What are your calluses like?

[RyanRC]

Hello all.

Sorry the start of this is long, but as the background for this I think is relevant I felt it could help.

So I started trying to learn how to play the guitar about 4 years ago but due to limits in time as I worked a lot of hours, and also because of my age I think (am going to be 60 this summer) it has not gone quickly, but also to mention it’s a hobby only thing for me and have no desire to play out in any way so that’s fine.

For my time with this I have certainly purchased a lot of electric stuff but would say I play acoustic 90% of the time as its just easer to grab that. With that I started with a Yamaha Transacoustic with Elixir strings but have been using a Martin HD-28 for about a year and a half now with using their Bluegrass set.

With all this is I have been working with a starter DIY book a lot, but also just playing in general anything I could pull off.

Lastly I could discuss that while its hard to say how much I play, I do play at least a little just about every day, and sometimes even a lot every day.

For all this time and while everyone says don’t worry about calluses as they will go away, initially and I think mostly from the started book, my pointer finger developed and then lost most of its calluses, but for my ring finger there always seemed to be a fair amount.

So a few months ago and it would take long to get into the whys of this, but I have a ton more time to play so I have and boy, has the calluses built up on my ring finger and middle finger huge, and even have some on my pinky and a bit more on my pointer finger.

But for those two middle fingers not only are they big, but as well have develop a good notch right where the string is and to a point its clearly effecting my playing and how cleanly I can pull things off. I would say with the notches too it certainly promotes a bit of pain as the string is always being guided to the exact same spot, that between that and all else just makes them worse. Also, as they are what they are they are always cracking and splintering especially in that notch.

But the worse part is even after having all the time prior of playing, and several months of the increased playing, they are not even remotely going away.

Essentially what I think I am trying to say with all of the above is to a degree they are self-perpetuating themselves as their effect on my playing just causes me to have to press down harder, which then just makes them worse or at a mim not reduced. I would also add that the notches just stay there as in all the time and never really go away no matter how long I stop playing. If I wait a day or more they somewhat go away, but with in two minutes of playing they are fully dented again.

So while everyone says don’t touch them, its pretty hard not to so I have once or twice hit them will a file a little to at least smooth them out, but after a week or so they are just back to being the same.

So I might suspect people will again tell me to leave them alone, or I myself can find ways to deal with them on the net, but with all this I think what I might be asking is, what are yours like (?), are yours this bad and also largely never really go away or eventually get reduced and is this normal for pretty much everyone as per the way I see other people play it doesn’t look like they are dealing with that I am.

Thanks for any help.

[mr. beaumont]

My calluses are non-existant. Over the years, my fretting hand fingertips are just naturally a bit tougher.

It does take time, and I remember being a beginner...if you are truly experiencing "dents" and pain, it might not be a bad idea to make sure your guitar is set up properly so you're not fighting it--and also to take a look at your technique...a lot of beginners press down much harder than actually needed.

[donlyn]

What are your calluses like?

RyanRC,

First off, calluses never go away, not should they. I use a small modeling file to smooth them out if necessary. I have calluses on all the digits of my left (fretting) hand, and smaller ones on my right (picking) hand. I fingerpick all my guitars using my nails as picks, but sometimes use the fleshy parts of my right hand fingers too, especially the thumb and index finger. I shape my nails to a length of about 1/16" on index, middle, and ring, and a tad longer on the thumb.

There was a story once that Chet Atkins covered his calluses when taking a shower. Water is not good for calluses. I am the dishwasher in the house, and that may help with overgrown calluses. I am in my 70s and have had calluses all my life it seems, but they do recede a bit when not being able to play every day.

I also play 12 string guitar, so I don't have the groove problem much, but I have had it and it is annoying. I even had to strip most of the callus off my left little finger once because of some non-guitar related damage to the finger so it could heal.

I remember a book title called "The Rich Will Be With You Always". I liked the title so much, I read the book, and it was pretty good.
For guitar players, the moral is that calluses will be with you always.

No need to fret about it.

Whatever works for you works for you.

EDIT=> What Jeff wrote is true, as my calluses have smoothed out a bit over time. But they are still there and can become pronounced when I am playing a lot.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[TheGITM]

I remember those days!

My fingers were notched as you describe... and occasionally the skin would just die and I'd have to peel off chunks... I don't miss those days! In my case, it was likely a combination of just getting my fingertips toughened up, but also crappy guitars that required a lot of pressure to fret the strings, and using medium or heavy string gauges on my crappy guitars. A well setup guitar with light gauge strings plays so my easier!

However, it is true that over time those kinds of callouses disappear. There isn't any magic wand that will shortcut the process, that I am aware of... you just keep playing. If you can get a good setup done, frets leveled, etc... and try light gauge strings it should help.

Bottom line: Keep playing. It does get better.

[seaveez]

I use a fingernail file to smooth out the calluses on my fretting-fingers. Mostly, if an edge starts to lift and catch on a string.

