Hello so I’ve bought a guitar a few years ago but stoped because it was too hard to play and my fingers hurt I know it’s normal at first for beginners to feel pain, or is there no shortcuts and bear the pain to develop callouses?
No shortcuts I know of, but I'm horrible at guitar, so don't ask me! The pain doesn't last that long, though, and then it's, seemingly, gone forever.
i'm not a guitarist, but i think in general the quickest way to get callouses is to do whatever activity you're trying to callous against as much as possible until it starts to hurt, every day. then stop before it causes any damage. seems fairly obvious really.
Buy Ultra Light strings like these, or another brand is fine, but these are kind of basic https://www.amazon.com/Elixir-Strings-Phosphor-Acoustic-010-047/dp/B000A6EUSC?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3 As soon as you can play for 30-45 minutes without it hurting, switch to the LIGHT strings. The "softer" the strings, the less they hurt but will get out of tune quickly and won't sound as good, but they are good for beginners You might find it easier to play 10-20 at a time, several times a day until you get used to it. It won't take long until you can play for an hour or more. THEN experiment with strings to find a sound you like
Better guitars, around $500.oo and up, are easier to play and sound great. Most settle for something like a $200.oo guitar, that sounds ok, but if you find it hard to play after a few months that is always an option.
The only thing to do is play, play, play. There is no easy way around it. If you're looking for something easy then you should find something else to do. Or, you could trade in your steel string for a nylon string With your soft hands...
Slides? Bends? I don't know... Those are my guesses. I've been playing since '94. Mine are sorta permanent now; like the tough skin on the outside side of your big toe!
I've playing for 45 years, toured the US, Canada and Mexico, as a professional guitarist. Wear gloves if you wash dishes and use rubbing alcohol to keep your fingers, thumb and top pad of the hand by dry .
My fingers hurt when I play a lot. They are calloused and have been for a long time, but even so if I spend a half-hour playing I will feel it when I try to play again the next day.
There is a device called, the Varigrip, made by Planet Waves , it will build up you tendons and muscles in your forearm. I use it and it will keep you in shape for playing . On the flipside of the Varigrip, it has a callous builder .
While dry skin forms callouses more than moist, they are more prone to crack and peel off. With moist skin rubbing alcohol before playing helps, but with dry skin you need to use skin cream after playing and at night to help prevent the cracking. It is something of a balancing act and everyone is different.
