HOW TO OVERCOME SENSITIVE HANDS

By Travis Osterloh

One of the most common problems for any beginner/intermediate guitar player is having a hard time playing for long periods at a time. At the very beginning I remember I could only tolerate 20 minutes of practice till my hands would scream. This has changed over the course of time, but I have tips to help you practice longer to get more out of your time spent towards progress. I recently came from a creativity event where we played 60 hours of guitar over the course of 6 days…. could you play 10 hours a day? I know my students would tell you no…. so how did I survive 10 hour days of guitar?

I would like to state first: There is no replacement for building calluses on your finger tips… these will come in time and over the course of time you will loose them from lack of playing or wearing them off during playing then you will be forced to rebuild them. I lost my calluses during day 3 of 6 from my creativity event. Building the calluses isn’t the direct solution.

Method 1: I use to conquer long periods of guitar playing is to manage the amount of force used to exert on each note with each string. As an example beginners squeeze the chord shape with a death grip with the fear of the note not sounding correct. The result is the note worst case scenario will not sound very good or at all and your fingers will pay the price. This will lead you down a demotivating experience with the guitar…. How do we counter this?

Here is the GOLD: play a single note with your current grip and listen how it sounds… ask yourself “Can you clearly hear the note?” “How much pressure am I exerting to achieve this note?” Then relax some pressure from fretting hand and play again. Analyze, “Does the note still clearly ring out?” “How much force am I pushing down on currently?” Continue this process till the note doesn’t sound clearly anymore.

From this point go one step back from the unclear note. This is how much pressure should be exerted when playing. Minimizing the amount of force needed to clearly play notes saves your finger tips!

Method 2: Left hand position also contributes to excessive stress during your playing. Do you hold a new chord and your wrist rolls forward and you struggle to hold the note?" Do you find you roll up directly on your finger tips or do you hold a chord on the e, B, & G strings while letting your thumb rest on the top of the neck? These are just some of the examples where hand position can burn you out early in your practice or playing.

Here is the GOLD#2: I want you to evaluate whatever exercise, lick, or passage during this instance of pain. Relax both your right hand and left hand before assuming the position. I want you to hold the position you will be playing and ask yourself these questions: Are my fingers close together or spread far apart? Is my thumb located directly on the opposite side of the neck? A relaxed efficient left hand position does wonders on your endurance.

I want you to try both of these methods the next you get frustrated with making progress on your own. If you want to take your playing to the next level drop me a message on the bottom of the home page. We can start a conversation on how we can start you on the path to achieve your goals!

I look forward to hearing from you! All the best in your progress!

Travis Osterloh