I've received a lot of questions about shortcuts when it comes to creating calluses.
As far as I know, there aren't any. That's one disadvantage when first
learning how to play the guitar, especially a steel string acoustic. I remember big
red grooves in the ends of my fingers after practicing that really HURT! Unfortunately,
the only way I know to form good hard thick calluses that will last is just keep
practicing. Eventually you will have killer calluses on the ends of your fingers.
I remember it took me about a year to get a good callus on the end of my pinky.
PS. The only time I think about my calluses now is in the winter. The ends of my
fingers seem to be more sensitive to the cold now.
Gman ( o )==#
A tip from Eric Clapton supposedly: rub your fingertips with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
three (3) times a day for a week or two for a beginner or someone who hasn't played for a
while. This will dry out the skin and help calluses build very quickly. I
tried this after not playing for about a year and it worked for me.
Donated By: Jef DeMarie
I read tip 67 about building calluses and it reminded me that many of the stores I have
visited that sell rock climbing equipment sell an item to help build calluses. It
looks like a coin, a little smaller than the palm of your hand. It is metal and has
concentric metal ridges on it. Put your thumb on one side and squeeze your
fingertips over the ridges on the other side. It builds calluses in no time and it
fits right in your pocket.
Thanks for the site! Nat
I use an old credit card to harden and maintain calluses. Hold the card across
the palm of the hand and press each finger in turn into the opposite edge. Great
when reading or sitting traffic queues!!
Great site by the way, Paul
I remember an old trick my first guitar teacher told about toughening up my fingers.
He said to put a tablespoon of ALUM into a glass of water, and soak my fingers in it for 20 minutes a day. The Alum can be bought in most
grocery stores.
Thanks, for your website.
George Lane
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Tip from Portugal, I had a very hard time building calluses and one little trick I came up with was that every time I was dealing with water at home (dish washing, car washing, bathing etc. specially with hot water) I would use some rubber doctor type gloves (thin gloves). It works because immediately you can pick a guitar and play. Pedro Araujo |