The Hazards of Not Knowing Your Limits

When I start playing, I really get into it. In the past I've tried to limit myself to an hour of practice at a time, but there are just so many songs that I love to play, and so many that I need to practice. For our next set, I really want to play My Immortal by Evanescence, and Kiss Me, by Sixpence None The Richer. This would involve Miguel, my viola friend, getting the amp up here for his electric violin, and then Rose singing. And I really need to practice for these. The chords that are giving me the most grief right now are F#m (244222) and Dm (xx0231). I've been going at this for a while, and I still need the practice, since my hands are still not quite strong enough for the bar chords. Anyway, I played earlier today, and I guess I've been going at it off and on for about 2 hours now. This is the result:



Now, the calluses and all are normal. But after playing for a while, they tend to turn white and start to peel. If you're like me, you'll get really tempted to pick at them. DON'T DO IT. It's a painful process, and it'll hurt more the next time you play. If you leave them be, they'll usually flatten out on their own.

So, if you're smart, you'll find your limit, and practice for only that amount of time. If you're like me, you'll be really determined to learn something that you definitely won't get in one night, or you'll just really get into it and play for hours on end, without realizing how time is passing. And if you're like me, you'll only stop playing when it hurts to touh the strings, and when your hands visibly start to slow down and lose strength and energy. Word of caution (and I know I've said this before, but I've dropped bowls of burning hot liquid this way): your fingers may be very sensitive to heat at this point. Just be aware of it.

And, a quick final tip: cleaning the strings regularly will actually make it easier on your fingers. Just wrap a microfiber cloth, like the one used to clean glasses, around each string individually, and run it up and down the string. You'll be surprised at how much gunk comes off, especially near the top frets where you play the most.

Happy practicing!

-Kal