Developing calluses on your fingertips may alleviate a lot of the discomfort associated with learning to play the guitar. Calluses take 2 to 4 weeks to completely develop on average. However, if you continue to play without protecting your hands, more serious problems such as nerve damage or tendon ruptures can occur. The best way to avoid developing calluses is by using hand protection. The most common type of protection used by guitar players is called a "guitar glove." These gloves are made out of leather or synthetic materials and come in various sizes to fit different people's hands. They are easy to wear because there are no buttons or zippers to fasten, just slip them on like a glove! Guitar gloves help prevent you from injuring yourself on the guitar strings by shielding your hands from sharp objects while also providing extra padding for your fingers. Without properly protecting your hands, you put yourself at risk of getting cut, burned, or scuffed up from playing the guitar. Once your calluses develop enough to protect your fingers, you should be able to play with less pain!