playing in the cold

[wells902]

ok, here is my situation. For pep band we played for a football game. it was really cold so it really hurt my fingers to play because the strings were so cold. any ideas about how to keep a little warmer so it isnt so painful?

[Crudd-Bucket™]

Could wear those biker gloves with no finger tips, or you could hold onto a flask of hot water or something. Keep them warm by moving them

[rh15951]

Wear gloves until you play.

[Chris K]

Do warm ups to get the blood flowing and keep you warm!

Hand warm ups that is...

[wells902]

thanks for the help, but the strings are ice cold any way to maby warm them up?

[rh15951]

thanks for the help, but the strings are ice cold any way to maby warm them up?

hairdryer

[Chris K]

thanks for the help, but the strings are ice cold any way to maby warm them up?

erm...play them to warm them up!

[Sergio]

thanks for the help, but the strings are ice cold any way to maby warm them up?

Don't think you'll be able to do this at football games, but....you could always do what I do at band practice: steal the only space heater in the house and sit in front of it. :D

[Crudd-Bucket™]

Pass a current of 240 volts and 16 amps through your bass strings, that should warm them up real good

[rh15951]

Pass a current of 240 volts and 16 amps through your bass strings, that should warm them up real good

postcount +1

[ViolenceBass]

i just got an idea that WONT kill you, and keep you warm!

Two Heating Patches (icy hot makes patches right?) One on the back of each hand!

I wasnt serious, but now im going to go try it.

[mastrrbasser]

in all seriousness. Put your hands down your pants. Think about it, you're wearing pants, and a lot of heat is radiating down there. Shinkage is a factor, but you can deal with it. It really does work.

Or you can blow into your hands. You can wear gloves when you're not playing. Or if it's the school's bass, wear thin gloves and have them buy you new strings when all of the little furries get in the winding.

[Merridew]

just keep the bass in a gig bag or something till you have to actually play it. or wrap it up in some ****ty blankets or something

[Sergio]

Or if it's the school's bass, wear thin gloves and have them buy you new strings when all of the little furries get in the winding.

Also, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about the furries if he strung the bass with flats? :thumb:

[mastrrbasser]

Also, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about the furries if he strung the bass with flats? :thumb:


genius. Pure genius. Why didn't i think of that? :lol:

Speaking of which, I still need to get flats for my jazz bass.

[kilian]

erm...play them to warm them up!
Yup, that will warm up your muscles. If you start to sport, you're also running as a warmup. You're not sitting next to a fireplace or something :thumb:

Muscles..

[Purple Alien]

I have been having the same problem. Keep them warm before the gig and if they start getting cold during the cold just suck it up or if all else fails use a pick for your right hand and a not so furry glove for your left.

[Left Shoe]

thanks for the help, but the strings are ice cold any way to maby warm them up?
microwave

[Purple Alien]

microwave

with a hot pocket...

[equinox]

Cold is a real problem. You could get a small plug-in radiator and keep that on stage with you.

[bobs_hobo]

if your fingers are stiff of being cold and you dont have a grounding plug just touch your stringsand another metal thing just dont leave it there too long or your finges will be stiff and cold strings wear some nice biking gloves were they're a type of rubery plastic

[Led_Zeppelin678]

I had to play Shy Boy and YYZ last night, and it was so cold I couldn't feel my fingers...I pulled it off, though! :thumb:

I have no idea how to solve this, so I'm afraid I can't help you.

[Left Shoe]

marching bands face this problem a bunch, basically what you have to do is keep your fingers moving. the marching band im in performed our ten minute show in 30 degree weather friday night, the clarinet soli was weird, because none of us could feel our fingers yet we all played it.

[Guevara]

What about leather gloves? Don't have to worry about getting anything caught in the strings. They probably won't keep your hands THAT warm, but it's a start.

OJ style.

[Manticore Guy]

I played at a party yesterday outside at like 7 o clock and I couldnt even feel my strings. It was crazy, yet i got through it. I wish I knew of a way to help that....

p.s now i have this massive blood blister on my middle finger from playing with a smaller one on my hand.Apparently i aggravated it and made it go from small blood blister to Massive! Looks like a messed up science experiment:lol:

[MasterofBass]

i just got an idea that WONT kill you, and keep you warm!

Two Heating Patches (icy hot makes patches right?) One on the back of each hand!

I wasnt serious, but now im going to go try it.


yea, they make handwarmers and you can find them at any sporting goods store/department or any hunting store. I had those for marching band all throughout high school (played sax, but still had cold finger problems). put those in some open fingered gloves. And before you play, either take them out or put them on the tops of your hands, and keep your hands in some very warm gloves before you play, and keep them moving. That's how I got through playoffs during the end of November :thumb:

the strings, i have no clue other than keeping the bass inside or something...

[Sade]

I hate playing in cold weather....

[roee_co]

slap them as fast as you can
will get your fingers working and strings would move

stupid idea?

[bassist_for_a_band]

I just put up with it. That always works fine for me.

[bass&cookies]

with a hot pocket...
i had an incident with one of those in a microwave one time... coincidently at a band concert. wasnt trying to warm my strings tho

[nicatterberry]

I hate playing in cold weather....


I hate cold weather in general.

[Klander Brigade]

For some reason the tips of my fingers get these kinds of really, really tiny blister things when it gets cold and it hurts to put pressure on them. I have no idea what's going on. I went to a dermatologist even and he was boggled. Probably something to do with the friction of the strings and the fingers. Anyone have similar thing going on?

[Thonk]

Hand warmers. The things hunters use, and wear gloves...

/lame

[himynameistweek]

i have bum glove mittens.
they're mittens, but the mitten part folds back to reveal bum gloves. you know, the ones that cover the bottom halves of your fingers but are open for the top half. when i'm hunting i wear them and put the little hand warmer packets in the mitten part. works very well.
but as for the cold strings, i don't see why it would be that big a deal.

[Sade]

I don't know about you, but I find it MUCH harder to tap Bach's 13th Inversion wearing mittens.