Warming up?

[dopey]

I personally find when I first pick up the horn that day (usually morning, around 7:00-7:30) a warm is pretty much mandatory for me. I spend as much time as I feel I need till I get to a point my lips feel "normal" and "responsive"

Later in the day, I demand less of a warm up, and to me it seems the horn is much more responsive then it ever was that morning.

[Captain Sousie]

My favorite way to warm up is to play first thing in the mornong. I do lots of long tones, lip slurs, legato excercises (Bordogni) and my "popping" excercise. I finish it up with some more long tones and lip slurs and play a solo and a few etudes that I have been working on which work all ranges. Then, when it comes time to play, I just do a short warm up with lip slurs and long tones and I am ready to go. It keeps me fairly warm for a few hours and helps all day long.

That's my thing. It is easier than doing a whole warm up in the middle of the day.

Sousie

[TonyZ]

Remember also that the warm-up is also for your horn. Those of us that play a lot never really cool down, per se, but the horn dries out. For any valve to be air-tight, it must be wet, not with just oil, but water as well. I once heard of Doc Severinsen coming in for a rehearsal, whipping out the horn, dumping a small cup of water in it, spinning it, emptying it and then playing up a storm. (pun intended) He didn't need the warm up for his chops, just the horn. Don't get me wrong, I do agree that warm-up is necessary, especially for your mind!