Sore fingers

Claireski

Claireski

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I do apologise if this is a silly question but please bare in mind I haven't picked up a stringed instrument since I was 13 in Mr Harts music class at school.
I got a ukulele for Christmas (suprise from my dad, didn't think he even remembered me saying I wanted to learn about 8 months ago)
I've been a bit of a overzealous beginner to the point of getting pretty sore fingers.
I accept I'm just going to have to man up & deal but is there anything anyone could recommend to toughen them up a bit?
 
Keep Playing go through the pain
 
I reckon we all have the same problem. The previous post is right up to a point. You need to keep playing, but don't play too long at any one time; have regular breaks. That way, your fingers won't get too sore. Over time you find that your fingers are less sore and you can play for longer at any one time. It's a gradual process and it takes time for the fingers to become adapted.
 
Was the Uke set up? If the strings are too high you my be having to press harder than you normally would have to. Otherwise, once you get some calluses (sp) it won't be so painful. Also start with easier chords. Some make you contort a bit.

Have fun and welcome
 
Practice til you feel a little sore, then take a break. Eventually you'll be able to practice for as long as you like.

Just keep playing and have fun. I'm sure Mr. Hart would be proud.
 
What they all said!^^
Many, many moons ago though, my school music teacher advised the guitar players to dip their fingertips in surgical spirit as it is reputed to harden the skin.
 
My fingers were so sore when I started playing, especially when I switched my strings to Worth- clears. I asked A friend of mine who is a great Jazz guitarist for Fats Domino and he gave me this advice (which I followed and it seemed to help).

1. Boil water and pour into a cup with about a tablespoon of salt
2. Dissolve the salt
3. When the water is very hot (but not boiling), soak your fingers in the salt water and leave them in there for at least 15 minutes
4. Don't wash the salt off your fingers when done- just air dry them
5. Do this every other day

Sounds crazy I know, but it worked. I guess the water was about 140 F when I could put my fingers in. I could feel all of the blood going to the tips. When my fingers dried, they were harder than before. I did this for a month and each day I could play longer and longer until one day I was surprised that I passed the 4 hour mark without pain.
 
efiscella said:
My fingers were so sore when I started playing, especially when I switched my strings to Worth- clears. I asked A friend of mine who is a great Jazz guitarist for Fats Domino and he gave me this advice (which I followed and it seemed to help).

1. Boil water and pour into a cup with about a tablespoon of salt
2. Dissolve the salt
3. When the water is very hot (but not boiling), soak your fingers in the salt water and leave them in there for at least 15 minutes
4. Don't wash the salt off your fingers when done- just air dry them
5. Do this every other day

Sounds crazy I know, but it worked. I guess the water was about 140 F when I could put my fingers in. I could feel all of the blood going to the tips. When my fingers dried, they were harder than before. I did this for a month and each day I could play longer and longer until one day I was surprised that I passed the 4 hour mark without pain.
Click to expand...

all sounds a bit like that series from the 70's Kung Fu, only he used hot sand and so did Bruce Lee, just keep practising and your fingertips will harden up takes about 2 weeks
 
Aloha Claireski,
Went through the same scenario and yes keep playing is the best advice. In time, it'll be okay.
On another note, most ukes now come with Aquila Strings and they are hard on beginners...found that out after my fingertips were better. For my new to uke playing kids, and g-kids, I swapped out the Aquilas for GHS's as they are more comfortable for the beginners......just a thought.
Good luck and don't stop playing.......................BO......................
 
Hmm... fresh out of hot sand but reckon I'll give the salt a go.
& keep playing of course!
After having 5 days off work I've mostly been playing on & off through out the day.
 
808boy said:
Aloha Claireski,
Went through the same scenario and yes keep playing is the best advice. In time, it'll be okay.
On another note, most ukes now come with Aquila Strings and they are hard on beginners...found that out after my fingertips were better. For my new to uke playing kids, and g-kids, I swapped out the Aquilas for GHS's as they are more comfortable for the beginners......just a thought.
Good luck and don't stop playing.......................BO......................
Click to expand...

