Kathy DeAngelo runs You Gotta Have Harp and is director of the Somerset Folk Harp Festival.

Cold knuckles on my right hand are my biggest problem. I use what I call a “harp sleeve.”

What’s a harp sleeve? To make one, cut the foot off a man’s knit sock and then cut a small slit about one and a half inches from one of the ends for your thumb. Then just slip it on. The end should cover your knuckles, leaving your fingers free to play and keeping your hand warm. I also have ones of various lengths and colors that students have knit for me.

I keep a couple of them in every harp case for the times when I’m around other harpists who could use them. Then, I just give them away (well, the ones made from my husband’s socks). No holey sock ever goes in the trash until I have cut the foot off of it!

—Kathy DeAngelo, Voorhees, N.J.

Deette Bunn is a performer, professor of harp at Syracuse and Cornell Universities, second harp with Symphoria, director of A Harmony of Harps, and member of the Salt City Harpers.

Never let your hands get really, really cold because once that happens, it’s very hard to get them truly warm again. Always wear gloves when you go outside, even for a minute. Make sure your core is warm, particularly your arms and shoulders because if they aren’t warm, your hands won’t be warm. Dress in layers. Allow time to warm up adequately on the harp before you perform. Warm up your shoulders, arms, wrists, and even your lungs by doing some deep breathing. A physical therapist told me to swing my arms in circles like a softball pitcher because it forces warm blood to cold fingers. If I am playing with a choir, I always sing the warms ups with them. I often warm up with half-finger gloves on, sometimes with hand warmers tucked inside.

Move around if you can—walk the halls, swing your arms. Don’t just sit around while waiting to play. Eat spicy food—it works! Foods that contain cayenne pepper or horseradish, for example, help keep you warm. Also, drinking a hot beverage helps distribute heat throughout your body. If your hands get so cold that they turn white, even when the rest of you is warm, you may want to get checked out by a doctor to see if you have Raynaud’s syndrome—an abnormal cold response that can be treated with medication.

—Deette Bunn, Syracuse, N.Y.

Deborah Wendt is a freelance harpist in Central Florida.

I have a pair of fingerless gloves. They are flesh-colored and allow my fingers to move while providing a little warmth. You can make your own fingerless gloves by snipping off the fingertips of a pair of thin, knit gloves. A knit fabric that stretches a little permits some freedom of movement.

For a little extra warmth, try inserting a hand-warmer in the palm of the glove. You can find hand-warmers at any sporting goods store. They come in a plastic packet ,and the heat is activated when you expose the packet to air. You simply dispose of them when you are done with them, but they will stay warm for several hours. I keep a supply in my gig bag. These packets do have an expiration date, so look for the date when you purchase them.

—Deborah Wendt, Winter Park, Fla.