Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Everyone,
I see that this is a forum for selling guitars and not playing them, so if this is the wrong one, please forgive me. I do not seem to find one for playing guitar, but this is my question to the professional guitarists:

I have played keyboards for 40 years and finally made the transition to the guitar. I am loving playing both rhythm and lead and my fingers are developing callouses as expected, but my left hand is sore from playing the chords. I want to keep practicing every day and do not want to stop just because my fingers are sore. That sounds like an easy excuse to make and I don't want to make it.

How do you deal with it? Do I endure the soreness and keep going every day with the assumption that this soreness will subside? Is there some cream, lotion, or something else to put on my fingertips between practice sessions?

Thanks in advance...
Bruce

Probably wrong forum. I'm not billing myself as an expert but I generally hold the belief that if something is hurting you when you play, you need to reevaluate your technique, or in your case, probably take a break now and then. If you overdo it, you may experience setback on developing proper callouses. (peeling/cracking etc.) Try to use the minimum of effort needed to get clear notes. Don't try to clamp like a vise. Also, I try not to practice right after a shower as my callouses may be soft for a little bit.

it seems I can't post links here anymore.

google digiflex hand and finger exercise system and beginner chromatic scales for guitar on youtube. it helps that you've played keyboards for so long, but you're going to have to work out some new muscles you weren't aware of. i say use the chromatic excercises (up and down the neck) because working on playing single notes is valuable practice that helps you take a break from trying to fret chords. good luck!

OP was talking about fingertips. Yeah, they are going to hurt until you've developed callouses. Of course, make sure your guitar is set up well, too.