Mandolin players wiping the left hand off before playing

[fidlplr1979]

I noticed something the other day when i saw a performance by a mandolin-player friend of mine-he, like myself and many other mandolin players wipe off their fretting hand just before beginning to play-especially if it's a tricky one we're laughing in to. Why is that ? Is it some subconscious thing that we as mandolin players do to clean the hand of any sweat and dirt we perceive we have on that hand ? I rarely if ever sweat on my palms yet this is a habit for me that's become almost second-nature. I do it without even thinking . Just wondering if other pickers have noticed this and what your thoughts on it are. Just another funny habit we as mandolin players have.

[dhergert]

Most of us prefer to keep the dirt off of the strings, but being clean is only part of it. Some of us also use Finger Ease or other lubricants. Some of us use spit, sweat and/or blood. Any moisture can help. Yes, some of us do also go dry.

I don't think there's a fixed rule, unless Bill made some statement about it many years ago.

[Frankdolin]

My hands get clammy and sticky just looking at a mandolin so I'm always wiping and always start with a vigorous wash with dish soap. And even then I can never seem too stay dry... And at the same time wiping my strings after every use I have no problem at all with corrosion. Go figure...

[Tobin]

Yeah, I do it too. It's sort of a last-minute check to make sure my hand isn't sweaty (which it always is). But I also think it's a "nervous tic" of sorts. I find myself doing it when I practice and make a mistake. Before starting over, I wipe my hand on my trouser leg. My wife saw me doing it repeatedly one day, and started mimicking me to poke fun. It was then that I realized I was doing it more as a "muscle reset motion" than anything else.

[billkilpatrick]

1:04 …


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMEje6vPgtk

[Al Trujillo]

I wonder if he isn't subconsciously trying to dry the palm of his hand so that he can move up and down the neck a bit easier? I do that every now and then...not so much about the finger tips.

[Randi Gormley]

guess i'm completely out of synch. I don't recall every wiping my fretting hand off unless I've been eating potato chips or something else greasy. When I'm playing, if there's food/drink, I use my right hand so I guess if I wipe any hand off, it's my right. huh.

[lenf12]

...if there's food/drink, I use my right hand so I guess if I wipe any hand off, it's my right. huh.

And the residue helps to hold on to your pick :))

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[DHopkins]

With old age and diabetes, my hands are usually almost too dry but I instinctively wipe them periodically. I said "instinctively" when, in fact, it's probably habitually.

My hands almost never perspire.

And, just so you know: Horses sweat, men perspire, women glow.

[Charles E.]

As a player, repairman, and builder, I am constantly washing or wiping off my hands. Never really thought about it until you posted.