TAC Family Forums

Share your wins, get unstuck, or see how others use the TAC Method to create a fulfilling guitar life!

  • Hey beginners, do your fingers hurt?

    Posted by OwenGL on May 18, 2021 at 11:06 pm

    TLDR: If chords are hurting your fingers, switch to paying single notes (scales, exercises, flatpicking, etc) for the rest of your practice session to play longer without making your fingers hurt more.

    When I started playing guitar a few years ago, I started by learning chords and basic strumming. After about ten minutes my fingers hurt, so I would stop for the day. After a few weeks, I could play longer, but I still ended each practice with my fingers hurting. Yep, I had the beginner death grip even though I tried not to.

    A couple years later I was practicing scales and various stretching exercises when I realized I didn’t have a death grip playing single notes (still working on this with chords).

    Then it hit me. If I’m playing chords and my fingers hurt, I can switch to flatpicking or practicing scales and keep playing. I could have played much more as a beginner if I varied styles within a practice session.

    Hopefully this helps you play longer and improve faster than you otherwise would have.

    OwenGL replied 3 years, 9 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Alfred

    Member
    May 18, 2021 at 11:29 pm

    Where was this advice oh so many years ago? 😛 sounds solid

  • Cadgirl

    Member
    May 19, 2021 at 6:31 am

    A few months back I got a great deal on a 1/2 size classical guitar with nylon strings that I just couldn’t pass up. I never realized what a difference it would make on my practice time. I still have my steel string guitars, but when I know I’m going to be playing endless hours? I grab my classical. Oh gosh yeah, do the stretching exercises. I know Tony has a course on various exercises. Good luck.

  • jumpinjeff

    Member
    May 19, 2021 at 10:58 am

    That is great strategy @OwenGL , eventually you will take the feel of single notes to your chords as touch develops and chords won’t be so taxing. I remember at the beginning I had to squeeze so tight to get clarity. In time I learned how to apply pressure judiciously and precisely to get the sound I was looking for. A good amount of that touch development happened while playing scales and exercises. It was a while before I realized the bar for a Bm chord really only involved two strings and with simple adjustment I could use way less energy applying force where needed for chord clarity. Basically I figured out my index finger acting as a bar did not need to take on the role of a capo. Pressure could be adjusted depending on which strings my Index finger bar was needing to effect.

    • OwenGL

      Member
      May 19, 2021 at 1:00 pm

      “Basically I figured out my index finger acting as a bar did not need to take on the role of a capo.”

      So true! Of course, barre chords are explained as your index finger is acting as a capo, but rarely explained it doesn’t have to fret all 5-6 strings like a capo does.

Log in to reply.