How do you keep your hands warm?

[dahmin]

Winter is approaching, or being in a cold air-conditioned room... how do you keep your hands warm before playing the piano?

I've been in situation where my fingers were frozen, ended up having lots of hiccups while playing in front of the tutor

Any tips on this when the temperature of the room is beyond your control?
Gloves?  Hot tea?  Gel heat pads? 

Please share your experience

[pianoplayjl]

Yes, I'm like that during winter. what i usually do is wear some gloves but sometimes I find that doesn't help that much.

[lelle]

Yeah I often have the same problem, and I have also had a generally bad blood circulation since several years back, which is especially noticeable in my hands and feet; they can be quite cold at times.

It shall be interesting to see if anybody knows any remedies!

[pianoplayjl]

You can always turn on a heater. I have one could not be bothered to turn it on. Also, I tried putting my hands in warm water. that did not help much.

[dahmin]

Sometimes you can't control the heater in the room as it's a concert hall or at school, or just simply a place that is badly insulated etc.

Anyway, I just ordered this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mini-Hottie-Knitted-Reusable-Warmer/dp/B002VKHEXI from Amazon.  Probably activate it 5 mins before playing to warm my hands.  Hope it'll help.

[49410enrique]

i use mittens when i can. if they get cold while i'm practice or if i just came in from outside, i'll stick my hands under hot running water in the restroom and just let the blood flow pick up, usually wait till they get a rosey color, also seems to help with relaxing the muscles in general and if i have residual tension it tends to diminish and helps with overall movement.

[dahmin]

i use mittens when i can. if they get cold while i'm practice or if i just came in from outside, i'll stick my hands under hot running water in the restroom and just let the blood flow pick up, usually wait till they get a rosey color, also seems to help with relaxing the muscles in general and if i have residual tension it tends to diminish and helps with overall movement.

I think that's probably the best solution.  But I would try to submerge my hands in warm water instead of under hot running water

[49410enrique]

I think that's probably the best solution.  But I would try to submerge my hands in warm water instead of under hot running water

yep that tends to work better, but harder to do in public restrooms unless you use a bunch of paper towels to temporarily plug the drain, even then some of those sinks are just plain nasty so i compromise....good point though

[bleicher]

When I practise I have a hot water bottle on my lap to so that I can warm up one hand while practising the other. I've even had it with me for a couple of concerts, but only when I was right at the back of the orchestra! Performing solo I make sure I've got my hands warm when I start and dress warmly if necessary, but even then my hands get cold by the end. Oh, to have warm hands!

[bleicher]

(I wish someone would make a piano with heated keys.)

[pianoplayjl]

(that might burn your fingers).

[nyiregyhazi]

I used to have a problem with this, but if you activate your fingers properly and do general physical exercise, it shouldn't be a problem. Apparently Richter performed outdoors at Stalin's funeral, in massively subzero temperatures!  Since getting more finger movements going in general, it's rare that my fingers ever feel sluggish and unresponsive due to the cold- unless it's properly cold. The more you're in the habit of engaging the finger's movements while playing, the less likely they are to go dead. Unless we're talking seriously cold conditions and a complete absence of indoor temperature control, there shouldn't be any problems. If there are, I'd be looking for a long term-fix, not short-term relief.

Aside from general exercise, alternating between hot and cold rapidly is a very good way to train the circulation. Traditionally this involves a sauna and cold plunge pool, but it's said that simply flipping the temperature up and down in the shower works. Simply dipping the hands in hot water is said to makes problems worse in the long run.

[mintaddiction]

At the center where I get my lessons, I always just go to the toilets and hold my hands under the automatic hand dryer for about 30 seconds. Warms my hands up nicely. Then there was that day last November when the toilet was locked, and I had to play Rachmaninov after being soaked in the rain. Not a good day.

[pianoplayjl]

Sometimes I might do a bit of exercise before practice.

[keyboardkat]

Rachmaninoff had an electrically heated muff that he kept his hands in backstage.

[1piano4joe]

Gloves.

Sit on them.

Put them in your pocket.

Use a hand warmer like the skiers use.

Hold a cup of something warm (Tea, Soup, Coffee, Hot Chocolate).

Rub them together.

