Sweaty Hands

[wiggityp]

Anyone out there with sweaty hands? I've have some damnable difficulty getting my hands to stay dry at times. I've recently been using baby powder (cornstarch and talc) and it helps a lot, although makes rather a mess. I've been wanting to give pool chalk a try. Anyone have this same problem and have any tips?

[johnmar78]

Wiggy, your problem can be easily solved, you need a bottle of 90% alcohol spray that will dry off your hands straight away. Each wipe would last you approx one short Sonata peroformance, this varies form person to person. If not between the movements you can do a quick wipe and spray. I hope this helps.

[buz1984]

I have this issue, but find it mainly arises with modern coated keys and stuffy heated venues. 
It's frustrating because it will turn an otherwise easy performance into a struggle.  Once the sweat builds up on the keys it forces you to tighten up to alleviate constant slips.  Basically you end up playing with smaller motions and less relaxation than you normally would.  This inevitably limits expression and can also introduce memory problems if you're reliant on muscle memory.

In my experience alcohol wipes and a hand towel don't really work.  By far the best solution is performing on your own terms with pianos you already like.  That's a real luxury though.  So perhaps it's better to just accept that occasionally things will go horribly, and when that happens, look forward to moving on to a different venue

If it's a problem with a practice instrument, try to find a different one to use that has ivories, or at least non-glossy keys.  Also open a window.

[nyiregyhazi]

Anyone out there with sweaty hands? I've have some damnable difficulty getting my hands to stay dry at times. I've recently been using baby powder (cornstarch and talc) and it helps a lot, although makes rather a mess. I've been wanting to give pool chalk a try. Anyone have this same problem and have any tips?

Look at Berezovksy on youtube- dripping with sweat over the keyboard as he plays Liszt Transcendental Etudes. Why would he be unaffected in such testing repertoire? In short, I don't think these kind of things deal with the true problem. I tried all kinds of things for years- before i ultimately discovered that the path my fingers were moving in was the underlying problem. I'm not claiming I have the seeming immunity to the problem that Berezovsky has, but I rarely worr y about the issue any more.  The answer lies in whether you finger actions naturally scrape across the keys in a way that demands friction in order to keep still. I'd even consider oiling yourself up with margarine for a practise session- in order to discover the path that is virtually immune to slippage.