I've no idea what the strings on mine are - to be fair it's by no means an expensive uke. I do want to put some better strings on him though so will definatly take that on board, Thanks!
 
It's just going to take some time to develop calluses. That goes for any stringed instrument. Nylon uke strings are actually much easier on your fingers than those double courses of steel strings on a mandolin. :)

It can be easy to go overboard one day and have sore fingers the next. But at least try to give it 10-15 minutes on that sore finger day. It will help you build up your calluses sooner.
 
Edit: Should of said hello everyone ! I'm almost 40 and yesterday started playing my first instrument ! :eek:

Had my first real session practising last night (an hour and a half), and have to say my fingers are really feeling it today, my left index finger in particular but good to read the best idea is just to keep going but a shorter session tonight, though as others have said the strumming is the bit I feel I'm most struggling with. In particular the down stroke is sounding much worse than my up stroke, but I'm not sure if that due to the short nail (yes, used to bite my nails), but at one point last night I was really happy with the noise, and as soon as I tried to pay attention to what was different it changed :/ I think it's something which can't be 100% explained or taught.

I have an eBook which is useful and confusing in equal measures, but I figure learning some basic chords and strumming pattern is a good grounding, then onto learning a song that I actually know, after pay day though I'll be going with UU+ and crossing my fingers it plays on the iPad :)
 
I had the same problem to the point that my fingertips bled. It's been almost a year now, and my fingers still get cut up after 2 hours of practice. What I did in the beginning was to google the question, and was led to a website called Rock-Tips. It's sorta a super glue that you put on the tips of your fingers, and it hardens so your fingers don't feel the pain as much. It becomes so hard that it actually helps to form a callous on your fingertips. So you can try that and hopefully it will help. Keep playing and this too will pass.
 
Keep Playing and your finger will toughen up and get used to it...check the action the height of your strings..if they
are high it affect your comfort and playability and get softer strings..southcoast..less tension makes them a dream
to play next to Aquilas..Good Luck and Happy Strummings.
 
I play classical guitar, and even the added tension, extra strings etc, my fingers no longer get sore.

1. Do not practice more than 20-30 minutes without taking a break.

2. Most importantly beginners tend to press too hard which results in tension, poor sound, and sore fingers (same with strumming too hard)

3. A large part of learning how to play well is to not try too hard, a great exercise for this is to press a finger on a string very lightly so it sounds "bad" press a bit more until the sound is nice and clear and do not press any harder. That is the sweet spot where you get a nice clean sound, but you do not use too much energy etc...

After 4 years of classical guitar, I do not get any soreness, have a decent sound, and have a very minimal ammount of calluses on my fingers, not what you would expect.

Hope this helps,

Ivan
:music:
 
Last edited:
I got my uke 2 weeks ago tomorrow. As with you, very sore finger tips. I kept playing an hour or so a night one weeknights, and maybe 2 - 3 each weekend day on and off. My finger tips are noticably harder and I can play longer now. Also noticed that I have to press less hard on the strings because my fingers don't cave in as much as they used to if that makes any sense (imagine fretting with something really soft like a marshmallow vs a pencil eraser). Either way, just keep at it. I'll sit watching tv very quietly (so as not to annoy the family) doing scales over and over, then strumming through various chords and have found that transitioning between them is becoming much easier, too.

Most of all, have fun with it!
 
If you haven't already taken it to a shop, take it in and see if they can lower the action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard) if you continue to have pain. I got a tenor that was strung with Aquila Nylgut strings and it killed my fingers. I gave it a week and I was still getting really sore fingers. I took it back and they lowered the action and it made a world of difference.
 
I think this is common, but as you get better it gets easier. I noticed that when I first started playing I would use more pressure than I needed or a bad stroke. As I got better, the pain went away. This was especially true when learning to mute. Take lots of breaks. It helps.
 
Practise a little and often (rather than a long session). Your fingers will soon stop hurting. It is better to practise like this anyway.
 
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