No more bleeding fingers.

[Chordite]

 Looking at Phaeton's fingers (ouch) in the "I hate when this happens" I thought I would raise the question of finger pressure.

(The following is just my way of doing things, you may disagree)

I'm not that hot but I do teach guitar a bit and one of the hardest things is to get students to back off the pressure. They press the strings in some 'grip of death' trying to force clean notes out. I did it, we all did it

Usually the first thing I do before we play a note is to check the action is lowish on their guitar.

Then we take a continuous little circular walk up and down frets 0, 2, 4 on the E A and D strings (hope that is clear with me saying "gradually back off the pressure until the notes don't ring clear."  Usually they are amazed by how little pressure it takes just to bring the string down to the fret plus maybe 10% and still ring clean.

Once they have cracked the 'lightness of touch' thing getting on to barres etc' is a whole lot easier.

Funny thing, a friend said to me "how come the laquer on your fingerboard is so good after 20 years" and after thinking for a moment I replied "the strings never touch it"

[Bucksstudent]

Usually if you touch at all, with your fingers, you get arrested.

[kayd_mon]

Lol

[Chordite]

Ok you comedians. Title changed  (I should have known better )

[american sinner]

I am guilty of adding extra uneeded pressure when parts get louder. Always cussing myself over that. 

[Wayne2]

 

I have no idea how many years it set me back thinking that there needed to be any kind of pain playing the guitar.  I blame that Bryan Adams song.  I learned on a crappy old acoustic I found in the basement with a warped neck, then went to my friend's Telecaster which he nicely lent me but which had a pretty high action, then finally to the Strat which was a million times easier.  Then finally I brought the strat in and asked a pro to set it up with ridiculously low action and that's when it stopped hurting even the slightest bit and I can just focus on playing.  I don't mind if I get a tiny bit of buzzing here and there.

 

Most of the guitars at the store are set up for neanderthals to bash at them and not hear buzzing... who knows how many players have given up because they didn't want to destroy their hands.

[jdc5294]

I personally keep my main acoustic set up where I have to press down pretty hard, high(ish) action and beefy strings, sort of like exercising at high altitudes. When I switch to my strat it's like butter. I've been playing every day for the last couple years though, it's been a while since my fingers have bled.

[lz4005]

 

The best way to learn how to not use too much finger pressure is to play a few 3 hour jobs.

Your fingers will get tougher and your touch lighter at the same time.