warm-up

[Nick Pierce]

Has anyone tried the warm-up book Baadsvik sells? Any comment? I've been wondering about it for a while.

[k001k47]

Warm up routine: (10-15 mins.)
in order

-PLAY (not longtones)
-SCALES (slured, tounged)
-MULTIPLE TOUNGING
-LIP SLURS
-LONG TONES*


-Proceed with practicing music.

Warming up (to me) is not about working fundamentals. Warming up is getting the blood flowing to one's lips, syncing one's fingers and tounge, and just getting comfortable with the horn. Working fundamentals is another concept; if I want to work on fundamentals, I wait until ~after my daily warmup routine. I vary my fundamental work and play exercises that target any problem I may be having. (such as intonation or range)


* The reason I play long tones last is because starting a practice session with long tones creates alot of tension and disrupts blood flow to the lips.

[k001k47]

Warm up routine: (10-15 mins.)

* The reason I play long tones last is because starting a practice session with long tones creates alot of tension and disrupts blood flow to the lips.

I never experienced this with long tones at the beginning, it must have been the roach

Oystein Baadsvik -who stated that Arnold Jacobs felt the same way- said in one of his masterclasses that starting with longtones is stupid because it creates tension; yes, stupid was the exact word he used to describe it. This is why I (now) rarely play longtones while warming up.(but I do play longtones more towards the end of my practice sessions) I was a big skeptical at first, but trying a different warm up routine convinced me. You should try taking Oystein's advice.


Don't you have practicing to do at this time of night?

[bearphonium]

With tuba playing as a hobby, almost two years playing the tuba after a 25 year layoff from music and a pretty busy schedule away from work as the background... I can slide right in and play, although it takes a few minutes to get comfortable. My normal warm-up routine is low scales and partial scales, chromatic scales low and mid, and some slurs over 4 partials. I then do some metranome and tuning work, and then do some ear training. I then work what is on the stand. When I remember to, I do breathing exercises away from the practice sessions (standing in line at the grocery, or any other place where I have time to think "I'm bored").

Interestingly, I spend about as much time on the tuba as I do "practicing" for my day job: working out, sparring, shooting and the like, although the sparring and shooting is less often, but longer when it does happen. (I could NOT spar every day, although I'd love to shoot someone elses ammo everyday!!)

[The Big Ben]

I
You just need to break playing down into all of its various necessary skills and then figure out what you need to do to polish them individually. These skills need polish to differing degrees for different people who are at different levels. I usually assign a pretty regimented warmup and daily drill set for my students and adhere to is rigidly for a year or so. When they start to really understand what needs to be worked and what my standard is in lessons I eventually allow them to become more experimental in what they use to maintain and advance their personal skill sets. Some kids never get away from the prescribed material because they never seem to grasp the underlying thought behind it (or are too lazy to improve). Some are allowed to "self-teach" after a year or so.

Each student is different and has to learn what needs to be worked on to maintain and improve playing skills in their own manner and time. Each gets there via a road littered with my suggestions and exercises and such, but they have to do it on their own two feet using their own reasoning. We can only lead and inspire. The students who succeed are the ones who are avid seekers of knowledge and practitioners of skills.

This was the point I was suggesting. The ideal is to have students self-diagnose problems and cures, There are steps to this independence (and some may never get there) but that's the goal.

[MartyNeilan]

We had a guy where I last went to school, that would spend almost a half hour warming down after every concert. Really made a spectacle of himself on stage or on tour. I don't think he plays much anymore.

[k001k47]

Now.....I am not saying NOT to warm up....it is important....but would anyone the TNFJ agree that one should be able to pick up their horn without warming up and PERFORM effectively, especially a professional/striving to be a pro?

That's what I was suggesting. My warmups are very short...and they're just to get my face and fingers going.
And anyone can call me Noel if k001k47 seems odd.

[windshieldbug]

I used to practice double tonguing while playing Pac-Man.

pacman.png

I like it!

Ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka (boo-del-eo-boo-del-eo-boo-del-eo-) ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka...

They don't make games like that any more! (thank god!)

[WakinAZ]

It is a good point to distinguish warm-up from daily routine/drills. It is also interesting to question/evaluate how much good either is doing you. It seems there as many takes on this as there are players. Whatever gets you there.

I helped a fellow amateur tubist over the summer who had no formal instruction in the past and no idea even how to begin to warm up in a structured way. I suggested Remington-type descending/ascending chromatics from open tones and lip slurs on the various valve combinations.

Eric "who does not warm down, since that opportunity is not there when performing or in group rehearsal" L.

[Tubainsauga]

Yeah, I use anti-inflammatory stuff, but I still look like a chimp. And Diet Coke tastes like sugar water strained through my old socks!

But a cold can (or bottle) of your favorite refrigerated beverage is always a good idea.

