Left hand calluses

[mandomurph]

Due to recent travel for several weeks I was unable to play my mando at all and my callsues all but disappeared. Now I need to practice a lot for lessons and a gig and my fingertips are sore and tender. Any suggestions for reducing the soreness and building the calluses back faster?

Callouses and competence are acquired in much the same fashion.
Short-cuts are often counter-productive.

[sunburst]

For temporary relief of fingertip soreness, you can give yourself artificial callouses by applying one or more layers of superglue, and letting it dry thoroughly before playing or handling anything, of coarse.

[mandomurph]

Thanks, John. I'll give it a try.

[nolady]

soaking your sore fingertips in witch hazel helps

also, i'm told but haven't tried it, that drying your fingertips out with rubbing alcohol will hasten formation of calluses

[mitchelwb]

The person who invents a quick way to toughen up your fingertips would be a rich man.

I started playing about 3 weeks ago and my fingers have gone from feeling like they were on fire, to being numb, then they had that burning feeling of the fingernail and the quick seperating and nowadays, they feel like they've been slammed in a car door. But man are they tough!

I think part of the reason mine hurt so bad is because I went from totally soft programmers hands to playing a cheap mando with a warped fretboard and crazy high action with heavy strings 2-3 hours a day.

If you figure out how to make fingers feel better.. I want to know about it!!!!

MitchelWB

[Steve Cat]

Well, I don't know if this works for every body, but I just play the heck out of it for two or three days just playing through the pain and then not play for a couple of days and they get hard. I think this is because I have damaged the tissue in the process and they are inflammed and swell, then waiting a couple of days they contract/compress getting hard. Once I have calluses I sometimes sand them very lightly with an extra fine nail file just to smooth the parts that are falling off and might catch on a string YMMV