Cold hands!!!

[mesadualrec]

does anyone else suffer from this..

your hands are really cold and you just cant play a damn thing.I was talking about this to a fellow guitar player last night at an all day music event.It was nearing the end of the day and the cold had set in.Thank god I wasnt playing last night,my hands were freezing.We ended up back at his flat playing the geetar and still my hands were rigid as rock....no allan holdsworth jams last night!!!!!!

I was just wondering if anyone else suffered from this

I get it soo bad that I used to take hairdryers to gis so i could sit backstage heating my hands up,my hands have to be cooking before I can play properly


even warmup exercises to get my digits moving dont work....
Im actually getting quite paranoid about this as my new originals band are set to play alot of gigs outside!!!

hmm Im away to invent a heated glove you can play guitar with

Euan (what a stupid thread)

 

[phatduckk]

yup - happens to me too. before gigs im pretty much outside the whole time w/ a cold drink smoking. ill go in 15 minutes before i play and try n warm up. a couple last minute shots and it doesnt really play a factor anymore. LoL

 

[candid_x]

You might try moving around, waving arms, walking or running in place. Meditating also works, but I realize that's hard to do minutes before a gig. Blood leaves outer extremities when we get nervous or cold, and moves to the heart to protect the organs. Frankly, and not to freak anyone but, I'd be more concerned with diabetes developing than temporarily losing my chops.

 

[Axilla]

Here's how: have some strong coffee and a few liquorice sweets to raisen blood pressure
Now for an honest answer - I used to take camping style hand warmers (cathalytic coal sticks glowing inside) many years ago. They used to work great for me. You might get them at hunting/fishing/camping suppliers I guess... Not bigger than a sunglasses case in general and easy to handle.

 

[mesadualrec]

thanks for all the reply's

those gloves sound like the best solution


as for blood levels and all that....
Im never nervous anymore...that died YEARS ago,I love performing to crowds etc. I think its just the cold that does it to me

 

[Lew]

Put your hands down your pants(the english pants not the american pants)

 

[azazael]

It's because our body can't adjust to 4 seasons in a day.

 

[John Czajkowski]

I always try to run into the restroom and wash hands after I've hauled all my gear on stage and hooked it up so I keep my strings as clean as possible. It also helps the fingers recover from all the lifting. I let the warm water run and just give them a brief massage for a minute. I also like to make sure I have eaten within an hour or two prior to playing. I alway have the most real energy this way.

 

[beej]

I always try to run into the restroom and wash hands after I've hauled all my gear on stage

I've always done the same thing- I get a tad nervous and the hands get cold. Warm water feels great and warms everything up nicely.

 

[Phrat]

Put your hands down your pants(the english pants not the american pants)

Remember to wash your hands afterwards

 

[dstockden]

I remember as a boy having bleeding fingers from playing the guitars when it was really cold (my calouses hadnt developed) i avoiding the jokes about it being cold where you live, you dont think you could have that rennodes (however you spell it) thing do you? the bad circulation thing, my mate has it and has to wear gloves in the summer (proper summer not what we had this year)

 

[puppyonacid]

I used to suffer with this myself up until a few years ago. It all stopped once i started working out and running a few times a week. Really keeps the blood flowing. Works for me!

 

[PugNinjas]

Now for an honest answer - I used to take camping style hand warmers (cathalytic coal sticks glowing inside) many years ago. They used to work great for me. You might get them at hunting/fishing/camping suppliers I guess... Not bigger than a sunglasses case in general and easy to handle.

Yeah, when i originally hurt my wrist I was told to keep these in my pockets during the winter, they do work quite well and not only your hands are warm...if you get my drift )

 

[mesadualrec]

It's because our body can't adjust to 4 seasons in a day.

the correct answer!!!

yeah I normally run the hot water over my hands

it is a real pain in the ass

 

[73h Nils]

Happens to me, too. I place my hands under hot running water in order to get them nimble, again...Also, so I don't scuff the strings as much

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I must be very lucky. I have always had very warm hands.

 

[mesadualrec]

looks like Im gonna have to chop em of then.....


and use them for myself,Im 'Handy' at sewing

 

[73h Nils]

looks like Im gonna have to chop em of then.....


and use them for myself,Im 'Handy' at sewing

You should make a deal with the Robot Devil, then.

(Props if you get the reference HINT: Greatest Animated Show. Ever.)

 

[dwells]

i use some kind of deep heat muscle warming cream , i rub it into my shoulders and leave it on my hands then slightly wash my hands with hot water , the menthol still gets in and ya little fingers are all ready to go

 

[the24thfret]

The warm water thing is a good idea, but I can't do it for a few reasons. First, it takes a little while to warm up your hands, and when you turn off the water, they quickly go cold again. Also, even after I dry my hands, the skin is softened from the water and isn't fully dry, meaning I can't start playing just yet because the callouses aren't doing their job. So by the time my hands are fully dry, they are cold again because the water only really temporarily warmed them.

I don't play a lot of gigs, but when I do, I avoid holding cold drinks in my bare hands before the show. I also try to have my hands in my pockets as often as possible, out of the wind and out of the cold. I also warm up less than 30mins before show time and try to massage each hand a bit to get the blood flowing. Good call too about washing the hands after handling equipment, I always wash my hands before and after I play, but in cold situations I do so far in advance and just basically don't touch anything until I play.

Another bit of help could come from using lighter gauge strings. That would help with bends but not speed, so it might not be worth the effort.