How to Make Your Fingers Hard for Guitar

Form calluses quickly with these fingertip-hardening tips

Co-authored by Tomas Michaud and Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: March 17, 2024 Fact Checked

It’s fun to jam on a guitar, but it’s a real pain when your fingers start hurting after a few minutes. Experienced guitarists build up hard calluses on their fingertips so it’s easier to play for a long time. Luckily, there are some things you can do to strengthen your fingers so you can keep playing and improving. We’ll walk you through a few ways to develop finger calluses and how to keep them tough so you can rock out!

Things You Should Know

Practice for at least 15 minutes every day to toughen your fingertips. Try playing with medium or heavy strings to build up your calluses faster.
Soak your fingertips in apple cider vinegar or wipe on some rubbing alcohol to dry out and toughen up your fingers—but avoid lotions and skin-softening soaps.
Avoid picking at your calluses. It takes time to harden your fingertips for guitar, and the more you scratch them, the slower your calluses will grow.

1

Practice every day.

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Play for at least 15 minutes a day to gradually toughen your fingers. Be consistent with your practice routine to harden and maintain your calluses. As your fingers start hurting less, aim for 3–4 daily practice sessions that are each 15 minutes long.^{[1]
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- If you don’t feel sore after finishing a session, switch over to a single 45- to 60-minute practice and see how you feel.
- Put your guitar down and rest if you feel an intense or stinging pain in your fingers.
- Avoid taking days- or weeks-long breaks from playing your guitar, or your fingertips will start to soften.

2

Use medium or heavy strings.

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You’ll develop harder fingertips playing on bigger strings. Remove the old guitar strings from your guitar and replace them with new ones labeled “medium” or “heavy.” Since the new strings are wider, they’ll press against your fingertips more and form calluses faster.^{[2]
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- You can buy guitar strings online or at your local music store.
- If you're a beginner, thicker strings may make playing chords a little more difficult.
- Avoid playing on thin or light strings since they’re more likely to cut your skin if you don’t have calluses built up.

3

Switch to an acoustic guitar.

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The thick steel strings on an acoustic guitar toughen your hands faster. Since they use larger strings higher off the frets, acoustic guitars make you press down a little harder than you would on an electric. The thickness and friction of the strings, plus the added pressure from holding them down, makes your fingers harder.^{[3]
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- Even if you normally play or perform with an electric guitar, use an acoustic for practice.
- Acoustic guitar is actually more difficult to play, so you’ll feel a lot more comfortable when you switch back to an electric guitar.
- If you notice pain in your wrist or elbow while you’re practicing, slightly loosen your grip on the strings.

4

Push your thumbnail into your fingertips.

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Mimic the pressure of guitar strings even when you’re not playing. Press your fingernails or the edge of a credit card into your fingertips. Mimic where the guitar strings press into your fingers. Push hard enough so your skin indents but not so much that it causes pain.^{[4]
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- You can do this anytime—while waiting in line, sitting in class or a meeting, or watching TV.
- Buy a finger strengthener tool online or from your local music store. These tools have spring-loaded buttons to help you develop calluses and finger strength.

5

Keep your nails trimmed.

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Long nails prevent calluses from forming. Cut your fingernails short with a pair of nail clippers. Press down on your guitar strings and see if your fingernails scrape the surface of your fretboard. If your nails touch the fretboard, trim them shorter.^{[5]
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- Keeping your nails short also prevents you from scratching your fretboard or damaging your nails when you slide your hand.

6

Put rubbing alcohol on your fingers.

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Rubbing alcohol dries out your fingers and helps harden calluses. Rubbing alcohol may also relieve some of the soreness you feel from playing guitar. Soak a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and wipe your fingertips with it. Repeat this process 3-4 times a day.^{[6]
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- Even Eric Clapton used this trick before he played!

7

Try an apple cider vinegar soak.

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Apple cider vinegar strengthens your calluses. The vinegar dries out and toughens up your fingers so that the calluses will develop more quickly. Pour some apple cider vinegar into a small bowl and leave your fingers in it for at least 30 seconds. Do this 30-second dip before and after you practice, but make sure your fingers are completely dry before playing.^{[7]
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- Apple cider vinegar also helps alleviate pain and soreness in your fingertips.
- You can use the same apple cider vinegar that you would use in your kitchen.

8

Steer clear of moisturizers.

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Moisturizers and soaps soften your calluses and make them disappear. While you can moisturize the rest of your hand, avoid applying lotion or any skin conditioner onto your fingertips. Even calluses you’ve been building up for months could go away and get rid of all the work you’ve done.^{[8]
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- A lot of hand soaps have skin softeners as well. If you can, try washing your hands with a waterless sanitizer instead.
- Protect your hands and calluses by wearing gloves whenever you have to do something that will soak your hands, such as washing your hair or doing dishes.

9

Play when your skin is completely dry.

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Calluses wear away when your fingertips are wet or overhydrated. Wait one hour after washing your hands before practicing your guitar. Make sure your skin is completely dry.^{[9]
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- Playing guitar with wet fingertips may also be more painful, as the skin on your fingers is more delicate when wet.

10

Leave your calluses alone.

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If you pick your calluses off, you’ll have to start building them up again. Let your fingertips keep hardening over time so you don’t lose them. Otherwise, it will be painful to play guitar again.^{[10]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

How long does it take for your fingers to get used to guitar?

Aaron Asghari
Professional Guitarist & Instructor
Aaron Asghari is a Professional Guitarist and the lead guitarist of The Ghost Next Door. He received his degree in Guitar Performance from the Guitar Institute of Technology program in Los Angeles. In addition to writing and performing with The Ghost Next Door, he founded Asghari Guitar Lessons, where he was the primary guitar instructor for many years.

Aaron Asghari

Professional Guitarist & Instructor

Expert Answer

It can take a couple of weeks to a few months for your calluses to develop, depending on how often you practice.

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What if I don't have a grip master and cannot buy one?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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If you don't have a grip master, try pressing your fingertips against the edge of a thin plastic card, such as a credit card or ID card.

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How do I keep my fingers conditioned when I'm not able to play guitar?

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If you have fingernails on your thumbs, alternate pressing the nails against the tips of your other fingers.

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Tips

Avoid pressing down too hard while playing since it can lead to more pain and bad form. Try relaxing your fingers and relieving enough pressure that your guitar maintains the same tone without making a buzzing sound.^{[11]
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Don’t get discouraged if it hurts a little when you first start playing guitar. It can take about a month for your fingers to toughen and for calluses to form.^{[12]
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Ask a guitar shop to check and adjust the action on your guitar. If your action is too high, it can make your guitar more difficult to play and make you press down harder than you need to.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Strengthening or warming up your hand can help prevent RSI (repetitive strain injury). Play a few scales before you start in on more complex chords, and take breaks when your hand feels fatigued.
I try to learn a new song everyday so my calluses develop quicker. If you don't play every day, it can take up to a few months for calluses to develop.

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Warnings

Stop playing if you have a blister or cut on your finger.^{[13]
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Some guitarists may recommend putting super glue on your fingertips to make artificial calluses. Avoid this since it could leave residue on your guitar or damage your skin.^{[14]
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