Beginner questions

[Chummy]

Hey, I'm a keyboardist who wanted to pick up guitar to add some guitar to my songs.

I just bought a '84 mexican Fender strat (dunno if the guitar is overall considered good, I know fender is a big name and it suits my music style as it is single coil 80s)

 

Anywho. I am used to playing the Uke, infact I played the uke for so many years that... when I strum a guitar with a pick I accidently sometimes hurt my middle finger across the strings in the down stroke. I should note my skin is very sensitive but I don't have the same thing with my left hand because I got used playing an old classic guit I once owned. So basically how should it be done? the strumming? should I just wear a glove or what am I supposed to do? it went bleeding several times - the specific place when the strings rub across my finger (nothing srs but still it's annoying).

 

Thanks for help. Also I'd be glad if you could give me more info about my '84 start. It's black with a white pickguard that has gotten a bit yellow-ish (haha vintage!).

 

Thanks peeps XD

[slvrsrpnt]

I don't believe Fender had MIM guitars until 1990. That aside, just sounds like a picking angle / pick grip issue. I'd say change your grip/angle until nothing but the pick makes contact with the strings and you should be golden.

[billybilly]

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-107-PicksHolding.php

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-00...nersCourse.php

 

Lot's of great resources here, highly recommend.

[WRGKMC]

Are you using a guitar pick?

 

I can see hurting your fingers if you weren't using a pick. You wouldn't need one with nylon strings on a Uke.

 

If you're used to using your thumb, you can try thumb picks but for most steel string players, you really need to use

a normal pick.

 

I play bass and guitars and have callouses on both hands and I'm used to using steel strings with bare hands. Even with that I can rip my hands up trying to do some flamingo guitar strums if I'm not careful. I finger pick too but most of my work is done with normal guitar picks or thumb picks.

I even have a full set of finger picks for acoustic but haven't used them in a long time.

 

Not much advice I can give you for becoming efficient with them other then sitting there and strumming up and down with accents on strum patterns for hours a day until your up and down strokes are smooth and even. There are no short cuts to becoming expert and you must endure pain to have gain just like any other thing that requires good physical dexterity.