How To Strengthen Your Fingers To Play Guitar

Peter Abbonizio
2 min readOct 31, 2022

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So, you’re starting to learn how to play the guitar. Everything is going smoothly at first, but then you find that your fingers are incredible sore after playing. This is super common for beginners because they haven’t built the necessary callouses on their fingers yet. Not to worry, there are a few tips you can try to strengthen your fingers.

Peter Abbonizio is a freelance musician who has always had a passion for playing the piano and guitar. Today he shares his tips for strengthening your fingers.

  • It can take about a month for new guitar players to form callouses on their fingers. The important thing is to keep practicing regularly each day. Stick to 15 minute sessions at first, and once you built up strength, you can go for longer sessions.
  • Even if your fingers hurt, don’t go too long without playing the guitar, otherwise you will never build callouses.
  • Use medium to heavy weight strings, such as the kind used on acoustic guitars.
  • Keep your fingernails cut short. If your nails are too long, you won’t be able to press down on the strings with the very tips of your fingers. Your nails should not touch the fretboard.
  • Applying rubbing alcohol or soaking your fingers in apple cider vinegar can help callouses form faster.

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Peter Abbonizio

Peter Abbonizio is a freelance music instructor and digital music consultant from New York http://peterabbonizio.com/