Playing good guitar is everyone’s dream. However, dealing with the pain of playing the guitar is not everyone’s cup of tea. Playing the guitar offers a lot of pain, and if you are an amateur, this pain is going to be your worst nightmare. Well, most beginners use tape, but do you know how to tape your fingers for guitar playing?
To apply tape on your fingers, you first need to locate the pain point, get some finger tape, and apply it tightly. This is how you can apply finger tape for playing the guitar with no issues faced.
If you wanna know more about finger taping, below, we have a deal for you.
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Why Do People Tape Fingers For Playing Guitar?
Well, tapping fingers while playing the guitar is what either some amateur guitarists or professionals do. Intermediate guitarists have nothing to do with it. The amateur does it as their fingers are soft and tipping it for hours on sharp strings in no easy nut to crack. So, they simply tape their fingers to keep practicing for hours with no issues faced.
If we talk about the professionals, they do it during their hours-long gigs. No matter how good or expert you are, your fingers have a limit, and once it exceeds, they will start hurting. So, when a guitarist knows that they have to practice longer than usual, they tape their fingers; this helps them create amazing music with minimum issues.
Along with it, guitarists also use finger tape when they cut their fingertips while playing the guitar. You cannot play with a cut on your fingertip, and to avoid the pain or any possible infection, we guitarists use tape while playing.
How To Tape Your Finger: 3 Easy Steps
To tape your fingers to play the guitar is not as easy as tapping anything else. For this, you need to know a thing or two; otherwise, you will end up creating a buzzing sound while playing. So, for your ease, below, we have come up with some amazing steps to tape your fingers perfectly.
1- Locate The Area You Want To Tape
The first thing that you need to do while taping your fingers for playing the guitar is to locate the exact point of taping. You cannot tape your entire finger while playing. Taping the entire finger will affect bending, and if the tape touches other strings, it will mute that particular string.
So, you need to locate the exact point you will put on the string and then tape it. This is how you will be able to do it with ease, and the sound quality will stay unaffected.
2- Cut and apply Some Finger Tape
The main mistake most guitarists make is to use ordinary tape while tapping their fingers to play the guitar. For playing the guitar, you need to use finger tape, or you will end up ruining the sound of your guitar.
So, get some finger tape, cut it according to the size of your finger and then apply it tightly; this is how you can tape perfectly on your finger.
3- Try Practicing the Guitar
Once you are done applying finger tape, the next step will be to check it by playing the guitar. Most of the time, we just apply the tape and start jamming and do not care whether or not the guitar sounds good.
Therefore, if you want your guitar to sound good, you need to do a sound check after applying the tape. If the guitar sounds good, you are good to go. However, if there is even the slightest buzz while playing, check, adjust or reapply finger tape on your fingers. This is how you will get it done the right way.
When Should You Use Tape For Playing Guitar?
Well, this is something that most of the new guitarists are confused about. Nowadays, guitarists want to protect their fingers while playing, and this is why most beginners start using tape for everyday use. And this is something that will make you handicapped for the rest of your career as a guitarist.
Tape on your fingers should be used only in three conditions.
First, if you are a professional and have hours of gigs to go through, it is suggested to use tape to help you avoid any injury or unbearable pain.
Second, if you are a beginner and want to practice more to hit your limit but cannot do it due to pain, it will be ok to use tape to help you play longer.
And lastly, if you ever cut your finger while playing the guitar, it is suggested to use tape and then continue to avoid pain and increased injury.
Is It Suggested To Use Tape For Playing Guitar?
Today, almost all beginners are using tape for practicing and playing the guitar. However, it is never suggested to use tape while playing the guitar unless you are in dire need of it.
Taping your fingers is what we old-school guitarists hate the most. We believe that you can never be a guitarist if you try to avoid the pain of playing the guitar.
So, it is never suggested to use tape while playing the guitar. However, you can use it in case of an emergency or if you have to play for a long. But using finger tape all the time while playing the guitar is never a good option. It will do nothing but create bad guitar-playing habits.
Should I Get a Finger Protector For Playing Guitar?
