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For me the "warm-up" is the first chorus of whatever tune we start with (usually Bill Bailey, Smiles or Hindustan.) Most of the cobwebs are gone by the bridge (sounds like a song title.) I also will do enough buzzing to get the mouthpiece warm, unless I'm using the titanium one - which warms up instantly from one's body heat when being inserted in the horn. At my age I try to protect my chops whenever possible - similar to the parable of the old bull and the young bull.

Bloke, had you done a lot of playing the day before?

I think this is really a true statement. I would add however that sometimes the warming up is really to get the jaw and lips going. Having been outside and been physically warmed up, no doubt talking, and having it not be 8am on a monday morning probably helped as well. It is an interesting observation.

bloke wrote: What, really, is involved in "warming up" more than getting one's adrenaline flowing and getting the instrument up to "operating temperature"...

Pretty early to go into summer reruns, if you ask me...

the first drink before the first tune. That's my preferred warm-up.

Or, the quick kiss from the cute barmaid...

Interesting thread that could be of use to some people.

I think the warm-up changes its function through the life of a developing musician. Early on the warm-up is integral in establishing basics and fundamentals for the day. The fundamentals of tuba being relaxed air flow, articulation, etc... need to be reviewed everyday for years to develop strong habits. By reviewing these aspects everyday, a player builds a stronger and stronger connection between their musical ideas and their musical product. As a player progresses, though, the fundamentals should become more automatic and shouldn't need to be pounded into the ground. Players such as bloke and myself probably don't need much of a warm-up as we have built that mental connection (over years) and we simply order a musical product which our lips and air flow respond to.
That being said, I think "warm-up" becomes 95% mental and 5% physical. As Arnold Jacobs reported about Phil Farkas "Phil used an hour warm-up before each conert. He would sound as good on the first note of the warm-up as he would sound at the end of the hour." If one is thinking musically and connecting mentally as a singer to the instrument, there should be relatively little need for any kind of a warm-up. On the flip side, though, fundamentals should not be overlooked by advanced players as they need to be reinforced. Doing odd gigs or playing in uncomfortable working environments can cause some bad habits to slip into one's playing. To counteract that, the fundamentals must be reviewed.
This is coming from someone who plays sousaphone outside in extreme weather conditions!


FWIW

I agree with tony in many ways, and also with bloke. it's a question of getting the mind and body and horn in the same place. When you are learning and a student this takes longer, when you are a professional with many years of experience, it takes less.

I don't know if it is a function of adrenaline as much as it is oxygenated blood. Considering the physical part of playing relies solely on muscles and the bones they attach to, which rely on blood flow, I would think that the physical part of playing is similar to many other forms of physical labor. Heck, you could probably do 40-50 jumping jacks and be warmed up for all intents and purposes (after you catch your breath).

It really has amazed me how rarely good diet and exercise seems to be linked to good playing, at least here on tubenet.

I would propose a study of sorts. Two groups of college level tuba players. Each student in the control group practices 2 hours a day for 6 days a week over a 12 week period. Each student in the experimental group practices for one hour a day while receiving alternating cardio/weight training for 6 days a week for the same 12 week period. This could be done over the course of a summer. It would be interesting to see what the results would be. Some cooperation between a few large universities would be enough to get some decent sized groups to for a formal study, especially if you include low brass or even all brass.

So, I would think that the physical exertion to get your blood flowing and oxygenated would have made a larger difference than just adrenaline, which would be a very short term effect. The other possible factor here is a release of serotonin.

Matthew Gilchrest wrote: It really has amazed me how rarely good diet and exercise seems to be linked to good playing, at least here on tubenet.

I would propose a study of sorts. Two groups of college level tuba players. Each student in the control group practices 2 hours a day for 6 days a week over a 12 week period. Each student in the experimental group practices for one hour a day while receiving alternating cardio/weight training for 6 days a week for the same 12 week period. This could be done over the course of a summer. It would be interesting to see what the results would be. Some cooperation between a few large universities would be enough to get some decent sized groups to for a formal study, especially if you include low brass or even all brass.

