Cold hands

[amanfang]

I'm sure there's another thread on this somewhere, but how do you warm up your hands before a performance?  I'm playing Tuesday in a recital, and at my last rehearsal my hands never warmed up.  Warm water doesn't work for me, as soon as I take them out they get cold again.  And I had some hand warmers, and those didn't work either.  If I get too cold and stiff I have to play my Mozart much slower because I cant handle the 16ths.  Any other suggestions?

[zheer]

We all know exactly haw you feel. OK here is something you can try, dip your hand and arm into warm water if you are desperate ( its not a great idea ).
Or you can do light excersice, for example swing your arms round very fast, this way blood will rush to your hand, also try joging on the spot. Its also a good idea to drink a hot drink. Think about friction, ie rub your hands together.
    Most important of all wear warm close and keep body temreture high.


   Also sometimes it is a good idea to practice the piano cold, you can do this by diping your hand in  slightly cold water.

[gorbee natcase]

Just adding to what zheer said about swinging your arms, make fists with the blood filled hands it will streatch the capillaries in the hand allowing more blood to flow in to them like a warm up excersize, it feels wierd but does work

[letters]

i have the same problem my hands are always cold! i like to practice flexing all my fingers and just rubbing them together, just keeping them moving before i perform. also warming up with scales on the piano beforehand (if its possible) is good because then you get your fingers working and u get to try the piano out too

[steve jones]

A good brisk walk, or a hot bath both work for me. If I practice with cold hands, then I find it difficult to play to my best.

[rc]

Yeah, cold hands aren't cool...

I like zheers suggestion of light exercise best, nothing works quite so well as getting the blood flowing. For performance, perhaps park a few blocks away and jog there.

At home, I do the hot drink thing... Tea, for the taste and a bit of caffine to keep me alive.

[caperflutist]

I so understand! i take organ lessons and they don't heat up the sanctury during the week so the temperature is around 40 F during my lesson and 47F when i practice 9the church where I practice is warmer than where I take my lessons). My poor hands!

[gruffalo]

not a good idea to have caffeine before a performance. it might help you, but i would advise others to stay away from advice like that. if you are very nervous, caffeine will just worsen you. also, if you have things like : a quick coffee, a shot of whisky, or wine etc. you may start to become dependant on those things before the performance. to the guy who said he has a coffee to wake up, if you are not alert for your performance without coffee, then i would be very worried.

basically, putting your hands under hot water will not work on its own. you need, like the others said, to combine it with some flapping of the hands, arms and jogging on the spot etc.

[fredo2]

An idea came to my mind, there is a "creme"?!? you can rub on your skin, that increases blood circulation by 30%... Its often used to warm when one got injured.Or to warm up before sports, you just rub it on your legs etc...
I never tried it, maybe it works, i will as soon as i get to buy one
but i can think that maybe you get all sweatty hands, hm ill have to see, its an idea
anyone tried that out ?!?

[groggy]

Putting anything on your hands like cream  or hot water may change your skin texture and how it interacts on the piano.  I have very dry skin so I am used to a smooth feel, if my hands are at all moist they stick and have difficulty playing. 

Strikes me the best way to warm up your hands is playing piano. Maybe get a small portable keyboard you could warm up on, with the volumn off or using headphones.

Or rub them together.

[gorbee natcase]

I am sorry but there is a difference between having a cup of coffee and and drinking gallons of it throughout the day. Obviously if you are a jittering idiot without coffee then having it would only make you worse. But after I have had a cup I am totaly wired better.
As for teaching every one of my teachers drank coffee. what army goes into battle without it. Being able to mantally relax is a skill in its self, a process which each individual deals with in different ways and takes time. There are plenty of places you can find on the web that will give people advice on this.

They are basicaly the same rules you use for selling your self when going to a job interview. i.e. Being prepared, not turning up at the last minute flustered and sweaty

[zheer]

not a good idea to have caffeine before a performance. it might help you, but i would advise others to stay away from advice like that. if you are very nervous, caffeine will just worsen you. also, if you have things like : a quick coffee, a shot of whisky, or wine etc. you may start to become dependant on those things before the performance. to the guy who said he has a coffee to wake up, if you are not alert for your performance without coffee, then i would be very worried.

