[benjo]

 hey guys question

 will my figers ever get feeling back in them

 my wife bought me an acoustic guitar to keep me out of trouble or her way
 once i'd figured out witch end you strum and witch end you slice your fingers to shreds
 I got a little bit addicted,

 now I can't feel the tips of my fingers
 or pick anything up is this normal

                                     have I lost four fingers

[Boydie]

That brings me back!!!!

IMHO this is the "rite of passage" for any guitar player

There are some tricks that you can try if you are a wuss finding it difficult

There are some ideas in this thread for you to consider:

http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/the-bar/12-string-finger-tip-tips/msg39389/#msg39389

A good setup would be my first recommendation

The "tuning down and using a capo" trick will certainly make it a little easier but I can see some drawbacks...ie you may run in to issues if you ever need to play another guitar (re-learning the fret positions and finding it difficult to play)

I think your LONGTERM best bet is to hang in there and get through the initial pain discomfort

It DOES get easier (I promise) and you will be a better player for it 

[benjo]

 hey boydie,

 ha ha ha yes I feel like a wuss
 but I think i'm addicted now the hook has me around the neck
 just been doing some finger picking to bonfire heart
 not that you could tell

 you guitarists really do have some patience

 thanks for the tips man

 where did I put them plasters
 
 

[beckylucythomas]

Haaa i remember that..... I had just gotten to the point where i had BEAUTIFUL callouses on my fingers that i was sooo proud of, and they didn't hurt anymore, when i stopped practising.....gonna have to go through it all again!   

So Benjo, keep going!!!!!

[tone]

will my figers ever get feeling back in them

You have feeling in your fingers?!

It's been so long I can't remember what that feels like

Boydie is right though - the only truly valuable way forward is to hang in there and don't practise *too* much until your fingertips are tougher.

A common issue I've often seen with new guitarists is the temptation to press down REALLY HARD on the strings - of course, this only makes it worse. You don't pick up an egg with the tightest grip you can muster, so take the same approach to your guitar. Press only as firmly as you need to to make a clear note. Anything else is a waste of energy, and more pain for your fingers.

After a while you'll learn to live without feeling in your fingertips - it's one of the perks

[Jess]

Is it weird that I really liked this numb guitar finger feeling? My fingers tingled for weeks but I felt like a fairy so I didn't mind
Plus umm speaking of guitars...did I mention...I got a FENDER for Christmas eeeeeek

[tone]

Plus umm speaking of guitars...did I mention...I got a FENDER for Christmas eeeeeek

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK! indeed!

I might have recently acquired a nice fender tele this year. What kind did you get? We can form a forum fender club

[Boydie]

did I mention...I got a FENDER for Christmas Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy eeeeeek

Awesome news  

I am a Fenderphile myself so I am sure you will be very happy

I really regret getting rid of my Telecaster - but it was so I could gt the guitar of my dreams, my 1990 Stratocaster Plus in a colour I have NEVER seen before (a dark, metallic sparkle purple - absolutely GORGEOUS!)

I also have a "tricked out" Jap Strat '57 re-issue

Tell us more - watchyagot???

A common issue I've often seen with new guitarists is the temptation to press down REALLY HARD on the strings

This is sooooooo true

Here is a tip from my guitar teaching days for any of you out there learning guitar (which rarely gets mentioned!)

You only need to press down hard enough to push the string against the actual FRET itself (ie on top of the fret wire)

You do NOT need to press the string so that it touches the actual fret board (and in fact doing so may well make the guitar sound out of tune as you would effectively be "bending" the string)

With this in mind it will make it easiest to "fret" the guitar as close to the front of the fret as you can (obviously without deadening the sound)

Once you understand this and develop a lighter touch your fingers will feel a bit better and it will stand you in good stead for lead work later on down the road

[Jess]

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/series/california/sonoran-sce-cutaway-electric-lake-placid-blue-with-matching-headstock-solid-spruce-top-fishman-preamp-with-built-in-tuner/
(I was going to get you a genuine picture of mine but I don't know how to do the whole image to forum converter thing, so I found it on the website instead) she is so beautiful and blue and she sounds amazing (I've always had nylon strings and I never realised how bad they were until now I have steel). There is always that famous Fender-Gibson competition, I mean I've never played a Gibson but I think Fender are my current favourite guitars

[benjo]

 Wow some fantastic tips guys

 My god you guys really do  love your guitars
 And now I can see why

 I'm gonna have a play later so i'll try not pressing so hard

 My guitar is called marina by farida,

 Not a grate one quite cheap I suppose but I love it
 And I'm already thinking of moving up the guitar ladder

 Jess tried your link but it didn't work for me

        Thanks for the grate tips guys what a forum

[Boydie]

That is a really nice guitar that ticks all of the fantastic sounding boxes - especially the SOLID spruce top and the Fishman pre-amp

My Martin acoustic has a Fishman system and it sounds awesome

There is always that famous Fender-Gibson competition, I mean I've never played a Gibson but I think Fender are my current favourite guitars Smiley

I also have a '90 Gibson Les Paul Standard

The only reason I got it was that I managed to get it for £200  (yes, two hundred, there isn't a zero missing)

I use it as a spare at gigs and had the intention of using it for certain songs

However, for the most part it just sits on a stand next to my amp looking pretty and I rarely pick it up as the Fender is just so nice to play - even after 23 years of playing it!!!!

I would suggest that you play it to death for a few months and then see if you can treat yourself to a proper "set up" if you can find a good luthier near you

They come out great from the factory but there is no substitute for some personal "TLC" for your new best friend 

[benjo]

 Yeah I do love my new best friend

 I wrote a song last year that seriosfun Allan
 Brought to life called,  my guitar is my woman

 That song has come back to me now
 
 I'm loving it

 The knowledge you guys give out on here is so helpful

                Thank you all
 

[tone]

What a cool thread this is. 

Nice guitar, Jess, you must be well pleased. And Boydie, a proper Gib Les Paul for £200? I don't wanna know what you had to do to get the price so low

Although my tele was an absolute steal at £150 second hand. I assumed it was a mexican till I got it home and had a proper look and it's a genuine USA standard And in really good nick

As for the fender vs gibson debate, I'm definitely a fender guy when it comes to electric guitars, BUT my favourite acoustic guitar is my Epiphone classical - a real beauty with a sublime tone.

@Benjo, glad you found this thread helpful sir. Looking forward to hearing about your much improved fingertip situation soon

[Sing4me88]

So glad Benjo started this thread. I'm in a similar position having finally forced myself to try and learn the guitar. Tbh I find finger playing much easier than strumming but don't even get me started on trying to change chords smoothly!

[Jess]

So glad Benjo started this thread. I'm in a similar position having finally forced myself to try and learn the guitar. Tbh I find finger playing much easier than strumming but don't even get me started on trying to change chords smoothly!

I used to practise chord transitions when I was watching telly, I didn't even strum them I would just move my fingers from chord to chord (I always found the G major to C major the hardest) but I just used to practise that every evening or so and now I find changing chord easy