Over the years, my technique has gotten better. I now know I don't need to squeeze the nickel out of my strings. Also have learned that moving a finger a millimeter closer to the fret will make the note ring and I don't have to press so hard.

[dilver]

I’ve been playing so long, I don’t even think about calluses anymore. My finger tips are all flat and at a slight angle (have been for years) and my fingers don’t get sore unless I’ve been recording something with a lot of heavy or extreme string bends. I use medium strings on my electrics (.10) and lights (.12) and mediums (.13) on my acoustics, depending on guitar.

Just keep playing…

[gurroz]

I don't give my calluses much thought. They are present on every fingertip and along the side of my left index finger, (thank you Barr chords.) I do play daily for about 4 hours throughout the day. I do not treat them in any way.

[Acousticado]

Imo, calluses never go away, nor should they. I’ve had mine consistently for 48 yrs. On my left fretting hand, my four digits maintain about a 1/8” depth. The thumb, just a bit. On my right fingerpicking hand, I don’t use picks, I’m a flesh all-digit fingerpicker where there’s no discernible callous buildup, but a firmness to the tips.

Although a bit of peeling may happen on the odd fingertip after playing a lot at one time, all remain generally round and smooth. All will get a little soft if not playing for a while, which only rarely happens to me. In fact, sometimes I’ll pick up the guitar even if not intending to play per se, if only to keep the calluses firm. I will get string groove at times, but it’s not an issue for me.

I say, embrace the callus!

[ljguitar]

Hi all
As a young player (60+ years ago) my guitars were tough to play (very high action) with strings which seemed to be coated like sand paper (Black Diamond).

After I graduated to a great Yamaha for a few years and then a Martin D-28, and the action got better along with string compounds and their surfaces becoming kinder, I still had to smooth them pretty regularly (with fine sandpaper).

Today (at age 75) playing acoustic, electric and bass regularly I keep them smoothed with an nail buffing board - the pink one out of a set of foam covered with a some kind of abrasive.

You cannot feel them, but if I play for a set, you're going to see some grooves.

I see some players with rough callus with peaks often in a tight circle. Some don't wash their hands often enough so they have semi-permanent striped across their fingertips.

I don't think about them much anymore.

[Guitars44me]

Another vote for a good nail file or Emory board. Just smooth out until the groove is less problematic.

And wear rubber gloves when doing dishes, etc.

I buy boxes of nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight. They last WAY longer than dish gloves like Playtex.

And, if you haven’t had your action adjusted by a GOOD tech, now would be a good time to do that!

Cheers

Paul

[Glennwillow]

I routinely file my finger calluses with a fine file to keep them from getting too rough.

In my older age I have had to start taking a medication that really has affected my ability to form calluses. I still have calluses, but they are much thinner and my fingers hurt more when I play. So I more often have to use Rock-Tips, usually a couple of coatings, which take time to dry and set up, which is a pain. But the Rock-Tips really help once the coatings are dried onto my finger tips.

I often have grooves in my finger tip calluses. They don't seem to hurt my ability to play.

- Glenn

[tinnitus]

Originally Posted by donlyn

...
There was a story once that Chet Atkins covered his calluses when taking a shower. Water is not good for calluses.
...

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

...
Another vote for a good nail file or Emory board. Just smooth out until the groove is less problematic.
...

When I practiced 2-3 times a week in a gigging bar band, I had monumental calluses (from bending a lot of notes). They looked and felt like tough leather/plastic caps perched on my soft clerical fingertips.

These were just fine until I soaked in a hot-tub or spent too long in a steamy shower, which sometimes caused one or two to peel off. This left some very vulnerable/tender pink skin for a couple weeks under where the callus was missing. And the crispy edges of those healing dry craters liked to pluck strings that I didn't want to snag. Awkward for tunes like Classical Gas, and basically 3-weeks of general annoyance.

One of my bandmates turned me onto nail files to smooth off rough edges. I keep emory boards in all my guitar cases now and regularly sand my hard calluses down to half-depth so they're a little bit flexible. With just a minute or two of care, it's been 12-15 years since my last callus mishap.

The other obvious precaution includes leaving my guitars alone for 30 minutes after a swim, shower or dishes. My acoustic duo buddy lives 45 minutes from my house, so I'm ready to play when I get there without impatiently trying to rush the process. Around the house with wall-hanger guitars in 3 rooms, I actually have to practice a bit of restraint.

[Bowie]

I didn't read all that but regarding the question, I have a hard time developing callouses. I though it would improve with age but I'm getting close to 50 and still barely get enough of a callous to play guitar. Even when I have them, they're a bit soft.

[rllink]

I have them, but they aren't thick enough to require sanding or clipping. If you look close you can see them. I play an hour and a half a day probably.

[K20C]

Many years ago, I took a weekend workshop with Steve Kaufman, a well known bluegrass player. Someone in the class asked about callous care, Steve said he wouldn’t know about that as he didn’t have any. He said if you have callouses you’re fretting too hard. He walked around the class showing everyone his lack of callouses. My callouses are now bigger than 25 years ago so evidently I learned nothing in his class.