# quick callous building techniques



## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

When I'm in practice, my chops are pretty good, and they mostly don't fade very fast.

Except my left-hand callouses. I have a half-guitar, half-piano gig on Friday and finger-ends like a baby's bottom. I'm trying to play an hour or so a day to get them back, but perhaps there are ways to accelerate the process?


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Personally I’ve found it to be a cyclical thing, never staying in the sweet spot for very long. My callouses tend to thicken until they actually need to be removed and then I start over with fresh skin.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I've found that the only way to build them is to play a lot.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

crazy glue?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

12 string. LOL


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Bass guitar will do it as well. But just playing more does the trick. Externd your 1 hr to 2.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Dorian2 said:


> Bass guitar will do it as well. But just playing more does the trick. Externd your 1 hr to 2.


Am currently doing so while cooking Christmas dinner. Problem is the house is full of people and I have duties. I guess it will be as it will be. I won't be horrible, but I could be better. It's trio jam thing, so I can lean on the others. But they both insist I bring along the dobro as well as a snare and a piano. The dobro sound is, admittedly, unique.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

player99 said:


> crazy glue?


You ever tried it?


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I have gigantic callouses on my feet from working in safety boots, but I have never had callouses on my fingers. Instead, I seem to have evolved skin that is impervious to the strings, whether I play or not. Been playing since 1963 and still don't know what people are talking about with callouses. 

On the other hand (lol, the right hand) my index is noticeably flattened from holding a pick. How does that help you? I dunno...

What can I say, DG, get out there and suck it up.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Doug Gifford said:


> Am currently doing so while cooking Christmas dinner. Problem is the house is full of people and I have duties. I guess it will be as it will be. I won't be horrible, but I could be better. It's trio jam thing, so I can lean on the others. But they both insist I bring along the dobro as well as a snare and a piano. The dobro sound is, admittedly, unique.


Sounds like a fun gig, wish I could be there. Multi-instrumentalists are a great asset.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

KapnKrunch said:


> Sounds like a fun gig, wish I could be there. Multi-instrumentalists are a great asset.


If only we could play them all at the same time…


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

KapnKrunch said:


> What can I say, DG, get out there and suck it up.


Done it before, can do it again. Part of the schtick is that we're actually jamming and don't rehearse and never know what's coming next. Peculiar, really.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Original
Guitar fingers. They’ll save the day. They’re amazing. 
https://www.originalguitarfingers.com/


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Doug Gifford said:


> You ever tried it?


No, but I got some crazy glue on my thumb and it did not come off for a couple of days.


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## CathodeRay (Jan 12, 2018)

JBFairthorne said:


> Personally I’ve found it to be a cyclical thing, never staying in the sweet spot for very long. My callouses tend to thicken until they actually need to be removed and then I start over with fresh skin.


Sanding my finger callous occasionally with one of these keeps em from peeling & in the zone.
My wife gets them downtown somewhere for her nails, but you can get them on ebay etc.
Start with #3 - that's something like 220 grit, and then #4 or #5.


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## reckless toboggan (Mar 9, 2019)

Just crazy glue some leather to your finger tips like Tony Iommi.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

JBFairthorne said:


> Personally I’ve found it to be a cyclical thing, never staying in the sweet spot for very long. My callouses tend to thicken until they actually need to be removed and then I start over with fresh skin.


This is the problem for people with eczema; can't keep a nice callous; opnce it gets too think it wants to come off, and that's like 2 weeks/jams.

To avoid losing the callous, I find a light scrape with a pumice stone (or heel rasp or even those machines they have for that *) to take down the thickness (as well as using hand lotion) lets you keep them. Yopu can't keep them at peak thickness (for long) but at least you don;t have to start at fresh (worse, unready hypersensisitve callous just remocved) skin every coupla weeks.

* I haonce used an orbital sander in a pinch, forget what grit.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Doug Gifford said:


> If only we could play them all at the same time…


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## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

Play the shit out of your acoustic. Not just cowboy chords you gotta do the riffs, leads, bends and all. 

Play time is number 1 but spending the time on the acoustic does a better job of toughening up the finger tips.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Did the gig. No problems. I wasn't in top notch lead shape but that's not my role. Spent more time on the piano and snare anyhow. My fingers didn't even hurt.

Tonight an all-piano jazz-age gig with just one of my trio, Vlad the excellent drummer. So that will be fun.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Been playing about an hour tonight. Jamming with The Byrds version of "Chimes of Freedom." Over and over. Just feel like it and it sounds 80% there and hasn't started to hurt. Amazing thing, the human body.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

I file them when they get too built up and start to peel or catch on strings. On the rare occasions I play a gig, I’m usually practicing a lot beforehand and they tend to be in decent shape.


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