How do you prevent a sore finger!!??

[spacerocker]

I have taken to playing a little guitar every evening in an attempt to improve my playing, after 20 years of "resting on my laurels"!!

However, now I find the tip of the first finger on my right hand gets constantly sore, and tends to split! very painful!

I think it is to do with the way I hold a pick, and damp the strings with this finger - but it's a pain!

Does any one else suffer from this?

[heem6]

In interviews, George Lynch says he gets that same thing from the way he holds his guitar pick, too. He said he puts something called (I think) Nu Skin on the finger, which must be some sort of skin patch, to get him thru the next gig.

If you're trying to build up speed - alternate picking works better for me when I'm letting more of the pick stick out and holding it straight up and down, rather than the tilted position I used to hold it in. Sweep picking's a whole 'nother matter, though.