hi chris, i was just wondering what your take on warming up is. everybody seems to approach it in a different and i could use some advice on getting the most out of a warm up without spending to much time on it which always seemed to feel like a problem for me. people who play quite a lot seem to need less time to limber up but i barely play anymore as i've had injury problems with my fretting hand which made me shy away from the instrument for a few months. i'd really like to start up again and any advice to get me off on the right foot would make me pretty greatful. thanks.
warming up
- Thread starter fat bastard
- Start date
I'm sure Chris has some good suggestions.
One thing I like to do when I can Is start the days practice on acoustic or bass.
That always gets me warmed up fast before I grab my electric.
One thing I like to do when I can Is start the days practice on acoustic or bass.
That always gets me warmed up fast before I grab my electric.
Here's a few ideas to toss around concerning the topic of warming up.
First of all, I've found that doing stretches AWAY from the guitar (as seen on the Rock Discipline Dvd by John Petrucci) is an invaluable way to begin. Streching out the muscles in the arms, back, shoulders and even THUMB allows me to feel as though I've already been playing for a half hour or so. I promise you that if you give this a try for a week, you'll never start any other way. You'll love the increased sense of relaxation and flexibility.
For those players who are still relatively new to the instrument (or those who don't yet have this down), I'd use this time to learn a new scale or arpeggio. Since warming up is meant to be a time that you play SLOWLY and just get the fingers moving around a bit, learning a new scale is an ideal point of focus. You'll not only retain the info better (since you are "fresh"), but you'll also likely get use of every finger...2 birds, 1 stone.
I really can't stress this next point enough, since it's the key to speed, flexibility and injury prevention: RELAXATION. When you are starting to move those fingers around, focus on using a light touch right from the start. Also, pick lightly at first; you can always pick harder after the warm up. You don't lift 100 lbs before you lift 50 lbs.
The last idea is sort of an indirect one. Warm up your inspiration! While doing some stretching, throw a video of one of your favourite players on. Get inspired! This always gets me primed for a practice session. I tend to focus better and get new ideas along the way. Now if Chris will only release that damn DVD.....
Kel
First of all, I've found that doing stretches AWAY from the guitar (as seen on the Rock Discipline Dvd by John Petrucci) is an invaluable way to begin. Streching out the muscles in the arms, back, shoulders and even THUMB allows me to feel as though I've already been playing for a half hour or so. I promise you that if you give this a try for a week, you'll never start any other way. You'll love the increased sense of relaxation and flexibility.
For those players who are still relatively new to the instrument (or those who don't yet have this down), I'd use this time to learn a new scale or arpeggio. Since warming up is meant to be a time that you play SLOWLY and just get the fingers moving around a bit, learning a new scale is an ideal point of focus. You'll not only retain the info better (since you are "fresh"), but you'll also likely get use of every finger...2 birds, 1 stone.
I really can't stress this next point enough, since it's the key to speed, flexibility and injury prevention: RELAXATION. When you are starting to move those fingers around, focus on using a light touch right from the start. Also, pick lightly at first; you can always pick harder after the warm up. You don't lift 100 lbs before you lift 50 lbs.
The last idea is sort of an indirect one. Warm up your inspiration! While doing some stretching, throw a video of one of your favourite players on. Get inspired! This always gets me primed for a practice session. I tend to focus better and get new ideas along the way. Now if Chris will only release that damn DVD.....
Kel
Very well said!!!!JazzIII said:Here's a few ideas to toss around concerning the topic of warming up.
First of all, I've found that doing stretches AWAY from the guitar (as seen on the Rock Discipline Dvd by John Petrucci) is an invaluable way to begin. Streching out the muscles in the arms, back, shoulders and even THUMB allows me to feel as though I've already been playing for a half hour or so. I promise you that if you give this a try for a week, you'll never start any other way. You'll love the increased sense of relaxation and flexibility.
For those players who are still relatively new to the instrument (or those who don't yet have this down), I'd use this time to learn a new scale or arpeggio. Since warming up is meant to be a time that you play SLOWLY and just get the fingers moving around a bit, learning a new scale is an ideal point of focus. You'll not only retain the info better (since you are "fresh"), but you'll also likely get use of every finger...2 birds, 1 stone.
I really can't stress this next point enough, since it's the key to speed, flexibility and injury prevention: RELAXATION. When you are starting to move those fingers around, focus on using a light touch right from the start. Also, pick lightly at first; you can always pick harder after the warm up. You don't lift 100 lbs before you lift 50 lbs.
The last idea is sort of an indirect one. Warm up your inspiration! While doing some stretching, throw a video of one of your favourite players on. Get inspired! This always gets me primed for a practice session. I tend to focus better and get new ideas along the way. Now if Chris will only release that damn DVD.....
Kel
I agree with all of the points in this post from exagerating your effort (like playing a bass) to the stretching and learning new material ( I like to start off By sight reading, THAT KEEPS ME PLAYING SLOW!!!! AHAHAHAHA). I would also add that you should always remeber that a warm up is just that "a warm up". What I mean is that people dish out these exercises like they are something to be masterd and then you get better, but it's much better to know why you are doing a particular exercise and let it modify your technique. When I am working on some of my extension exercises I am only focused on how my fingers are executing the extension, not on the idea that I can play the exercise at a certain tempo.
Good Luck Chris.