So, I would think that the physical exertion to get your blood flowing and oxygenated would have made a larger difference than just adrenaline, which would be a very short term effect. The other possible factor here is a release of serotonin.

This is a really interesting thought! Maybe it'll happen someday, or I'll make it my project someday....cool.

Matthew Gilchrest wrote: It really has amazed me how rarely good diet and exercise seems to be linked to good playing, at least here on tubenet.

Actually, beer is mentioned quite often on TubeNet. Furthermore, there must be hundreds of pictures of food.

I have found that I can just pick my tuba up and play it on really hot days. Running the mouthpiece under hot water or holding it in my hands before playing can have a similar, but slightly lesser effect.

One of the biggest differences for me between feeling like I'm not warmed up properly and playing with everything warmed up and working really well is my breathing - I take in a lot more air when I feel really well warmed up. I've read previous Tubenet duscussions on this subject where people have said that warming up is largely about getting your breathing going. Someone once said that going for a brisk walk before playing works as well as anything.

Most of the time I need to do a fairly extensive warm up routine before I can do anything - I guess my fundamentals still have a long way to go. I've also found that buzzing on the mouthpiece on the way to rehearsal or what ever makes a big difference to how I play when the thing first comes out of the case.

Regards

Gerard

Tommy Johnson played the Jaws solo on the first take without a warm-up, after having taught junior high all day.

My friend John Daversa warms up on his trumpet by playing the highest note possible as softly as possible for about five seconds.

Rafael Mendez's warm-up lasted a long while, not even buzzing his lips for the first few minutes.

I like to buzz a few notes on the mouthpiece, and then play an arpeggio or two. I also find that if I keep my mouthpiece in my hand before I play, it is warm enough.

Of course, the best way to warm-up is...

Dylan King wrote: Of course, the best way to warm-up is...

I have not found this to be without risk. I don't seem to have a built-in thermostat. I may be warmed up, but not always able to effectively play a musical instrument.

I'm just sayin'....

I went to a Brian Bowman clinic many years back. Dr. Bowman's warm-up, as he demonstrated it to us, was a four-plus octave chromatic scale at about quarter note = 90. He called the warm-up a chance to play every note he was going to need for his upcoming playing and see if they all worked. If they all worked, he was done. If he heard something that he felt needed attention, he spent some extra time there. He did qualify this somewhat to his audience by saying he played a lot every day and our results may be different.

This is a great thread. To me a warm up is about going from Todd the employee, Todd the laundry washer, Todd the lawn mower to Todd the tuba player. It's about getting the groove, the mind set...whatever you want to call it. That's part 1. Part 2 is going from all of those versions of Todd to "Todd the tuba player whose air is moving properly, has good posture and whose buzz in consistent."

I recently made a discovery about my own playing. (guess it is never too late for discovery) I had always known and believed in the benefit of buzzing on the mouthpiece, but never made it a part of any routine. My recent discovery is that if I put the mouthpiece in my tuba and sit down to play....50% of the time I will not like what I hear. The tubist in my head doesn't match tubist behind the instrument. It takes a while behind the tuba before I'm happy. HOWEVER, If I buzz on my mouthpiece for about 10+ minutes prior to my first note on the tuba, the sound on the tuba matches what I am looking for. Additionally I feel a lot more confident is all ranges of the horn.

What am I buzzing on my mouthpiece you say? I play a relaxed arpeggiated pattern starting with a middle range buzz. I work chromatically up as high as I can go without sacrificing quality of sound. I'll repeat a pattern if I don't think the pattern was in tune. When I reach the top of my range, I come back down chromatically and go as low as I can with the pattern...again...without sacrificing quality of sound. By the time I'm done I can feel a tremendous difference in my lips and surrounding muscles.

I remember attending a Howard Hovey Tuba Day on Long Island in the mid-90's when Scott Mendoker was the guest artist. I remember him addressing his daily routine. I seem to remember him saying something quite important and quite humorous. He said something like "Before I get started I do some stretches, because everyday my body reminds me that I'm not getting any younger." Perhaps Mr. Mendoker could elaborate in this forum about his routine.

Sooo....is stretching part of your warm up? Athletes do it everyday...why not musicians.