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 How long to warm up, and how? 

How long do you spend warming up when you first pick up your Stick?
20 more than 20 minutes 14%  14%  [ 3 ]
15-20 minutes 5%  5%  [ 1 ]
10-15 minutes 9%  9%  [ 2 ]
5-10 minutes 9%  9%  [ 2 ]
0-5 minutes 36%  36%  [ 8 ]
I don't need no steenking warm up! 23%  23%  [ 5 ]
As long as it takes to eat a single donut 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Meow 5%  5%  [ 1 ]
Total votes : 22

 How long to warm up, and how? 
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Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 3:38 pm
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Location: SW Washington (state)
Post How long to warm up, and how?
Thought this might be a fun topic for a short diversion. How do folks warm up when picking up a Stick for a playing/practice session, and how long does it take?

For me, it's 15 or 20 minutes before my fingers are limbered so I'm playing like I think I'm capable. (These limbs were 43 years old when starting out...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) My warm up exercises vary among a number of drills, some taken from others and some of my own.

- I think most (all?) of us utilize the obvious: scales. Up, down, all around. Varied use of pull-offs.
- intervals (on same and across different strings), as described in The Stick Book's opening pages.
- "shape tapping" across the board, as described Stickology. Love this one.
- chords and intervals that utilize low melody string, working not to 'thump' the low bass string.
- different root-fifth-octave arpeggio progressions on the bass side, moving up and down the neck, attempting to maintain consistent dynamic control.

What do the rest of you do?

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Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:32 am
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
I normally don't "practice" and I don't "warm up" but I have noticed when I perform at concert that the first 20 minutes doesn't come out so good as the rest. When playing in public as a street musician I may play for four to six hours and it actually gets better all the time, except for the first part. What I'm talking about here is the emotional expression communicated by the music.

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Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:42 am
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Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:55 pm
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
Hmmm, I guess for better or worse I don't really warm up or practice exercises like scales/rudiments, in the sense of some planned activity before practicing songs or before a gig. Like Per said, the first several minutes of whatever I'm doing are "ok" and things improve somewhat after that. :)

Maybe it's a time (or lack of discipline) issue but generally when I pick up the Stick at home it's to do one of three things: practice songs for a gig, write/arrange a tune, or record a tune. Within each song of course there may be tricky bits that I'll break down and turn into exercises - slow it down, repeat over and over, etc. There are many times I consider myself a somewhat sloppy player technique-wise (more focused on the conceptual/arrangement/composition aspect of things), so don't take my approach as the recommended one!

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Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:57 am
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
Warming up is a habit carried over from my drumming career. The times I went to a gig and started playing cold, it affected me for half the night. Starting a gig tight for me is just no good, and once I started playing tight, it took longer to loosen up and play to my potential.

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Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:02 pm
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
Per Boysen wrote:
I normally don't "practice" and I don't "warm up" but I have noticed....
Sorry guys, I must add some information to come out clearly on this. I don't "warm up" by playing the instrument, but whenever time gives I walk around the block, jump up and down or do pushups backstage just before a gig - only to get the body warm and balanced. Then I like to just play maybe a minute on the instrument before "go" to get a fresh and accurate feel for its balance and adjust the tuning. The mental focus is of course very important and for me too much last minute exercises on the actual instrument can be distracting.

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Bamboo SG12, Wenge SG12, Bamboo Grand. PASV4 on all.
(+ Stickup modded by Emmett 4 the PASV4 blocks).
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Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:53 pm
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
...I start mostly (not always) with chords in tonique-dominant and tonique-dominant-subdominant relation, this through the circle of fifths, using different rhythm patterns, sometimes copied from the drummers or free, but always left hand against right hand with closed fingers in each hand...
--->warm up for arms, wrists...

...after that I arpeggiate this chords in each hand...
--->warm up for hands, fingers...

...now 5-10minutes are passed by, and I'm warmed up...
...I use very seldom scales for warm up...


Fri Oct 11, 2013 2:00 pm
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
For me it really depends on the task at hand. If I'm home and have a gig or recording to play, I work on the material. If I have no immediate unknown entity to learn, I do warm up.

I play an assortment of arpeggios, reading materials, exercises and difficult passages

here is a recent arpeggio list I have worked through

A) Arpeggios
1) Bb-7, Eb7,AbMaj7
2)Barry harris Ab
3) C-7,F7, BbMaj7
4) Barry harris Bb
5) D-7, G7 CMaj7
6)E-7b5, A7 D-7
7) A-7b5, D7 G-7
8)B-7b5, E7, A-7
9) C#-7b5, F# 7, B-7
10) Fmaj Cmaj E7b5 A7 arps over Yestaerday

I also try to play through the some arpeggios right hand and scales left before each gig (if possible) being warmed up really helps.

try to mix up the drills above every so often to increase my vocab.

Brett


Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:11 pm
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Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:20 am
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
I usually just start playing fun stuff. I would however, need to warm up my brain so I can focus on what I play. I tend to makes big mistakes a lot, jumping to the wrong chords for instance, or simply blocking at a certain point. I sure could use some tips on mental warm and exercise ...


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Bas


Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:49 pm
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
alot of times it's getting what's in my head out before the obvious "Stickisms" rear their ugly head. other times it's rudiments and limbering. but no matter what, at this point in my evolution, i dont get truly loose and free until the second hour - usually just before other obligations distract me. oh, the trials and tribulations of the part-time musician. but today i had to get on the exercise ball first 'cause my back was tight...

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Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:52 pm
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Post Re: How long to warm up, and how?
Brett Bottomley wrote:
here is a recent arpeggio list I have worked through

A) Arpeggios
1) Bb-7, Eb7,AbMaj7
2)Barry harris Ab
3) C-7,F7, BbMaj7
4) Barry harris Bb
5) D-7, G7 CMaj7
6)E-7b5, A7 D-7
7) A-7b5, D7 G-7
8)B-7b5, E7, A-7
9) C#-7b5, F# 7, B-7
10) Fmaj Cmaj E7b5 A7 arps over Yestaerday



...#2) and #4) Barry harris ? never heard this...
thanks, Brett, for decoding it to me... :oops:


Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:56 pm
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