If you are a songwriter, learning to play guitar, or learning to play it better, it is a worthwhile endeavor. Here are a few ideas you might try to make it a little easier, and make it easier to handle those long gigs and practice sessions, too.
START WITH BABY STEPS
I don't care how old you are, it is never too late to learn a new instrument, or too early for that matter. If you are small, there are guitars with smaller necks, and for the very small, and those who may not be sure they want to stick with this, a tiny or child's guitar is fine at first. I recommend nylon strings and an acoustic guitar at first, even if you hope to play electric eventually-it is tough to find an amp when the idea bug hits some of us. If you really just HAVE to play electric, try starting out with really thin (8s or 9s for the top E size) steel strings. This is much easier on your fingers, and it WILL hurt at first until you build up some calluses-expect this and pace yourself accordingly. When it starts to hurt during practice, stop and wait a bit until it doesn't hurt then try again. You will have to take lots of breaks at first, but, after a few weeks you will find that it will take shorter and shorter breaks and be able to play longer intervals before the pain gets too bad.
DON'T OVERDO IT
Most of us have heard the song lyrics about guitarists playing until their fingers bled. This really isn't a good idea. If you hurt yourself, that will just mean a longer time before you can play again, and cut into your valuable practice time. Besides, if you really do try to play with cut fingers, you might get infections that could permanently harm your ability to play. Playing until your hands are so cramped that you have a hard time doing your "day job" can also cut down on funds better used for lessons, better equipment and studio time, so this isn't a good idea, either. The time will come when you can play with little or no pain, but this isn't it, yet. You really shouldn't run a marathon without doing a lot of jogging, first, and you shouldn't get into hours of practice when you are first starting out either.
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