    I understand what gorbee natcase has just said, but gruffal you made a very intresting point, because do you know that an after shave, a breakfast, a hair gell , an armpit smell thing can effect you nerves in performance. Well this is what was told to me by my current teacher and a hypnotherpist. Who knows.

[amanfang]

Ok, well the performance is tomorrow.  Several people have complained about the hall lately, maybe they'll turn up the temp a few degree (?).  Otherwise, I'm thinking I'm going to try the swinging the arms things.  Does drinking water all day help?  I mean, I don't want to have to go to the bathroom every hour or anything, but I wondered if it would help promote good circulation.  Maybe I'll try a bit of power walking around backstage.  Caffeine for me is not a good idea. 
Another point - I'm on beta blockers (for health reasons) and one of the side effects is cold hands/feet.

[gorbee natcase]

Water is for detoxing the body why not, Warm water is better because your body does not have to wear its self out trying warm it up so to speak 

[zheer]

, I'm thinking I'm going to try the swinging the arms things.  Does drinking water all day help?  I mean, I don't want to have to go to the bathroom every hour or anything, but I wondered if it would help promote good circulation.  Maybe I'll try a bit of power walking around backstage.  Caffeine for me is not a good idea. 
Another point - I'm on beta blockers (for health reasons) and one of the side effects is cold hands/feet.

      Well if you are going to do the arm swinging, be carefull you dont hurt your self, i dont know haw strong you are.Therefore start slowly and gradually build up the speed. The idea is you are trying to raise your body temprture and increase the blood circulation in your arm,
good luck.
    

[letters]

yeah i think swinging your arms, just slowly, nothing fancy, is probably the best way. good luck with the performance!

[rc]

to the guy who said he has a coffee to wake up, if you are not alert for your performance without coffee, then i would be very worried.

Actually, I said I drink tea... Not coffee because it has too much caffine, and has a tendancy to inflict rotgut.

I also said I drink it at home, there's not always a cup of tea brewing at the performances I've been to.

But thanks for the concern .

[gruffalo]

ok. you said "tea and some caffeine". people sometimes say caffeine instead of coffee.

back to gorbee, you said it yourself. different people will react differently to the coffee. SO DONT GIVE EM THE IDEA OF IT. you could ruin their performance. in the end, if you jitter or not after a coffee, it is not a good idea to get hooked on a particular substance, be it alchohol or coffee, and become completely dependant on it before a performance. why not try a fruit tea or normal tea? you shouldnt need waking up before a performance. you should have enough adrenaline to take care of that. i say it again, if you feel the need to be woken up before a performance then i would be very worried.

[rc]

back to gorbee, you said it yourself. different people will react differently to the coffee. SO DONT GIVE EM THE IDEA OF IT.

The idea of coffee just came up by accident, but I'm going to have to agree with Mr. Natcase here... Coffee isn't dangerous, and it would actually be a good idea for someone to try, to find out if it might possibly be useful. Though, I would agree with you that it probably isn't. Never hurts to try.

[gruffalo]

coffee is not good. it has not been proven good. yes i drink coffee every other day, but i seriously think that for some people, coffee can have a bad reaction with nerves. you might be all fine drinking coffee, and then BAM, you get on stage and you cant stop your leg shaking because of nerves + unwanted energy. caffeine makes your heart rate increase. it is not good. it is in no way calming. a hot drink is generally relaxing, but caffeine will only work for some not others. i am not going to try it out, seeing as i am trying to battle off nerves during performance. if you want more energy, try like bananas or banana milkshake. that is better energy. eat a good pasta meal for lunch or dinner what ever time of day it relates to your performance.

I urge people to stop others from trying methods that arent really natural, ie. beta blockers or whatever they call it, caffeine etc.

you should try and prepare for your performance as naturally as possible.

[amanfang]

Well, despite hand warmers, arm circles, rubbing my hands together, etc.  the hall was FREEZING the whole time (I was shivering backstage during intermission) and my hands never got warm.  Even during the Liszt.  Oh well.  The Mozart was a little slow, but still nice nonetheless.  I'll post some of it in the audition room as soon as I get the cd from the sound people.

