Does building up callouses to play guitar affect a musicians ability to play such an instrument as the piano?
6th June 2010
Because I’ve been putting off guitar lessons for this very reason. I fear I may lose some of my "touch" for piano if I do condition my fingers to play guitar. Am I nuts or is there actually a right or wrong way of doing it or whatever? Any suggestions would be helpful!!!
No. That is all about muscle memory. I play various instruments and it never once lost my touch for any of them. Callouses on your finger tips should not affect your ability to play the piano at all, and when you sit down to the piano your brain will automaticly switch to "piano mode". And the same will happen with the guitar or any other instrument you may wish to take up.
June 7th, 2010 at 1:13 am
I know several pianists who also play guitar, or violin…
And not one of them has ever mentioned it to me, even when we have discussed learning new instruments.
Incidentally, I work in the music industry.
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June 7th, 2010 at 1:20 am
Not likely.
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June 7th, 2010 at 2:00 am
Hasn’t affected me- I play both.
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June 7th, 2010 at 2:34 am
you would get callouses from either instruments anyways, so it wouldn’t affect your playing. Also, when you play the piano, you hands memorize the way your fingers stretch to reach the keys, so the numbness on the tip of your fingers wouldn’t matter.
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June 7th, 2010 at 3:12 am
I play violin gitaur ect, and piano. The callouses I build up have never affected my touch, and you dont really notice it when you’re playing piano. its a different type of pressure thats required compared to guitar. did you just start playing guitar? because the callouses will probably stop coming if you play regularly enough.
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June 7th, 2010 at 3:55 am
I think it won’t affect your ability to press the correct notes and get the correct dynamics. But as you get more advanced on the piano, you’re going to start needing the sensitivity on the tips of your fingers because many advanced pieces require a certain sensitivity to touch (like whether you feel your fingers being like a magnet to the keys – to get a good, warm, velvety tone quality; and so that you can feel exactly how you’re attacking each note). You would lose some of that delicate sensitivity with callouses, but I’m quite sure that if you learn guitar long enough, the callouses will go away. I know because I play violin too, and in the beginning I used to keep getting callouses because of my fingers pressing on the strings, but after a while it just went away – though i’ve now developed a ‘permanent’ layer of dead, hardened skin on my left hand finger tips. I learnt to cope with it though, and it doesn’t really affect my piano playing now.
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conservatory pianist, lifelong musician (violin, viola, harp, voice)
June 7th, 2010 at 4:14 am
I believe Musicyh’s response is in better tune with your question. I took typing (on old fashioned typewriters) in high school and my guitar calluses–spelled as calluses–were thick and as tough as a boot. I had trouble feeling the keyboard keys and almost failed the course.
Other responses given to this question have merit also. I do not play the piano, but can understand the complexities in "finger touch" on the 88s.
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Guitar picker since 1956
June 7th, 2010 at 4:38 am
I disagree with AngelaM. I’ve been playing piano for 30 years, and have never developed callouses on my fingers. Even in college, when I would practice 6 hours a day, I never got them. Now, my finger tips are not as sensitive as someone who does not play piano, however. I’ve not encountered too many college or professional level pianists who also play guitar seriously. I can only guess, based on common sense, that guitar callouses would affect how you feel and respond to the keys.
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myself… pianist, piano teacher, & professional accompanist
June 7th, 2010 at 4:59 am
No. That is all about muscle memory. I play various instruments and it never once lost my touch for any of them. Callouses on your finger tips should not affect your ability to play the piano at all, and when you sit down to the piano your brain will automaticly switch to "piano mode". And the same will happen with the guitar or any other instrument you may wish to take up.
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Multinstrumentalist
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July 30th, 2010 at 4:49 am
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