I dont know if Im developing low blood pressure, but lately my hands (and feet) have started to feel cold. I can live with this, but when playing my banjo it is starting to annoy me. Does anybody else have this problem and if so, how do you deal with it? Wash you hands in warm water before practising, wear gloves etc?
And when driving to a session, it means Im starting the session with cold hands…grrrr.
I never seem to have this problem where I live… But i live in a sub-tropical climate. I do suffer at southern festivals tho… but after a few pints and a few hours playing in sessions I seem to forget about my cold hands.
🙂
I do if I walk to the pub in the freezing Scottish rain. Can’t play for like a half an hour.
I don’t know if it’s the same problem as you have BanjoBongo but I used to get ‘whitefinger’ when I played guitar in cold places (like churches). Fingers went numb and looked drained of blood. Impossible to play. For me the cure seems to have been stopping smoking -nearly 20 years ago now and I haven’t had whitefinger since.
I use fingerless gloves when playing outside for Ebor Morris in winter and find them very helpful. One is dayglo yellow and the other dayglo green and strangely enough I have another pair at home exactly the same (I’m open to offers!).
1. Ask your doctor. I have the same thing, and it was a symptom of something more serious.
2. Wear light long underwear, a sweater and gloves as often as possible. That works for me - the only time I get cold hands is when I get lazy and don’t wear my gloves when I go outside.
I haven’t had that problem in years. My solution? I moved to Florida. Or, you could move to Brisbane, like in davydd’s case. 😉
There is also a remedy called Gingko Biloba which is apparently great for boosting blood flow
There’s a greater risk of playing-related injury if your hands are cold. I once strained my hand reaching for the top B in Jenny’s Chickens while busking in sub-zero temperatures.
I have raynauds syndrome to a lesser degree and it sounds like you do to. There is no treatment for it really. I guess you can take meds for it but its not recommended. Basically my doctor told me to just be careful out in the cold and wear warm gloves and try to keep your hands insulated. I went as far as to buy those little skin tight women’s gloves to put inside my bigger pair of gloves. Also, you can buy hand warmer packets from local hunting stores or WalMart for pretty cheap. They fit right inside your gloves and give off heat for a good 4-5 hours.
On a side note, It pretty much drives my girlfriend nuts though as I chase her around and touch her with my zombie cold hands 🙂
Ah well … cold hands, warm heart!!
Herself actually has this from time to time. Blood pressure was an issue. One doc thought it was diabetes. The meds were more dangerous than the benefit they provided. Another doc took her off.
She uses the long undies when she goes outside.
Don’t know age etc, but you might have a doc check it out. With the diabetes it gets the eyes and extremities. Deadly for musicians.
Since I developed diabetes I have lousy circuklation problems with my feet but, touch wood with wooden extremities, my fingers aren’t too badly affected yet.
If you think you might have diabetes get yourself to a blood test asap asnd do what the doctor tells you. It ain’t nice but it’s better under control
When Cold Is It Heat You Want?
Our doomed planet’s surface will soon reach temperatures only heretofore reached in Al Gore’s core following his eager consumption of the Thai Gai Yang entrée the evening they slid laurel wreath #648 down onto his thick, sweaty brow.
So, need a warm up? Al’s armpits are your only man.
Cold hands…but I bet your groin is warm. Just rub your hands together and slide them between your legs or sit on them until they warm up. If you aren’t brave enough to do that, wrap your hands around a mug of a hot beverage.
A friend who plays GHB here in Canada occasionally has to play in subfreezing temperatures for parades or funerals. He claims that dunking his hands in ice-cold water for a minute or so prior to playing causes increased bloodflow to his fingers and warmer hands during the performance.
Rob
Brilliant NEW Pure Drop, where ya been? Bless ya.
A friend who plays GHB here in Canada claims that dunking his hands in warm/hot dishwater loosens up the joints and helps him play better.
Just for contrast. (-:
I claim that going outside in the snow for a few minutes with no shoes and socks on makes my feet feel tingly and warm. Except when they turn black and fall off. Can’t say it does anything for my playing.
i think it is low blood pressure. me and my mate have this problem when we play in the music rooms at school at lunchtimes, so much so that his hands turn blue/purple sometimes. i just wear really thick gloves.