Scabs on your fingers if you play guitar??!

[me+me+me]

Hi ive just started guitar, but my cousin who's been playing for a really long time, showed me her fingers and they had this cartalige on the tips from pressing the strings, now i'm getting slightly freaked out, if i play guitar, will my fingers get like that?? or can i avoid it??!

THANK YOU ^^

[know-noknow]

yes you can
simply mime like Andrew Ridgley from wham did!

[Mortartube]

If you play the guitar frequently, the tips of your fingers are likely to develop hard pads of skin where you press down on the strings.

Before you get to that point though, you will most likely to go through a phase of sore fingertips before hand. This will be when you can't wait for the skin to harden up. It shouldn't be a problem and is hardly noticeable. Hardening of the skin on the fingertips is a positive thing for a guitarist, not a negative thing. It means that you can comfortably apply the required pressure to play properly without getting sore all the time. If you stop playing for a while, the skin will soften back up and you'll have to go through the whole process again. I play every day and the hardened skin is not a problem.

[me+me+me]

oh ok, thank you :) yeah im going through that sore stage now xD guess i'll wait for it to harden up! thanks!

[saxy_jag]

I'm told that soaking your fingertips in vinegar regularly helps to harden up the skin.

[Mortartube]

If they are very sore but you still want to play, get some New Skin from the chemist. You paint it on and it helps healing but also forms a film (a bit like when you get PVA wood glue on your fingers), so it protects them and helps heal. Good stuff. Feels abit odd at first though when you play.

[karenmac60]

My sister used to soak her fingertips in meths to harden the skin, when she started playing guitar

[donegal]

get into Rory Gallagher . he is one of the best guitar player ever .
watch him play !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GazzTFxXGeE&fea ture=related