The Steel Guitar Forum

I decided to make a recording of the lap steel that I recently put palm levers on, to post as an example.

My hands were so cold I couldn't play properly, and the tone bar felt like a solid piece of ice. What does one do in that situation ? What about a tone bar with internal heating ?

It doesn't happen so often now I'm living in California, but when I was living in England we sometimes had to abandon jam sessions because it was too cold to play.

At Home in winter I lay my bar on a heat duct and
next morning it feels good.

I always put my bar in one of my pants pockets while setting up so it will get warm. The other thing I used to do when I did more outdoor shows at night was to wear a vest and have a handwarmer in each vest pocket. You can buy these packets that you snap or crack to activate the heat. They can be found at outdoor or sportsman's stores. I guess one can always put on the long-johns and a couple of extra shirts, etc.

Doug, tell us the REAL reason you put the bar in your pants. Love ya, buddy.

If things get really ruff, you could follow the practice of sailors in the age of wooden ships and iron men, whom when aloft in severe temps would whip out the old (and suddenly unhappy) slausen and let 'er rip on those chilled digits.

Yet another reason I'm glad my sailing and playing day's are in warmer latitudes.

Doug Jones wrote:I always put my bar in one of my pants pockets while setting up so it will get warm. The other thing I used to do when I did more outdoor shows at night was to wear a vest and have a handwarmer in each vest pocket. You can buy these packets that you snap or crack to activate the heat. They can be found at outdoor or sportsman's stores. I guess one can always put on the long-johns and a couple of extra shirts, etc.

You will have the ladies asking "Is that a steel bar in your trousers or are you pleased to see me?".

Take a small heating pad and set it next to your guitar the next time you have an important session. Put all your bars and pics there and fold the pad over on them and they will stay warm. You can also lay your hand on the pad during playbacks to keep them warm if you are having that problem.

See cover picture on John Hughey's "On and Off Stage" LP.

Alan Brookes wrote:... but when I was living in England we sometimes had to abandon jam sessions because it was too cold to play.

I don't get it. They didn't have heaters or furnaces in England back then?? Just how old are you Alan??

When it gets cold, the drummer plays faster and my fingers move slower. Very frustrating!

Even here in California, there are outdoor gigs in the evening that can get sort of chilly.

The handwarmers in the vest pocket is a good idea. You can also get electric mittens for warming hands and bar with battery power when not playing. Perhaps some very lightweight fingerless gloves may help with the pick hand, but you would have to obviously experiment if practical.

I have never tried the electric mittens, and I used to have a pair of electric socks for sitting out in the cold waiting for deer. If the mittens are anything like the socks, you can turn off and on the battery as needed.

A couple of things...

When I used to travel full-time, my gear was either in the cargo bay of a bus or a plane a lot of the time. Especially in the winter, the axe would be basically a piece of ice when unloaded. I still use a hand held hair dryer to bring those things back to room temp (helps with tuning as well).

This time of year it's very chilly on outdoor gigs here in Arizona. I carry several different propane heaters to help keep both the steel and me from getting too cold.

My other experience is that when nervous, the muscles in the hand tighten up (restricting blood flow) and hands will feel cold. A trick that works for me (nervous or just tight from loading equipment) is to hang the hands and arms to each side and shaking them vigorously (might want to leave the picks off for this as they might go flying off).

Best of luck,

Mike

Being that I live in the land of ice and snow, I always carry my Stevens or Fender Dobro bar where ever I go.

On a very cool or cold temp. gig, a polished bullet bar is a no win situation. You can't hold it, roll or slant it once the muscles in your hands begin to contract and the skin begins to dry. I have tried several homecure suggestions but that damn bullet bar just does not want to be involved with the steel guitar.

Those little battery powered hand warming pads work great as long as the batteries stay powered up.

What's cold?

Mark Trzepacz wrote:...They didn't have heaters or furnaces in England back then??

Yes, but the average Englishman isn't anywhere near as affluent as the average American. We used to heat one room, the living room, and one central fire leaves a lot of cold corners. In the evening we would change into our pyjamas downstairs, then run upstairs into an unheated bedroom and jump into bed as fast as we could. My grandfather had always put hot water bottles in the bed to warm it, but you had to throw them out very quickly. If you went to sleep with a hot water bottle it would cool down very quickly. Our stove was built into the fireplace. There was no central heating. This was in the years just after WW2. Everything was rationed. I used to play in bomb craters.

Stu Schulman wrote:What's cold?

Stu, I lived in Ft Nelson (mile 300) for 29 years. Now you know how I know what cold is.

When I was young we had a candle on the table and when it got real cold Dad use to light it..

What did he light, the candle or the table?

No the gas fire...

We used to set fire to the table.
It was handy really, because it also kept the dinner warm...

I don't think you have a leg to stand on with that statement ...

I can remember when I was growing up on the prairies, it would get so cold that when dad would put his coffee outside to cool off, it would freeze so fast the ice would still be warm.

Alan,Seriously try to drink hot drinks that don't have caffeine in them...Caffeine constricts blood vessels if you drink a cold pepsi or coke and it's cold out it makes your body way too cold.Hot chocolate is good,or tea.

Alan, spend a few days in Dallas some July or August, and that bar will be warm for several years. Dale. "The coldest winter I ever spent was one summer in San Francisco." Ernest Hemingway.

Alan,what Dale said ...and that Texas brisket helps