Guitar

[denny80]

I am new with guitar.please help me which guitar is best for sour fingers.

[Ben-Had]

Try using a light gauge string - they are really "sweet."

Tim B

[MuddyFox]

Having gone all the routes on this one, my belief is that you need to decide what your goal is...

If you are in just for laughs, go with light strings, go with classical, go with electrics. It will only hurt for a few weeks until you get first callouses (or maybe not at all).

Now, if you are in it for the long run, look into "toughening up". Heavier strings always sound fuller (which is pretty much what you want on a guitar, especially acoustic). I've started with 9s on electric and 10s on acoustic and in retrospect, those were waaay to flimsy (especially on electric, it's very hard to hold a note to pitch without bending it). I'm up to 11s on electric and 12s on acoustic and I have absolutely no problems fretting both single notes and chords. And I have no intention ever going down in gauge (health permitting), the sound is just so much better.

Take it easy in the beginning but if you are at all serious about your playing and your sound, ramp it up once you can comfortably play a certain gauge.

[denny80]

Thanks for reply

[kencierp]

I have not taught in many, many years but my very wise music instructor gave me this advice and I always pass it on -- leave the guitar out of the case on a stand and rather then practicing for 30 or 60 minutes, break your time into 3 or 6 ten minute sessions. Not only will you discover that your finger tenderness issue will disappear --- you will learn the material faster and at a deeper level of perfection. Go slow, play each note accurately otherwise you will tend to commit your mistakes to memory. $.02

[kencierp]

Oh yeah --- and most importantly use a capo at the first or second fret, this will automatically have the effect of playing a well set up guitar. At some point you will have to find a set-up expert to get the best possible playability from your guitar --- that is the magic! Again bottom-line if the instrument is not set-up properly it will be difficult to play -- brand, cost etc. has little to do with the issue.

[MuddyFox]

Wise words, Ken!

Lately I have been having a hard time finding time to play (let alone practice) so once I do get going I find it hard to put the guitar down. Breaking up my precious playing time just seems wasteful.
That said, I fully agree with you. I do learn new material more quickly when I focus on it intermittently and take breaks to let it sink in. But for me, it needs to be a clean break, go do something completely different. Stopping playing new stuff to do 5 minutes of scales just doesn't do it, I either check my email, get a drink, use the facilities, change little one's diapers, flick through channels on the TV.. whatever, as long as it is not guitar-related in any way. Once I come back to guitar, something that seemed impossible to understand/play has more often than not found it's way through my thick skull.

EDIT: oh yeah, another small point, even if it's finger-sourness-unrelated (while I'm on my puny soapbox). Especially at the beginning, always use a metronome set to a reasonable click. It will keep you going slow enough that you pay enough attention to both technique and material. Only speed it up when you can play a piece perfectly, repeatably.
I've fought this for way too long (see thick skull reference :) ) but it does actually help.