Old and yet cheerful

I'm 73, just started on the guitar journey. The old skin on my fingers having been softened by age and incapacity of use ( arthritis and asthma) have now been likened to a powder puff. Does anyone have any hardness tips for skin, other than just playing the strings ?[br]Is there anything on the market you have found can help? I would be grateful for anyone to assist me if possible, Paul

Welcome to the world of guitar playing.

I once read a tip about applying metholated or surgical spirits (they're the names of them in the UK, but might be different in the US or elsewhere) to the fingertips of your fretting hand. Do this several times a day but don't play the guitar without washing it off first. I have no idea how well this helps, or if it works at all.

Don't play guitar immediately after doing something like washing pots, as the skin is softened by this.

Don't play to the point where a mild discomfort, which goes away within a very short time of pausing, becomes what could be described as pain.

Other than that, it's just a case of waiting until the callouses form on the fingertips.

I would recommend light warm-up exercises when you first play, though, especially if you have arthritus in your hands. Gentle Spider exercises fairly high up the neck, or slowly playing pentatonic scale shapes would be good for warming up.

I would also advise you to be very careful when doing any finger stretching exercises: make sure you've warmed up and avoid pushing yourself to get that "extra bit" of stretch.

Playing dexterity takes a long time - injuries take less than a second.

Wise advice, l will persevere in pain but hope the elephants aren't the only ones to get tough ends ! Thank you very much ... Paul

IMO when building calluses, three 10-minute practice sessions are better than one half-hour set. Take it slow, the calluses will come.

There is 'stuff' marketed to put on the fingertips and some 'things' to wear on the fingers/hand. Swabbing alcohol on the fingertips has been attributed to Kieth Richards. I would avoid it all, and just keep playing; [u]gradually[/u] increasing your playing time. YMMV.

Good luck, have fun.

Originally Posted by: paul20man1625

Is there anything on the market you have found can help? I would be grateful for anyone to assist me if possible, Paul

Starting out, soreness can be minimised and tip resilience facilitated by playing frequently in short sessions as john of MT suggested in conjunction with applying the natural remedy of apple cider vinegar externally. [br][br]This astringent and antibacterial agent in combination with the suggested routine can assist toughening and healing as those initial calluses develop. Apply by dabbing with a dampened cotton ball after every play session. [br][br]What I used back when. Worked well for me.

I'm 67 yes old and just starting out.I use Alcohol pads the same as diabetics use.I rub the pads on my finger tips it helps harden the Calluses

I'm 70 and have been at this since April. I think Paul is saying what I've wondered – maybe our old thin skin is a bit slow to form calluses. I play for half an hour or so once or twice a day. The only thing I do is use this fine sandpaper foam thing meant for buffing your heels. I smooth off the loose bits of peeling calluses so they don't catch on the strings.