Hurting fingers

Lifestion

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I have been playing for a couple of weeks and my fingers hurt and I can
 
I have been playing for a couple of weeks and my fingers hurt and I can

Your posting seems to have been truncated!

A little soreness can be expected when starting.
These symptoms are often caused by gripping the neck/strings too tightly.
If your instrument "needs" to be "squeezed hard", that is to say noticeable pressure is needed to depress the strings, it's possible that it needs to be "set up". This involves adjusting the nut and/or bridge to get the strings closer to the frets, without being so close as to cause buzzing. This is usually the work of just a few minutes and easily accomplished by anyone with a modicum of handicraft skills, else there are professionals who will happily take your money to do I for you ;)
Unnecessary discomfort can also be induced by feeling the need to "hang onto" the instrument if not using a strap ;)

Good luck :music:
 
We need to see a full post first I think. I recently changed strings on my go to tenor and the string tension is much higher than the previous set. At 64 my hands are feeling the difference. Could you be using a higher tension string or possibly tensing up a little too much? Lot's of reasons why your fingers/hands could be hurting.
When I got serious about playing I took lessons and talked about this with my teacher. He suggested massaging my hands. He had a student who was a massage therapist who would trade the cost of one lesson for a session.
 
Never any fun to play when there's pain:

1. If you're writing about the finger tips, take your time. Don't play so much that they blister or bleed. With time you'll get calluses and with more time the calluses will become smoother and you won't think about it anymore.
2. If you're writing about the muscles in your hands/fingers hurting, take your time. Your muscles will develop and the pain should decrease and finally disappear. Stretching your fingers/hands a little before and after playing might also help.
3. If you're writing about the joints in your fingers hurting, take your time. This is a more serious problem than the first two and it's important that you don't play/practice to the point of inflaming your joints.

In All cases, you will be helped by using a proper technique that works for you, learning the minimal amount of pressure you need for the sound you want, and getting the lowest setup on your ukulele that you're willing to use and pay for. And yes, take your time :)
 
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Finger tips hurting is OK; finger everywhere else hurting is not OK.
 
Like bicycle riding, be patient; it all comes together eventually!
 
Thanks for the input, I guess this makes me feel at ease that this is just normal and along the way I know that my finger will feel normal with it. I just need to keep playing. I put some compress to it
 
Thanks for the input, I guess this makes me feel at ease that this is just normal and along the way I know that my finger will feel normal with it. I just need to keep playing. I put some compress to it

If your uke has not had a setup, I highly recommend it. Many ukes have the strings set pretty high when it comes out of the factory. Lowering them makes it easier to play. You don't need as much pressure to fret the notes.

Determine the least amount of pressure you need to make a clean note. Push down on a chord and play it then let up on the pressure and play it. When you no longer get a clear note, increase the pressure a bit and that is what you want to aim for when you play. I have a tendency to push too hard on the strings and have to remind my self to ease up so my finger tips don't hurt. My arthritis kicks up as well if I use too much pressure.

You may want to think about changing your strings. I find that Nylon strings hurt my fingers. The thick strings actually seem to bruise my fingertips when I play. I don't have that problem with thinner fluorocarbons strings. I really like Living Waters strings. They have the sound I like and are bendy so they don't cut into my fingertips. I find Martin strings to be too stiff. Worth mediums browns are good as well. Fremont Black Lines seem to be the most flexible and easiest to play. You will sacrifice a little volume compared to Nylon strings. Plus, fluoros won't have that clangy Hawaiian sound.

Make sure you are curling your fingers and playing with the tips.

You can use some lidocaine topical cream on your fingers after you are done playing to reduce the discomfort. But that's a temporary solution. You will build up callouses quickly to help your fingertips.
 
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