finger tip pain and barr chords

[Loraine]

Hey @GJA The callouses develop and eventually the pain in the fingertips should be relieved. Not sure how long you’re practicing at any given time, but if the pain persists, possibly try shortening your practice time and having a few shorter sessions throughout the day.

As for barre chords, they’re difficult and take time to build up strength in the barring fingers, and there is a sweet spot that you need to hit in order for them to play clearly. Make sure you’re fretting near the frets and that your barre finger is slightly curved and this allows you to barre on the outside edge of that finger where you have more strength.

[ted_h]

Hi, @GJA! I had similar problems with barre chords on the acoustic. There’s a barre chord course in the TAC Skill Courses section. I did that one every day for a month and it really helped me build up the strength to fret them correctly. At the beginning of the month I could only tolerate a minute or two each day, but I would do that minute or two each day and my stamina got better each week. I’d encourage you to give those lessons a try, even while you’re working other parts of the TAC program.

Regarding finger tip pain, it took me a solid six months to get to the point where I could play for an hour or two without getting tender on the fingertips. Now after a year of daily playing, I only get sore when I’m playing on the electric with lots of bends using my pinky. But it really took a good number of months of daily playing to get to this point. I would just quit when you’re sore, and expect that gradually your fingertips will become optimized for guitar fretting!

Good job sticking with it!

[GJA]

Thanks guys, I am greatly appreciative of the advice and help this forum provides. I will keep on going, but it helps to know what I can expect! Thanks again!