Why do piano players put their hands in hot water?

Sometimes before i practice, I'll run my hands in warm water. The warmth helps relax the muscles and tendons in your fingers, which usually makes it easier for me to warm up and get in the swing of things. I usually try to do this a few minutes before I start to practice.

pianostreet.com - Water + Hands = ? - Piano Street

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I dont set up any fancy apparatus with the water bowl, and the rolled up sleeves, if you want to practice, practice! But before performances, it is a good idea to have a hot bath or shower before leaving the house. --> warms up the hands cleanses the body and mind

donjuan

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Whoa... freaky. You are quite the prophet!

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If your hands are cold before performance, it means that they are in short supply of blood. This is most probably because in other parts of the body (arms, trunk...) there are cramped muscles which hinder the blood to flow freely. And cramped muscles emerge through fears or through wanting something too hard (which is in fact the same). Until 10 years ago, I often had cold hands. This was because I was a really tense, un-free guy with many fears. The shoulders and neck were very often really hard and ached. Over the years I learned Alexander technique, Feldenkrais and started swimming regularly so that my body felt more and more supple. At the same time I worked on reducing my fears and neuroses. Since about 7 years I have NEVER cold hands, and the strong stagefright of the early years has completely gone. You see, it's not about the hands, it's about the whole human being. But with pianists, problems like to manifest in the hands, while singers most probably get throat disorders and brass players suddenly can't coordinate their lips. (Never heard of a singer or brass player who always gets cold hands before performance!)

Best Wishes,

Monk

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Cold water will help the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your hands heal & recover faster (warm water won't).

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Stick your arms out and make big circles with your arms. Do this until you can feel the burn, but eventually make the circles smaller and smaller. Works great for me. Thanks for all the replies so far. While I do understand that this subject isn't of grave importance, it's still interesting to see what people think about it, anyway.Regarding hand oil, when I do try out water before practicing, I don't notice much of a difference with regards to slickness (given that my hands aren't still soaked). I think the texture and quality of the keys of the actual piano which we practice on would have an effect on this, since many of them are made differently and of different materials.I do the same as you for practicing, as far as water and hands are concerned. And yes, a hot shower or bath does freshen things up a bit. I find that it also keeps me from smelling bad. That is, it would be a terrible thing to be approached by someone who loved your performance, only to find him/her repelled by some horrible stench.Heh. I thought it would be the obvious sardonic answer which some would think up as they wait for the page to load up...I have never really thought of it that way in particular, but it does make a lot of sense. Being tense and worried does odd things to people, as it tends to enforce everything which might be problematic. (Of course, if I happen to be in a cold area, my hands would be cold and more stiff, but it's fair enough to assume people know this already.That's interesting. Do you think it would be a good idea to rinse the hands with cold water after every practice session, so that the hands recover faster?Hehe, I actually came upon the the post which Bernhard made about that when searching for topics on water. I've tried it, and I was surprised at how it works so well. I don't think that I'll want to do it in front of a crowd at a performance, though... they'd think that I had lost my marbles.

pianostreet.com - Water + Hands = ? - Piano Street

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