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Warm Up

ragetoca

ragetoca

Joe
Sep 16, 2013
1,200
1,980
Georgia
#1
I recently played an event that lasted about 70 mins. My fingers on my left hand started cramping up. 20 years ago I could play with no problems, but as I have gotten older I realize I need to warm up my finders and hands

What's your warming up routine / exercises? How long before the show?
 
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#2
For me it is just modal scales in whatever key I choose up then down the neck (so 1/8th notes against a metronome all the way up, octave turnaround then same scales starting from top note and working down back down the neck). Start slow BPM and work my way up. It worked great for me at building strength/speed and it works as a solid warmup. I try to play through these daily even if I do not get much time to play in a given day. If prepping for a show, I am doing them in the 15-30 minutes I have right before going on.

I picked up this habit from a high school percussion ensemble that I was in. Dan Fyffe, director of the group who had his own Pro Mark Mallet line, would do mallet warmups this way and I played bass along with the mallets. Reasonably sure most of the exercises he used came from a violin method book. They are the same basic scale exercises that are in various orchestra method books (have seen them in French Horn ones that I have).
 
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#4
When I was playing out I'd try to play some pattern up and down a scale, around the clock before going on. If I didn't get a chance, no biggie. Practice every day kept the hands and wrists in pretty good shape. Got kicked in the fingertips doing Tae Kwon Do once and my hand swelled up like a balloon. Played a couple of sets the next night. No loss of movement and no pain.

Now I just play at home and could just stop playing if I needed a rest.

I recently started teaching myself keyboards. Because of things I've done like the above, plus being unable to keep my wrists straight and reach all the chords and not really knowing the warning signs on keys, I do physical warmups. Do circles on my wrists and elbows forwards and backwards to get the blood flowing. Roll my shoulders both ways. Rev motorbikes, cast spells, pre flight directions etc. Plus some gentle stretches I looked up on the web. And it helps. Wrists used to be really locked up when I started. Now they're moving freely.
 
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#5
sometimes i'm just stretching and limbering up my fingers and hands (and arms/shoulders, too: depends). but i like to play a scale or certain bass parts that will tell me what condition my hands are in within about 30 minutes before we hit. of course, there are ways of 'starting slow' (on some gigs) that can act as a bit of a warm-up.

i used to play better with dedicated warm-up routines. that's not the case anymore (for me). most of my warm-ups these days are just ways for me to coax old hands and digits into the game.

i'm in a space where every time i pick up an EB to play = it's a warm-up! :wideyed: :laugh:
 
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#6
After load in I wash my hands. I make the water nice n warm. Dry well, and shake them at my side after dry. Then I will grab my bass (but not before my hands are clean) and acoustically noodle around. I don't do anything plugged in. No one wants to hear me warm up.

Edit: once in a while I have to use a bottle of water to wash my hands. Works OK as far as getting my hands clean. Better than nothing.
 
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#7
About 15 min before, just some wrist and hand stretches like at the beginning of a fitness class. It couldn't hurt to give the whole body a little stretch either. And cramps are from playing, sure, but it also can't hurt to be topped off on water and electrolytes.
 
#9
I'm pleased to read that many bassists here get the concept of 'warming up' much better than (say) in a guitarists' forum :laugh: where they would go all mad suggesting an hour or more of technical exercises and call it a warmup...

Personally I believe the warmup is only about two things: getting your body ready, and getting your mind ready, before you start your serious music activity (be it either studying/practicing, rehearsing with your band, or playing a show).

Getting your body ready includes getting physically comfortable, washing your hands and removing distractions (drink or eat a snack if you're close to thirsty/hungry, have a quick trip to the loo...). I wouldn't normally call these 'warming up' but they're part of a good starting routine anyway. In the winter, there are days when I also literally need to warm my hands from the freezing cold if I've been outdoor, so I might keep them on a radiator or under hot water for a couple of minutes.

Sometimes I do some stretching or rotational movements to loosen up the joints (hint: Julia Hofer from Thomann has a good video on those!) before even picking up the instrument. Not always, this depends a bit on how I feel, there are times when I really need this and others where my joints feel fine and I can just go straight to the bass or whatever.

Then, the key thing for me is to first do something on the instrument that doesn't require focus. Usually, I just play randomly on the neck using all fingers, gradually increasing speed and adding various techniques, for a few minutes until I feel ready. During these minutes, I can feel that my hands get going, and most importantly my mind gets 'into the zone', at the beginning of the warm up I'm always on a sort of autopilot and nothing sounds musical, but gradually I can see my mind waking up and wanting to seek some grooves and melodies, and becoming attentive. Then I know I am ready for a focused practice, rehearsal or performance.

I do not time my warmup by the way, that would be quite a dumb thing to do IMO, I am ready when I am ready.
 
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#14
I warm with loosening runs, but I think finger cramps after 70mins is another thing.

I would like to practice on the day... and then just 5mins noodling in soundcheck.
If no practice, then as much noodling as the situation allows pre gig..
 
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#15
I find it just as important to warm the mind. I like to get my fingers moving on the neck, but in doing so, I try to remember where every note is at least to the 12th fret. Not a big deal, just major scales around the circle.
If I know I'm going to be sight reading (that is, performing music for the first time seeing it) I'll read some music that I have just to remember what the process is.
Generally just get the hands loose and the mind open.
 
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