(41) Playing Cold, Warming Up, Conditioning

Playing cold means sitting down and playing without any warm-ups. It is a necessary preparation for performing because it is the fastest way to strengthen your performance ability. In the majority of informal situations in which you might play, you will not have 20 minutes to warm up. Practice playing cold every time you start practice in order to be able to play almost anything at any time, as all concert pianists can.

Playing cold can save a lot of time by using it to warm up and to maintain a repertoire. Use cold practice to find out what can be played cold and what can not, and how long it takes to warm up so that you can play more difficult material. There are numerous instances when slow practice is needed, and that can be done cold. Memorize everything you learn, and you will be able to play cold anywhere there is a piano.

For those who had never practiced playing cold, it might seem impossible at first but, with just a little practice, you will be surprised at how quickly your abilities will strengthen. The ultimate objective is to establish a permanently warmed up state in which you can play without warmups. Thus, like parallel sets and staccato practice, playing cold is both a diagnostic device for finding weaknesses and a tool for correcting them.

Warming up, Conditioning: If you hadn't played the piano for days and sit down to play, the hands are "cold" and need to "warm up". "Cold" hands are incapable of executing technically difficult material but, once warmed up, they can perform miracles. Why is there such a large difference? What changes are occurring in the hands? The physiology of warming up is not adequately understood. Once it is understood, we may be able to find ways to accelerate this process, or even maintain it permanently, so that concert pianists do not need to warm up prior to performances, and students can save a lot of time.

Pianists often warm their hands to accelerate this "warming up" process. That doesn't work well because the muscles that need warming are in the arms. In cold weather, warming the hands (e.g., wearing mittens) can be counter-productive because the reaction to cold is initiated by the feeling of cold at the hands. Keeping the hands warm only makes them more sensitive to cold, eliciting a stronger "cold!" reaction when exposed to cold. It is better to dip the hands in ice water several times a day to acclimate them to cold so that the body will naturally keep the hands warmer. Do not leave the hands in ice water too long; just cool the skin where the cold sensors are. Eskimo hands in the arctic function as well as those of people living near the equator because their hands have been conditioned to function at low temperatures. The most effective solution in cold weather is to warm the body so that it can send warmer blood to the hands.

The importance of staying limber is illustrated by the enormous efforts many pianists expend to keep the fingers warmed up. Gould wore gloves most of the time (probably the wrong thing to do), and Liszt carried a dummy piano around to practice on, when no pianos were available (good idea).

Conditioning refers to the readiness to play resulting from daily practice; it is like a permanent "warmed up" state. Playing easy pieces for a long time is not as effective for conditioning as practicing difficult material for shorter times. With enough hard work, you can skip one day of practice without significant detriment, whereas if you practice only easy material, skipping one day will decrease conditioning noticeably. Thus at every practice session, end the session with a good workout using difficult material. Make sure that you avoid fast play degradation by playing slowly, everything that was played fast, before quitting. The physiology of conditioning is not understood and research is needed in order to find simple ways to achieve it. Well conditioned, warmed hands can perform miracles compared to cold hands; too many pianists believe that exercises achieve these conditions, but music is better, and nourishes the brain. Playing cold is a necessary component of piano practice.