How Long Does It Take For Guitar 'Calouses' to Form?

Question

Just started to learn the guitar and had my first bit of time with it last night learning the basic chords, probabl;y played for about an hour and a half, went to play a cord this mornign and my fingers are bloomin sore! How long does it take for the guitar calouses to form so I can practice some more?

Thanks!

Answer 1

You girl......get it played lad ;o)

Answer 2

It takes about 2 weeks.


I would suggest you practice differently though.... Practice for no more than 20 mins at a time for these 2 weeks. Even if you do that 3 or 4 times a day the fingers will harden quicker and you wont EVER get too sore to play... Plus you'll learn your stuff quicker with lots of little bursts...

Answer 3

;- ) When I first started playing, it only took about a week. But I played everyday for at least an hour. Good luck with learning guitar! It's an awesome instrument. The pain goes away when you get your calouses... just keep practicing!!

Answer 4

It takes a while, and a fair bit of practice.

I'm a beginner myself, and my calluses have hardened enough now that I can easily play for about 3 hours straight. (after that I get bored, it's not that my fingers are too sore)

A great way to build them up is to repeatedly practice one chord without moving your fingers off the fretboard, mine came from repeated playing of the first few bars of Hotel California. Just keep doing this and the calluses will build up really quickly. After about the third time or so, I found I could play that one chord for about an hour.

Oh, and a lot of people will tell you that rubbing alcohol helps build up calluses - I've never tried this myself, but apparently it speeds up the process.

Answer 5

Depends on how much you play. I got to the point where my fnger tips were tingling all the time and I was losing some sensation. That's when I stopped or a few days.

Take as little time off as possible, than get at it again.

If you action is too high, you have to press harder to fret the notes. Maybe a LOT harder. Ask somebody who knows guitars to take a look and see if you could stand to have your guitar adjusted. If so, get it done. It will be an outstanding investment. Take it to a reputable guitar or music store. (And not Guitar Center or someone they recommend.)

Answer 6

Be a man and take the pain! Soon you will be a guitar god, but only with sufficient practice. Complaining "my fingers hurt" won't get you anywhere!

I don't remember how long it took for them to form. Just keep playing and your fingers will gradually become immune to metal strings.

Answer 7

You can use surgical spirit to harden the skin quicker, It worked really well when I first started using a Longbow, and that eats your fingers much worse than playing a steel string guitar.
It has to be said though that if you are playing with nylon strings and it is sore then you are a big girls blouse. ;-)

Answer 8

i put the tips of my fingers on the electric stove burner for a few seconds. the next day i played til they bled.by the 3rd day I was good to go.After that i played 6 to 8 hours a day no problem.2 weeks til your totally shredding.Oh don't forget your pinky.
BTW, if you stop playin cause your bored.you probably need a skilled friend to show you stuff,and if your still bored after that,It's a hobby.

Answer 9

a few weeks for the skin to harden properly... practise for a bit, and then play again once your fingers stop hurting... the more you play, the quicker the skin on your fingers will harden... i was classically trained on the violin, and when i started to play the guitar i thought i had destroyed my fingers, but they get better, and then you can play for ages with no pain... just stick with it mate! no pain, no gain, as they say!

Answer 10

layoff for about 3-4 days then play again it should have healed by then

Answer 11

I often wondered about that aswell, feels like i got hundreds of paper cuts...