sore fingers - help !

Jimbo55

playing about 8 songs in a beginner multiband gig tonight, recently taken on the lead guitar role, much practice .......but my fingertips have got pretty sore after last practice session yesterday (feeling sensitive/raw, but no blood yet!) .....resting beforehand now but any last minute tips 

viz

Jimbo55 said:

playing about 8 songs in a beginner multiband gig tonight, recently taken on the lead guitar role, much practice .......but my fingertips have got pretty sore after last practice session yesterday (feeling sensitive/raw, but no blood yet!) .....resting beforehand now but any last minute tips 

Hehe

Keefy

Put some surgical spirit on a cotton bud and rub into your fingertips. You can do this a couple of times a day. It helps you to develop calluses, but if you overdo it the dead skin peels off and you’re back where you started!

Jimbo55

I will try some surgical spirit now !!!!!
Actually thinking it may be part of my advancing age peripheral sensory neuropathy that is bad in my feet and beginning to creep into my fingers, not good

# don't get old # don't get ill # don't get injured #
....that's what I tell them when I do running coaching,
....but I wear a t-shirt saying 'do as I say, not as I do' 

CarpeDiem

Keep persevering, and your callouses should harden. It’s ok to feel aching, but stop if you feel pain.

JohnS37

It’s an old cabbage I know, but nose grease always helps (preferably before you start playing).  Some people have abundant grease either side of the nose, others have it behind the ears, but it’s brilliant on your fretting fingers.  Gives real meaning to “plays like butter”.

MtB

In the past I have used superglue on the tips of my fingers. A few drops on the tips of your fingers and then tap the fingertip with another finger will make the superglue form a crust on your fretting fingers.

LastMantra

You just need to build up calluses with time and playing. 
Anything else will just delay that.

BlueStrat

Try loosening your grip, you may have a strangler’s grip without realising

theatreanchor

When I was learning, I often used to play until my fingers bled. Then I’d rest a couple of days and go again. Just give yourself time and remember to rest. If it’s any consolation, I had a six hour rehearsal yesterday and my digits are a bit sore this morning. (You probably don’t need extra grease from your nose on your fretboard btw, your fingers are greased enough!)

Keefy

MtB said:

In the past I have used superglue on the tips of my fingers. A few drops on the tips of your fingers and then tap the fingertip with another finger will make the superglue form a crust on your fretting fingers stick your fingers firmly together.

FTFY!

stufisher

Time is the best medicine for hardening your fingertips but you don't have that right now ... so I agree wholeheartedly with @BlueStrat , a lighter grip made so much difference to me moving from my first year of playing into my second year.

Also, I've changed my thumb position a lot more now ... I can get better stretch and reach and less ache/pain. In turn it has led me to use more if my finger pads than just finger tips.

I'm not in a band but I play almost every day for an hour or two and because I've made tweaks to technique I can manage better. It has also enabled me to improve fluidity and speed of learning. 

If Id suggested these things to myself a year ago I'd have laughed ... but I can vouch for them through my own experience.

Lastly, breathing better and relaxation are also good things to work on ... they underpin the tight grip stuff. I used to grip tighter as I played longer but now I regulate breathing better it's much less of an issue and I can sense quicker when I'm tensing up and stop it 

Good luck. Enjoy the gig  

Roland

BlueStrat said:

Try loosening your grip …

This was my first thought. It’s a natural tendency to grip harder when performing than you would at home. I still do after 50 years.

Keefy said:

… surgical spirit on a cotton bud and rub into your fingertips…

As @Keefy says, don’t overdo it.

I was advised never to put cyanoacrylic glue on my finger tips. The commercial stuff you and I have access to is different from medical glue. It heats up more as it sets, and can burn an already sore fingertip. Also, if it is brittle and can crack, then the skin beneath will tear, and you’ll have a bigger problem. I know SRV is reported to have done it, but that’s the medical advice I received.

If you need protection, as I did after a chemical burn, I was shown how to:
1. Put a ring of micro cellular tape around your finger, between the nail and first knuckle. This is an anchor layer.
2. Put a strip of tape over your fingertip, from top to bottom, sticking it to the anchor.
3. Put a second ring of tape around your finger, to hold everything in place.
4. Have scissors and tape on top of your amp, plus a line of pre cut strips, and be prepared to change the tape every two or three songs. 

Bod

theatreanchor said:

When I was learning, I often used to play until my fingers bled.

Ah, twas the summer of '69!

Cols

You could always try Rock Tips Liquid Callus Formula.  But @LastMantra and @CarpeDiem are correct; you're best to build them up naturally with regular playing.

mark123

Bod said:

theatreanchor said:

When I was learning, I often used to play until my fingers bled.

Ah, twas the summer of '69!

Jimmy may quit and Jody get married but
keep on going they will be the best days of your life ,

Keefy

I’ve had a last minute gig come in which saw me spending most of two days playing guitar. I wore away a layer of skin on the third finger of my fretting hand. In the daytime I used some surgical spirit, but before turning in I applied Sudocrem to help the skin heal - I’d forgotten about this until now but it does help.