[windshieldbug]

Cold beer is always the best anti-inflammatory, in my experience. Apply until you don't really care about looking chimpish any more.

(My wife simply refers to them as "tuba lips". And since I suspect that they have much more to do with blood flow than musculature, I don't think that any stretching or "warm-down" will have that much effect)

[tubaspmcc]

Now.....I am not saying NOT to warm up....it is important....but would anyone the TNFJ agree that one should be able to pick up their horn without warming up and PERFORM effectively, especially a professional/striving to be a pro?

I would agree with tubashaman on this as a musician in a military band. I don't know what it's like in non-Australian bands, but we will often have little or no chance to warm up before a sound check, or even a concert for the day. This may often be due to the fact our horns are already on the truck from the day before and it is inappropriate to be doing a warmup at the venue.
This does not stop us from doing a little buzzing before or using a different horn to warm up on before we leave work for the venue.

In addition, there are a lot of quintet gigs where we cannot do more than a VERY rough tune before we start. In these instances, we will often start with a slower piece to help warm/tune up as a group.

BUT, these are only for gigs. 90 percent of days I start the day with some basic warm up.



Simon McCauley
Australian Army Band Sydney

[MikeS]

Here are three things I've picked up over the years. I've found that incorporating them helps provide me with a short, effective warm-up.

From a Bill Watrous clinic: Start with a note you can play with good tone and relaxation. Move lyrically up and down, but return frequently to the starting note to make sure you are maintaining good tone and relaxed production. Since he's Bill Watrous, his starting note was a G three ledger lines above the bass staff. Most of us will start a tad lower.

From a Brian Bowman clinic: The minimum warm-up involves playing every note you are going to use that session at least once. If they all are working, you're done. His warm-up for the clinic consisted of a four octave chromatic scale. He did say that if you don't regularly play four+ hours a day you might have to do a bit more, but the principle stays the same.

From Glenn Smith: Warm up with songs and dances. If you want to incorporate some mid-range long tones in your warm-up, for example, find a piece that uses them. Change the key if necessary. If you can't find one, write one yourself. Never play notes, always play music. Warming up is not just about embouchure muscles; you also need to warm up your mind and get focused on making music using rhythmic drive and expression.

[windshieldbug]

But what do you do with all those smoking barns!?

[Rick Denney]

It is funny how that little Yamaha, bland as it is, allows me to just pick it up and play stone cold while none of my other horns will do so.

That's one of the things I like most about mine.

One of the things I learned from my betters is that the purposes of a warm-up, which for me is mostly establishing my tone concept for the day, do not have to be executed at the venue. If I have a gig later in the day that will limit the opportunity for a warm-up, I can often spend about five minutes at home and that will last me the whole day. This works even when I'm not playing every day (which is all the time, these days) and am trying to warm up slow to prevent burning out weak muscles.

Rick "whose ill-conditioned embouchure works best after about five or ten minutes of exercises" Denney

[tubashaman2]

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[iiipopes]

I don't think tubashaman2 is promoting or bragging about hitting a performance "cold," but just simply relaying the facts of life in the trenches for a gigging musician.

Yes, warmup is always preferable. But so are 8 hours of sleep, square meals with servings of fresh vegitables, and all those other things which just simply don't always happen on a tour/gig schedule.

[tubashaman2]

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[rocksanddirt]

I don't know that you have to be prepared to play it cold, but elimination of the excersises section of a "warm up" is a huge help to being able to play nicely when asked, regardless of the situation.

[Kory101]

I find warming up essential to brass playing. Not only does getting a good solid warm up get blood flowing the appropriate places but also allows one to focus.

My warm up looks like this:

I do 5-10 mins of stretching even before I touch my mouthpiece.

I then do the Brass Gym mouthpiece drill, with my own additions. I am a HUGE fan of Sam and Pat's Brass Gym book. It covers so much material in a very practical way.I generally take a break between each buzzing exercise to sing, stretch, do breathing gym stuff, whatever I feel like.

After my buzzing routine, I move on to long tones. I very rarely warm up on my F. I spend 10 or so mins just on long tones. From C in the bass clef to two octaves below that. I find this good for not only warming my chops, but tuning, and tone.

After my long tones, it depends on what Im feeling like. I'll either move on to scales, arpeggios or some Remington stuff maybe. Or sometimes I'll just pick up my Arbans book and go to a random page and sight read some stuff.

Another staple of my warm up is the "Bugle" exercise from the Brass Gym book. Such an amazing tone and range builder!

Anyways, that's enough from me. I HATE playing when I dont warm up. I feel that its not smart to pull out your horn without warming up. I dont agree with tubashaman2 when he says "prepared to play it cold" I think you need to always put warming up ahead of "playing it cold" If you have to play something cold (like the Plog 3 Miniatures) DONT!

Just my $.02

Kory