 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: marcia
Date: 2009-03-02 03:10
Any helpful suggestions on how to keep hands warm while performing? This is a long standing problem for me. I may start with reasonably warm hands, but they become increasingly cold as the performance progresses. I have resorted to sitting on my hands during long rests, but this is only marginally effective. Does anyone else sufffer this? How do you deal with it?
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2009-03-02 05:38
Drink more water and remember to get some potassium. Dehydration and potassium deficiency, which most people actually suffer from to some extent, inhibits bloodflow to the extremities. Poor bloodflow is a cause for cold hands and feet.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-03-02 13:14
Adrenaline is also a reason for cold hands! Learning to maintain some inner calm while still fully enjoying your performances can be difficult, but perhaps you can find a way if you focus on trying to remain "even-keel" while on stage.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-03-02 13:22
Do you ever notice numbness or tingling or a change of color in your fingers when your hands get cold during performances?
Karl
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2009-03-02 15:20
I have been experiencing cramps in my legs from over-workouts cycling and cross country skiing.
Potassium (first in expensive "exercise food") and then in more affordable bananas --which provide much higher potassium dosage-- has alleviated the problem. I did not think of the effect of the potassium as being improved blood flow.
Thanks
Bob Phillips
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-03-02 16:43
And yet Bananas are supposed to be one of the foods you can eat to help reduce nerves, supposedly.
Old Wives tale?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2009-03-02 16:55
It's a true old-wives' tale if the old wives are performing clarinetists and it works for them! Personally I don't see a difference, but for some people it works very well.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2009-03-02 17:21
This works for me, if you're wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Hunting and camping stores sell little air-activated "heat packs" for keeping toes, feet, and fingers warm. The ones for toes have an adhesive surface and I stick this on the cuff of a long-sleeved polypro undershirt, centered right over the veins in my wrist, which is then hidden by the cuff of my outer shirt. The warmth of the pack warms the blood going to your fingers. This works for outdoor concerts, overly air-conditioned halls, and, of course, in the deer stand.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-03-02 17:26
Hi Kilo,
And what period of music works best for attracting deer? Curiosity's sake only, because I don't hunt currently.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: kilo
Date: 2009-03-02 17:42
French Impressionism, hands down ... although a Native American guide once cautioned me not to even think of a melody when hunting.
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2009-03-02 17:49
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/290/3/R546
I said water, because it's a pretty common sense thing, and potassium, because it's a commonly deficient nutrient.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-03-02 19:54
What's the venue? Would it be seen or be wrong of you to wear gloves with the fingertips cut out? If not, gloves might do the trick. i'd match the gloves to whatever you're wearing (especially if it's long-sleeve) for more uniformity and continuity. But I don't see anything wrong with gloves being used if they'll keep you more comfortable. To me it's sorta along the lines of using a neckstrap. If it keeps you playing better, more comfortably, and won't interfere with the performance, why not?
Alexi
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Author: Nasubi77
Date: 2009-03-03 15:24
I recommend a T'ai Chi Chih course. You can usually find a 6 or 8 week course at your local gym or community college. It's based on the principals of T'ai Chi, an ancient martial art, but there are only 19 movements to learn and all are extremely soft and fluid and NON-strenuous...any age, any body type, any fitness level can do it.
The benefits are improved balance and circulation, and a balancing of the Chi, the energy that flows through you. You don't really have to buy into the Eastern philosophies of Chi to get benefits from it (although it does help to retain a full understanding...)
Anyway, if you do only the movements, even without the philosophical parts, the circulation to your extremities is improved. I find that when I do even a partial session, the first physical sign I notice is that my hands get VERY warm!
You could check out T'ai Chi Chih: Joy Thru Movement by Justin Stone (the creator of T'ai Chi Chih) at your local library and learn just the first 5 movements. It will bring a peaceful sensation to calm any nerves you may have, and it will warm up your hands!
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Author: D
Date: 2009-03-03 20:01
Do you have a helpful significant other/flatmate/older child etc who could massage your hands a couple of times a day with one of those cremes you use when skiing to improve circulation? Obviously wash it all off before touching the clarinet. I used to suffer from chilblains because I have odd shaped feet leading to poor circulation. Massaging with this stuff helps, and now I just use an ordinary body butter type thing which also helps. You might find the same for your hands, even though it sounds a bit bonkers!
I also agree with all the comments above about drinking lots of water and eating a good balanced diet.
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Author: eac
Date: 2009-03-03 20:51
Google "wrist warmers". Basically it's a glove without fingers but with a long cuff that goes up your forearm. You can buy them or knit or crochet them. Or Google "gloves" and see the variety of fingerless gloves available. You can buy them in velveteen, satin, fishnet, whatever fabric or color you might want. My clarinet teacher also agrees that if you keep your wrists warm, your hands and fingers will be warm. She found some made from a light weight fleece.