Alternate making a closed fist and open fist.

Put your hands inside your sleeves.

Run them under warm water.

Cross your arms and place under the opposite upper arm.

Place your hands together palms facing each other between your thighs.

Is there a nearby fireplace or perhaps radiator?

[pianoplayjl]

Three or four months ago during winter I remembered using gloves to practise. Weird yet true. 

[cjp_piano]

Most people try to make their hands warm EXTERNALLY, by applying heat, sitting on them, run hot water over them, wearing mittens, etc. While this may work to some extent, it's better to warm them up INTERNALLY by increasing circulation and overall body heat and energy. Do you notice how your hands aren't cold after you go running, even if it's outside in the winter? It's the exercise and blood flow. So I suggest a quick jog, jumping jacks, etc. You can even swing your arms back and forth and actually feel the blood going into the fingertips!

If you are cold on the INSIDE of your body, then applying heat from the outside doesn't help much, as you've noticed.

[pastlifepianist]

+1 for the above comment about circulation and increasing blood flow to generate warmth! I haven't gone so far as going for a jog (was not possible in many concert venues) but even something like mimicking playing scales in the air (so hard to explain without demonstration) can be helpful.

I have also tried submerging hands in hot (not boiling, of course ) water, but the warming effect went away as soon as I took my hands out of the water.

[oxy60]

The keys of the piano I practice on temporarily are cold because the practice room is not heated. So no matter how warm my hands get the ends of my fingers are in touch with cold keys. Thankfully this arrangement ends next week and I will be back on my own instrument in a heated room...

[werq34ac]

Your armpits are quite warm.. try sticking your hands there =P. Also between your thigh is quite warm but that's kinda awkward...

Before a performance I usually stick my hands in my mouth (without touching my saliva). Pretend you don't have teeth and you can stick your hand in your mouth without touching saliva.


Sitting on them works for short periods of time however after a while you cut off blood flow and it feels funny.

[megadodd]

Before a performance, I like to shower really hot for a long time.
Then, I use a muffler to cover my neck, and wear warm clothes overall.
I find that it dosn't matter to me if I wear gloves or such if my neck is cold.

[keyboardkat]

Sometimes cold hands can be a result of stage fright or performance anxiety.   If you can calm down, your hands will be warmer, and they won't shake.
As I've suggested elsewhere, find a doctor who will prescribe Inderal (propanolol) for performance anxiety.  It will calm you, slow down your pounding pulse, and allow your blood vessels to relax, reducing blood pressure and allowing freer circulation.   My own teacher, the late David Bradshaw, said it was assinine not to take it.

[cjp_piano]

Sometimes cold hands can be a result of stage fright or performance anxiety.   If you can calm down, your hands will be warmer, and they won't shake.
As I've suggested elsewhere, find a doctor who will prescribe Inderal (propanolol) for performance anxiety.  It will calm you, slow down your pounding pulse, and allow your blood vessels to relax, reducing blood pressure and allowing freer circulation.   My own teacher, the late David Bradshaw, said it was assinine not to take it.

Don't take propanolol, it's toxic and causes other problems. For anxiety there are plenty of natural effective things like Bach Rescue Remedy, essential oils like lavender and geranium, and things like Gaba.

I still think the best is to help your overall circulation from the inside out instead of trying to warm them up from the outside in.

[nillerbabs]

I agree on the internal heat being a good idea.

A bass teacher I met and my current teacher both advocate a small warmup exercise of opening your hands, then veeery slowly closing the fingers to a fist, while adding as much tension to the fingers as possible. While not painful, it does feel quite strange. However I must say, I've used it every once in a while and it gets the blood flowing and activates the fingers rather efficiently.

[thing2emma]

Aha... I have chronic dangerously-low levels of iron which means my hands are ALWAYS cold. Yesterday for my exam, it was a burning 36 degrees outside, and I was in a black dress, tights, a sweater, scarf, and mittens, just to stay warm.
Things I've done:
Mittens
Warm clothes in general
Warm/hot water
Hot water bottles
Tea/Hot chocolate/warm beverage to hold

Also I find my blood flow is better when I've eaten a large amount of carbs that day. The quality of the food doesn't matter, just sheer quantity.

[49410enrique]

this might work