From the ARCHIVE

Under the heading ‘Hot Hands’, readers attempt to help a novice player with that affliction in The Strad’s ‘Correspondence’ section

To the Editor of THE STRAD SIR,—A good many of your readers, including myself, will be greatly obliged to you if you or any of your correspondents could recommend an effective remedy for hot or perspiring hands, I am sure a great drawback to many a violin player. I have been learning the violin here for three terms and have made good progress, so much so, that I have beaten many older pupils. Now I find a great barrier in my way, viz., hot or perspiring hands, which evil does not only make the violin go out of tune every few minutes, but also makes the E strings snap as if they were made of glass. I have tried various remedies for abating this nuisance, but without success, and now I write to you, sir, in the hope that you may be able to help me in coping with this great drawback. If it cannot be stopped, I am afraid I shall be obliged to drop the fiddle, however fond I may be of the instrument.

Thanking you most sincerely on behalf of myself and two other members of our school who are similarly afflicted, I remain, sir, Yours faithfully, JAY STREET

 [We sincerely sympathise with our correspondent and should be glad if some of our readers could help him out of his troubles.—ED.]

To the Editor of THE STRAD SIR,—Being somewhat of a fiddle philosopher, I think I can relieve the unhappy author of the letter in your interesting paper. I advise “Jay Street” to live without eating meat for a few days, and not to take any stimulants on the day of violin playing except a little Liebig’s (Tooth’s) extract of meat in warm water, and get a shirt, or any garment, and wash it in a pan of hot water until the water becomes nearly cold, a few hours before violin practice. This will open the pores of the skin and let all the perspiration out. Don’t wash the hands in cold water. Fasting and light diet will cause coolness of the hands, and remove the feeling of heated moisture when playing.

Faithfully yours, ALFRIDUS

To the Editor of THE STRAD SIR,—In reply to your correspondent, “Jay Street,” I think the following will be a simple and effectual remedy:

Wash the hands first in lukewarm water and almost dry them, take some fuller’s earth and rub it between them, and again wipe the hands with a soft handkerchief.

Trusting this may find a place in your valuable paper, Yours faithfully, T. J. TARBOX.

JÜRGEN FRANK