Anyone else find that wearing watches and rings on their LH makes for painful playing? It's a particular problem on the guitar, but I get it on the cello too.

Not being married I don't have the issue of a wedding ring. I've never been someone to wear rings anyway, but I know for sure I couldn't play wearing them. In fact, a lot of married string players I know (who wear a wedding ring!), wear it on the third finger of their right hand simply because it gets in the way of LH technique.

Watches, can't wear one of those either when I'm playing - I actually find it hinders my wrist movement and inhibits the tendons in the forearm as well.

Anything on hands is annoying, and potentially painful. I can't be doing with a watch (or ring I expect although I've never tried) while playing, so I just never wear one.

My ring won't come off, but as it's a plain band and fairly narrow it doesn't impede my finger movement in any way. My watch is loose enough to rest about a centimetre below my wrist, so again it's not in the way.

This is an issue I've been contending with recently on piano: I'm not a jewelery person at all, I wear a watch but take it off when I'm in the house for any length of time and even when I get in to work, so I'm never wearing that when I play. I have, however, recently acquired a ring, which I'm not too keen to take off since I don't want to lose it and am trying to get used to it (as I said I 'don't really do' jewelery...) so I play the piano with it on. Sometimes I feel like it's getting in the way although I'm not quite sure if it is or not; I intend to give myself a while to get used to it and then if it's still bothering me when playing I'll simply not wear it whilst playing .

I have one ring on each hand and wear a watch on my left wrist and a bracelet on my right.
They don't get in the way of my piano playing but I don't like my sleeves down to my wrists when I play.

Yes, the sleeve thing is an issue I find too. If I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt with cuffs, I'm much more comfortable playing the violin or the piano if I unbutton the cuffs. I don't roll them back, because that constricts my forearms, just leave them open.

I absolutely hate wearing jewellery of any description. My wife (then girlfriend) persuaded (bullied) me into putting on a wedding ring 20 years ago and I don't tend to take it off on pain of death.
Being honest, I can't say it bothers my playing or causes pain. Or at least if there is any pain, it probably isn't half as bad as the pain that would be inflicted by the frying pan if I do take it off.

Sleeves:
I am a big big fan of 3/4 length shirts for concert dress. Rolled up sleeves fall down (right arm), rolled down sleeves roll up (left arm). Short sleeves are cold. Grr.

I don't wear any jewellery except for my wedding ring and engagement ring on the same finger.

For some reason, they always rattle together when I play Bach's Bourree and Weiss' Menuet but not when I play any other pieces. They're both Baroque pieces so maybe it's got something to do with the fingering common to Baroque pieces.

The rings always hit the guitar neck when I try and reach for this position on another piece (Tarrega's Pepita).

I don't get any pain from them though but I do find the noise a bit annoying.

watches annoy me on violin but not on piano or flute. Odd

I wear a watch and rings on my left wrist/hand and a bracelet on my right, and have never had a problem with either. My cello teacher wears a watch and rings and plays quite happily with them on, though I don't know how she puts up with long hair - it's always getting tangled in the cello strings! Dangly ear-rings are a no-no with cello as well.

Oh my gosh yes!! They are so annoying on violin, cuz you can't get yourself positioned with the chin rest properly. Hair I find fine down though - can't you jsut flick it over your other shoulder?

I have to take off all jewellery on my hands/wrists. Rings, bracelets, watch. None of them particularly cause me any pain but I find them quite irritating.

I find with big stretches (e.g. five frets on the guitar) I start to get real pain in my hand with rings on - as if it's putting pressure on the tendons. I thought this was a little weird - reassured to hear that one or two people have similar problems

playing with a watch on I always hit it on the side of the cello going up to 4th / 5th pos. so I take anything off of that wrist. My engagement ring tends to spin round a bit when playing sometimes but I don't find it really gets in the way, just slightly annoying at times. feels weird without it on though, especially putting it on the other hand

having hair down when playing cello I usually catch it under my fingers. The other day I caught my earring on the string and it pulled it out of my ear

I don't find a watch a problem when I play the cello. I normally wear a watch and two elastic hair ties on my right wrist and that has never bothered me. I suppose it may be diffrent if I wore them on my left wrist as they may get in the way more.

I always play with my hair down and its never been a problem....

I have never got on well with watches (except pocket watches - classy) and nobody loves me so I have no rings at all.

Sigh.

It might just be one more bit of jewellery to think about, but could you have a chain that you could slip it onto when playing?? Just a thought...


3/4 sleeves are good like that aren't they!


Aww

I can't wear either when playing my violin, but like to wear lots of bracelets and rings etc when playing my flute - dunno why!!

My engagement ring gets in the way of playing, and also of work (rubber gloves!) - the aquamarine makes the ring slide round until it faces my palm - so it only gets worn for special occasions. The wedding ring is part of my finger, pretty much, and doesn't get in the way at all. I did find, wearing rings for the first time in my twenties, that I got dermatitis under them unless I dried them very carefully after washing my hands - I do have to wash my hands rather frequently...
Don't really do jewellery otherwise. (Watches don't count, in my book, and don't get in the way of recorders anyway).

My watch gets in the way when I play anything more than sixth position on the cello, it's so annoying.

My 3 rings don't bother me at all. The watch I usually wear fits perfectly - it isn't too big or too tight so it doesn't annoy me either. I can't wear bangle watches, bangles or bracelets of any kind when I'm playing - they tend to annoy me!

having started playing as an adult, already married, I've learned to play with rings, but no watch.If the orchestra is performing at Christmas I wear one dangly and christmassy earring on the right ear.Long hair is put up in a bun.

hmmm, it depends if you whih hand really. I wear my watch on my right hand it doesn't get in the way of bowing at all. I feel weird if i haven't got it on cos i wear it all the time. Rings, i can't say as I never wear them. However I can't stand having my hair down when I play!

I'm left-handed so I wear my watch on my right hand and don't find it an issue. I do agree that 3/4 length sleeves are great for concerts because they're just the right length though.

Hair - I think you get used to it - when my hair was shoulder length it was worse than it is now (it's much longer now). It's all a matter of personal preference really isn't it...

Playing with watches or rings don't particularly get in the way for me but they are a distraction. And I don't like the feeling of having something around my wrist all the time when I play. And I've never even DARED to wear long dangly earrings while performing. Especially those with big hoops... seeing the person beside me bowing vigourously is enough to keep me away from them.