Newsgroups: rec.music.classical.guitar
Subject: Sore fingers......
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 12:17:02 +0800

Has anybody got any tips on hardening the ends of my fingers.  As a
beginner,  I as starting to build a calous on each finger - but I hear about
different things you can do to assist or accelerate the process.

Newsgroups: rec.music.classical.guitar
Subject: Re: Sore fingers......
Date: 31 Oct 1998 08:46:14 GMT

<<Has anybody got any tips on hardening the ends of my fingers.  As a
beginner,  I as starting to build a calous on each finger - but I hear about
different things you can do to assist or accelerate the process.
>>

I'm not "totally" sure about the science of this, but here goes: You won't
develop heavy duty callouses playing nylon string guitar. (As opposed to
say..steel string acoustic) However, the tips of your fingers will become less
sensitive to pain (the nerve endings recede or something like that). I don't
have heavy callouses. The skin is harder but thier not what you would really
call callouses. I can however, bury my thumbnail with a good deal of force,
into the flesh of my pinky and it doesn't really hurt. 
  Just keep playing.. I think your fingertips will  adjust.


Newsgroups: rec.music.classical.guitar
Subject: Re: Sore fingers......

Alum powder sold over the counter in most drug stores.


Newsgroups: rec.music.classical.guitar
Subject: Re: Sore fingers......

Don't press down so hard on the tips of your fingers.  See how lightly
you can press the string and still get a good tone.  Go more for
accuracy than brute force.  If you begin to get sore, scale back the
amount of practice until your fingers become more acclimated to the
effort of playing.  Try to avoid anything that feels like you are
fighting your guitar.


Newsgroups: rec.music.classical.guitar
Subject: Re: Sore fingers......

There are some good callus tips at:

http://www.dreamscape.com/esmith/dansm/acoustic/hand/callus.htm

It helped me.