that).

That same spot in the middle finger tip still gets irritated, but when it starts now, I know to ease up a bit. (It took about a month for the little "knot" in the callous to go away, and now things are better)

Now I'm trying to tackle left forearm pain, that actually resulted in a bit of swelling where the tendons (?) meet the muscle on the inside surface of my forearm. Once again, that might have been from psycho-grip. But I was taught some self-massage and stretching techniques. I've also figured out that a beginner hammering on an acoustic for 3 hours at a stretch might not be the best thing for the hands...when I play too much, I have to take a multi-day break, which is a setback. So, I've been stopping before I get worn out. Lame.

Progress is still going well, and doing lots of reading here helps out!

You can try some flat wound strings that are smooth to the touch. And lower the action if possible.

Also playing electric with some light gauge strings may help.

Anyway you really have to heal before playing again. Spend the time that you would have been playing on studying theory. It is not as fun for sure but you will at least be making progress.

I have read and heard many times that the most common mistake for newer players to make is pushing too hard on the frets. I am guilty of this one myself, so I guess I am speaking from minimal experience. I have only been playing for a few years, and almost exclusively electric even though we have a nice Martin Acoustic. Late last year I got into playing the Martin quite a bit for a few months, until one night when I was sliding on the B string and it sliced my middle finger tip wide open. It was very surprising since I had a pretty good callous going, but obviously I was pressing too hard on the string and ripped myself real good. I wasn't able to play acoustic or electric for a week or two, and I felt really dumb to boot.

There is nothing lame IMO about having to stop after a few hours because your hands are tired, there is some real conditioning that has to happen to play for hours on end. Worse, I don't know how old you are, but as a middle aged guy (44), I already have some arthritis in my hands. So far, it is worst in the thumb of my pick hand so it hasn't bothered my playing much, but I can see the handwriting on the wall. Take what the body gives you and be thankful for it is always good advice IMO.

I'm only 28, but sometimes I can tell I'm no young buck anymore

And I've learned not to be stupid and aggravate any condition- when people advise "play through the pain" I take it with a big grain of salt- it's better to play every day than to have to take a week off to let something heal (the forearm thing took a few days...ouch)

I'm starting to think a grip exerciser might not be a bad idea- and I think it's time to read up on some hand health stuff for the long term since I'm a bit injury prone (shoulder, hip, back, and now this forearm thing that started when I was 18 and lifting weights) Even after playing only a few months, guitar is something I cannot give up, therefore I have to be thankful for, and a good steward of the hands.

Part of the issue, also, is that I primarily play with a guy who's been playing for 15 years, so when we get into "epic" jams, he can go forever, while I'm the one that needs to stop.

It's good to hear this advice though, gotta reinforce this idea in my head...over and over and over...

I also need to work on tension...that's playing into the excessive grip as well, I believe.

I cringe when the B & E strings get a bit corroded and I slide up 'em...ugh.

I'm currently using Elixir nanowebs, they're nice and easy on the fingers.

Im gonna have to go the other route as usual lol. I say you should definitely play through the pain. It sucks but hey if you stop for a week those callouse's your workin on will start to heal up and then you gotta go through it all over again. Before you know it your fingers will be desensitized to anything lol. And another thing (some might disagree but w/e) I wouldnt lower the action too much. Having high action when I first started is what helped me out alot I think because it got my fingers strong. Now when I play on my low action Gibson I can bend 1 1/2 steps with ease. So give all that a thought

I agree, play through the pain. Yep it sucks, but that is why you should always have cold beer near by

I'm not saying I never played when my fingers were a little sore, if that were true I would essentially never play. I think it is wise to know the difference between a little soreness and an actual injury. I think this is true in a wide variety of endeavors. My fingers sure were sore the first few weeks of playing the Martin, but I pressed on anyway. The night I cut my finger, it got laid open all the way through the callous and into the flesh, that was an injury. To try to continue the next night would have almost certainly aggravated the injury and added to recovery time, as well as added to the blood stains on the fretboard of my guitar. But, to each his own I suppose. If one sees blood-stained fretboards and weeks of recovery from a cut on their finger as some sort of sign of toughness, then they can think me a wimp and I won't really care. I only play for fun anyway, and if one of my fingers is really HURT, it isn't any fun.

Mick thats a little different though. Well alotttt different lol. What he's talkin about is just the usual that everyone goes through and with that I say push on! With what your talking about of course the best remedy is a break from playing.

Yeah- that sounds nasty!

Anyway, I did end up having to chill for a bit for that finger, whatever the problem was. Now they're all even and I haven't gotten the nasty stabbing sensation since then. Woohoo!

I think the problem was doing too much "playing through the pain" and that caused me to have to shut 'er down for a bit. At the time, I was guitar-psycho, and also thought "ahh, this is normal." Since the weird little knot worked its way out of that callous, no more nasty sensations.