Silicone finger protectors are selling like hot potatoes nowadays. However, using them all the time is not much different than using finger tape for your guitar. Finger protectors are there to help you play with ease, but if you always rely on them, you will never be a good guitarist.
Suppose you need to play somewhere you forget to get your finger protectors; how will you perform now? So, if you are using finger protectors to learn guitar and they are becoming part and parcel of your daily jamming, things are going south for you.
So, use finger protectors only if you need them; playing the guitar without them will be impossible. Other than that, we will always recommend you rely on your fingers more than anything else.
Should I Wear Finger Tape Regularly For Playing the Guitar?
Absolutely not. Wearing finger tape all the time is one of the worst things that you can do to your career as a guitarist. Finger tape is something that protects your finger from the sharp strings of the guitar, and this is what no sane guitarist would like to happen.
As a guitarist, we are taught to keep our fingertips as hard as we can. And in the initial days, we worked to develop calluses. However, with the regular use of tape, you will never be able to develop calluses, and this is what hurts you the most.
In any case, when you have no tape available, playing the guitar will be quite tough for you if you start depending on the tape too much. So, avoid using finger tape as much as possible.
Why Do Some Guitarists Tape Their Knuckles?
While playing the guitar, a guitarist will never care much about their hand. No matter how long you play and how badly you use your guitar, you won’t feel pain while playing.
But, once you are done playing your guitar, the knuckles are something that hurt the most if you have been playing for a long.
To avoid this and to stay away from cuts or abrasion, we guitar tape our knuckles. Though we do not do it all the time, when we have long gigs and jamming sessions, this is something we must do to keep our hands safe and protected from injuries.
What Are The Advantages Of Taping Your Fingers?
Using finger tape occasionally has a lot of advantages. If you use it when needed, finger tape can be your best escape plan from pain and injuries. First of all, a finger tape allows you to increase your playing time. So, when you have to play for hours and do not want to fall victim to pain, using finger tape is the best option you have.
Secondly, if you ever cut your fingers while playing, finger tape is going to help you out. You need to tape your finger and start playing the guitar. The fingers will not hurt as much as they do without tape applied. So, this is how you will be using finger tape to benefit you while playing the guitar.
Demerits Of Using Finger Tape For Playing Guitar?
With advantages, there come some demerits of tapping your fingers while playing the guitar. However, these demerits are for only those who tape their fingers all the time while playing the guitar. No guitarist suggests you tape your fingers all the time while playing the guitar. However, if you are doing so, it will be hard for you in the long run.
When you tape your finger all the time, you are protecting your fingers from guitar strings, and this is not a good thing to do. We guitarists need to develop calluses so that our fingertips are hard enough to play the guitar without tape. And with finger tape applied, this is never possible.
So, if you are using finger tape all the time while playing the guitar, you are making yourself handicapped as a guitarist.
How Can I Protect My Fingers Without Tape?
If you are a beginner and do not want to hurt your fingers, we suggest you use thick gauge strings on your guitar. Thin gauge strings are one of the main reasons that your fingers hurt a lot and make you unable to continue. So, what you will do is replace your guitar strings with thick gauge strings.
Thick gauge strings rub against your fingers and help you develop calluses faster than ever. Also, with thick gauge strings, you will reduce the chances of cutting your fingers. So, if you don’t want to use any finger tape or finger protector, then use thick gauge strings, and they will do wonders for you.
Will My Fingers Ever Stop Hurting While Playing the Guitar?
Certainly, they will stop hurting when you start developing calluses. In the early days of guitar learning, we have to tap on strings using our fingertips. This is the softest part of our fingers, and placing it against sharp strings hurts a lot.
However, when you keep playing, the fingertips start to develop calluses, and they get hard. Once the dead and thick skin is developed on your fingertips, the fingers will stop hurting no matter how long you play.
So, what you need to do is bear the initial pain, and once the calluses are developed, the finger stops hurting.
Conclusion
To conclude, we can say that we have guided you to the best way to tape your fingers for guitar playing. In this article, we have discussed more or less everything about taping your fingers for guitar playing.
From advantages to disadvantages and the method of applying the tape, the article has discussed everything in detail. However, if you find anything missing or need additional help, let us know. We are here to help you out.