[gruffalo]

good job. amidst all the arguing i got carried away and didnt wish you good luck. glad to hear it went OK.

[Motrax]

Yeah, good job!

I was going to suggest push-ups. I do just enough to feel like I've started doing work, and my hands warm up a minute or two later.

With warm water, I think the key is drying your hands very well immediately after bathing then. It's true that you also need blood circulating (push-ups for me) before you warm up your hands in water.

Maybe you can try it next time.

-M

[alwaystheangel]

I know this is too late but maybe for net time:
I've never tried tha swing the arm thing and that sounds like a good idea.
I have seriously the worst circulation in my hands ever, I run them under hot water dry them as well as possible, stick them under my armpits, runs to my seat and sit on my hands.  ( I have a warm butt)  My fingers naturally get a little squished but after they're under my bum for a while they stay warm for a bit and I can just "air" piano until I play,  works for me, except when I'm nervous, my hands get cold and I sweat at the same time which sucks)  But hey, that's life!
Oh!!!! Carry a space heater with you , plug it in somewhere and warm them up with that!  I do this at home,  works not bad....

[gruffalo]

warming the hands with hot water, armpits etc. does not work on its own. that warms the blood up but will not get it circulating. try bringing a mini towel to the place, so when you put your hands under hot water, dry them vigorously with the towel moving your hands about as fast as possible (basically aim for the quickest time you can dry your hands in) and you should be half way there.

[pianistimo]

women must have warmer butts than men.  i was going to say the same thing as alwaystheangel.  i just sit on my hands.  and, despite the slight lack of circulation, it is nothing compared to the warmth that is needed those five minutes before playing.  you can warm them up and just get them ready for a minute by allowing the circulation to return (leaving them in gloves to the last minute). 

i do  like to go into the bathroom and run warm/hot water on them, too, maybe 20 minutes ahead.  that way, even if they get cold again - it's not likely to be freezing unmoveable cold - esp. if you are sitting on your hands. 

[teresa_b]

I have the world's worst problem with cold hands!  The best thing I've found is to warm up the ENTIRE body if possible before a performance.  Some sort of aerobic exercise for 15 minutes works for me.  (Of course, if you are in your tux or gown, it could be a little dicey, but...)

I have never had any luck with hand-warming techniques like warm water, etc.  It has to be the whole body.

Drink something warm, and wear long sleeves.  (I could never play in one of those gorgeous strapless gowns some women wear!) 

Good luck!
Teresa

[maxy]

Intense sex with a warm partner just before performing should fix the problem.

[pianistimo]

but, wait a minute.  didn't we just have a thread about doing that.  athletes aren't supposed to do that because they lose their 'zen.' (whatever that is).  but, on the latest olympics, i heard some do it anyway.  is there such a thing as being too relaxed?  can it take away your concentration.  should you always be uptight?  maybe on the verge of bursting from concentration on your music - or should you just swing your arms as much as you can walking in - and just play away to the subconcious (throwing all caution to the wind - since you just wasted 3 hours that could have been practice right before?) 

[maxy]

it may cause focus problems, but hey, it's all about fixing the cold hands problem.  anyhow, some pianists, were known to actually have some sexual needs right before playing.

in some more unusual cases, some pianists had sex during intermission. 

[zheer]

.  athletes aren't supposed to do that because they lose their 'zen.' (whatever that is). 

   Just a guess, but i think it means energy or  your vitality. In contact sport you tend to do a lot better if you have'nt had any S*X for some time. 

[alwaystheangel]

this thread is getting a little weird......

[pianistimo]

not only that - it is completely unrealistic for women.  i mean, a man may get some energy from it - but most women just fall asleep for hours.  i don't think this would be a good idea.  we might miss our own recital.

[moi_not_toi]

I usually just forget about the whole thing and go on with the recital.

[maxy]

not only that - it is completely unrealistic for women.  i mean, a man may get some energy from it - but most women just fall asleep for hours.  i don't think this would be a good idea.  you might miss your own recital.

?? no way...  we did not meet the same type of women....

[pianistimo]

i am that type of woman - i don't have to go meet them.

or are you speaking to the guy that says he just forgets the whole thing.  now, how is it a guy can remember a whole recital program and forget he just had sex?  that's truly a conundrum.