How Do You Avoid Fingertip Pain When Playing Guitar?

Playing guitar can be so much fun.

But pain in your fingertips can diminish the enjoyment.

Here are some ways to reduce that discomfort:

1. Positioning

Position each fingertip as close to the fret wire as possible without being on top of it. This allows you to reduce the pressure you use while still getting a clear tone.

2. Play Regularly

If you play guitar at least 5 days a week, your fingertips are likely to get used to guitar playing. After a few weeks of regular playing, the pain in your fingertips will usually go away.

3. Lower the Action

Ask an experienced guitar repair person to check whether the action (height of the strings above the fretboard) can be lowered.

If the action is too high, this will make the guitar more difficult to play, increasing likelihood of pain in the fingertips. On the other hand, there is a limit to how low the action can be without increasing the likelihood of buzzing. An experienced guitar repair person can determine a good action height for you.

4. Use a Nylon-String Guitar

If you are playing a steel-string guitar, one option to reduce pain in your fingertips is to switch to playing a classical guitar with nylon strings.

Guitar playing should not hurt.

If you follow these tips, you can usually eliminate pain in the fingertips.

To make each time I sit down with the guitar as enjoyable as possible, I follow a simple Warmup Routine.

If you would like to get a PDF of my Warmup Routine for free while joining more than 800 people who receive my free Saturday Classical Guitarist newsletter, click here.

Keep making music!