Liz Leckey
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-03-04 14:27
If your section partner is cute enough you could always hold hands when you have rests. ESP www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
PS. you could always count on me to give you good clarinet advise.
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2009-03-04 14:38
Holding hands through rests?
I thought you were going to suggest buying one of those new heated Buffet clarinets with the battery pack. Heats the keys to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit for up to four hours. Warning: for uptempo pieces with long, complicated 16th-note runs, there is always the chance of fire in the upper joint.
The heat alone makes fingers more nimble; you get off the keys quicker.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-03-04 15:11
Ok, but which conducts the heat better and makes your sound more resonant and Marcellus like? The nickel or the silver plated keys?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2009-03-04 15:53
Ah, but now you're talking about the electric mouthpiece synthesizer.
That's extra.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-03-04 16:22
James said, "but which conducts the heat better and makes your sound more resonant and Marcellus like? I'm not sure he had warm hands or not. It has nothing to do with the original question but believe it or not, everyone doesn't want to emulate Marcellus's sound. That's not to suggest that he did not get a beautiful sound, only that many others prefer a "different" quality, for better or for worse. ESP
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-03-04 17:19
I'm sorry Ed, but I've got you here!
I was simply continuing a joke based on the previous post that Buffet is making a model with heated keys. No not everyone wants Marcellus' sound, but I had to pick a big name to make my statement truly absurd, and I settled on his.
Once again, sorry for muddying the waters...
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: mk
Date: 2009-03-04 18:04
ok....here's my take on this as a pharmacist/clarinetist. Be careful of recommendations regarding vitamins/nutritional supplements. I am not saying there is not sound advice in the recommendations, I am suggesting that you should seek medical advice from a medical doctor. I would suggest looking for a musician/medical doctor for a work-up. You should not have too difficult a time finding one. Music is a real interest for physicians, and I am guessing you will find someone who can help you resolve your problem. You might want to google "Raynouds" to learn more about cold hands. I would say that "Web MD" is a fairly reliable source of information. Good luck.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-03-04 18:34
Glad to have a pharm./cl'ist here ! Nearing age 90, both my wife and I have cold hands and feet,[we do still hold hands] and we set the thermostat up [and down]!, but the thot of K [potassium] deficiency interests me. Checking our vitamin bottles, only one has a 2% RDA content. As mentioned, bananas are good for K help, possibly potatoes also? May I ask for opinions here, mk, and our medical doctors as well, please. Will consult Web MD also. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-03-04 19:01
I realize you guys are just joking about thermal conductivity of the keys, but there is a little truth to it, too. One of the things I've noticed is that when I pull my clarinets out of the case, my 20-year-old Bb clarinet's keys (which are worn down to the "nickel silver" in some places) usually seem colder to the touch than my newer A clarinet's keys.
I'm guessing this is because nickel (my clarinets have nickel plated keys) is less thermally conductive than the "nickel silver" alloy (which is mostly copper) beneath. I know (because I looked it up) that copper is a much better thermal conductor than nickel (it has over 4 times the conductivity), so I'm guessing that the less nickel plating you have left on your keys, the more your keys act like a heat sink and sap thermal energy away from your fingers.
Of course, I don't know if the plating they put on these keys is thick enough to make any noticeable difference--I haven't fiddled around with heat transfer calculations enough to have good intuition about it. If it does make a difference, though, that would mean that silver-plated keys (silver being slightly more thermally conductive than copper) would feel colder to the touch when you pull them out of the case than do nickel-plated keys. I'm just curious--has anybody noticed this?
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Author: marcia
Date: 2009-03-05 02:33
Hi again
Thanks for all the comments, related or otherwise. I do not have Raynauds, I drink lots of water, have the good fortune to not suffer performance anxiety, it's just a matter of temperature. At work I am the first one to put on another layer in the often cool environment. I have a slim build, and do not generate a lot of internal heat. My fave, suggestion was the cute section partner. Don't know if I'd call him "cute" but he probably has much warmer hands than I do. ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
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Author: clariniano
Date: 2009-03-12 19:25
I used to suffer a lot from cold hands, but since I started eating somewhat more protein and playing the piano regularly, I now rarely experience cold hands.
Meri
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Author: reedwizard
Date: 2009-03-12 19:40
Marcia,
If this is a recurring problem I would ask that your doctor check your thyroid levels, this is the number one cause of cold hands and feet and it is especially prevalent in women. Your age does not matter. Do not ever take potassium as a supplement unless you are directed to do so by a physician and are followed by one. Potassium is one of the electrolytes which controls our heart rates and it is very dangerous to take as a supplement because it can cause arrhythmia which can be fatal. Potassium gotten through the diet such as bananas or in sports drinks is fine.
Adrenaline would raise your body temp not lower it. It would increase blood flow and cause the hands to sweat.
I too had problems performing because my hands would become so cold I would actually become nauseous. Then I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. Now I no longer have this problem. There are other symptoms of thyroid disease and if you want further discussion please email me off this list I would be happy to talk with you.
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