Slippery Fingers on the Keyboard

[bill88]

This winter has really played havoc on my dry hands and fingers, and as a result I have no grip on the keyboard. After visiting some forums I found a lot of advice in how to remedy. Some suggestions like using a baseball player’s rosin bag (really bad if the powder gets into the key bed – and it will over time) and using hair spray are a couple. Many hand lotions are generally made for women who like a silky/satin finish on their hands I.e. Mary Kay’s “Satin Hands”. The last thing you need is silky/satin fingertips. It’s like sliding around on a bed with satin sheets. It made the situation even worse. I found two suggestions regarding hand lotions I’d like to share with my fellow pianists – Ahava Deadsea Water Mineral Hand Cream and O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream. Both are excellent and actually give your fingertips traction and grip while restoring moisture and not leaving a slippery fingertip surface.

The Ahava works really well but has an overpowering fragrance that you can smell across the room. The O’Keeffe’s product offers the most traction with absolutely no fragrance. So between the two, it’s a matter of how much grip you want. I prefer the O’Keeffe’s. The Ahava is around $40 a tube and can be purchased at a beauty supply shop. The O’Keeffe’s brand is around $5-6 a tube and can be purchased at Walgreens, Target and Walmart. Give them a try – it works for me.

 

[Biggles]

Thanks for the tips Bill.

You should be on commision.

 

[delaware dave]

I had the complete opposite issue, especially playing outdoors last summer. Due to sweat and humidity I found issues playing because my hands would stick to the keys; wreaking complete havoc with my ability to play.

 

[LisaL]

This winter has really played havoc on my dry hands and fingers, and as a result I have no grip on the keyboard. After visiting some forums I found a lot of advice in how to remedy. Some suggestions like using a baseball player’s rosin bag (really bad if the powder gets into the key bed – and it will over time) and using hair spray are a couple. Many hand lotions are generally made for women who like a silky/satin finish on their hands I.e. Mary Kay’s “Satin Hands”. The last thing you need is silky/satin fingertips. It’s like sliding around on a bed with satin sheets. It made the situation even worse. I found two suggestions regarding hand lotions I’d like to share with my fellow pianists – Ahava Deadsea Water Mineral Hand Cream and O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream. Both are excellent and actually give your fingertips traction and grip while restoring moisture and not leaving a slippery fingertip surface.

The Ahava works really well but has an overpowering fragrance that you can smell across the room. The O’Keeffe’s product offers the most traction with absolutely no fragrance. So between the two, it’s a matter of how much grip you want. I prefer the O’Keeffe’s. The Ahava is around $40 a tube and can be purchased at a beauty supply shop. The O’Keeffe’s brand is around $5-6 a tube and can be purchased at Walgreens, Target and Walmart. Give them a try – it works for me.

I swear by O’Keefes. Good stuff

 

[Giocast]

Excellent advice Bill, Thank you.

 

[keyboardkev81]

Did you find you made too many mistakes or were you able to adjust?

 

[happyrat1]

I had the complete opposite issue, especially playing outdoors last summer. Due to sweat and humidity I found issues playing because my hands would stick to the keys; wreaking complete havoc with my ability to play.

Unless your real name is Peter Parker, you should really clean your keys more often

Gary