Sore fingers: what's normal and what isn't

Sore fingers worry a lot of new players. Here is how to tell what is normal.

Normal

Your fingertips hurt. They may feel tender or look dented, and it is worse after a long session. This is just skin that has not been asked to do this before. It toughens up, usually over a few weeks of regular playing, and then one day you notice it stopped.

Not normal

Sharp pain in your wrist, tingling or numbness in your fingers, or pain up your forearm. That is not toughening up. Stop for the day, and check your wrist: it should be fairly straight, not bent sharply under the neck. If it keeps happening, ask a doctor rather than a guitar website.

What actually helps

Play less, more often. Ten minutes twice a day beats an hour on Sunday. Your fingers get a rest and your hands still learn.

Stop pressing so hard. Try this: hold a G chord and strum. Now slowly let go until it starts to buzz, then press just enough to make it ring again. That is how hard you need to press. It is usually far less than you were using.

Get the guitar looked at. If the strings sit high above the frets, everything is harder than it should be. A guitar shop can lower them, usually cheaply, and it can make a bigger difference than a month of practice.

If they hurt today, stop now and come back tonight. That counts as practice, and you are not behind.