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The Warmup Thread -- Post your warmup routines here


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Posted

The best tip I've gotten about warming up is not to waste time doing a warmup.

 

Use your warmup time to learn a new song or perfect one you are in process with.

 

Playing a scale you want to learn is also good. Master the major and pentatonic scales.

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Posted

Here's a basic arpeggio routine I've been using lately to help with my alt. picking speed and left hand precision:

 

Gmaj

---------------7-10-7----------------

-------------8--------8---------------

---------4-7-----------7-4-----------

-------5-------------------5---------

---2-5-----------------------5-2-----

-3-----------------------------------

 

 

Amaj

----------------9-12-9--------------

-------------10--------10-----------

---------6-9--------------9-6-------

-------7----------------------7-----

---4-7--------------------------7-4-

-5----------------------------------

 

 

Bmin

----------------10-14-10------------

--------------12---------12----------

----------7-11-------------11-7-----

--------9-----------------------9----

----5-9--------------------------9-5-

--7----------------------------------

 

Cmaj

-------------------12-15-12------------------

----------------13----------13---------------

-----------9-12----------------12-9----------

--------10--------------------------10-------

---7-10--------------------------------10-7--

-8------------------------------------------8-

  • Members
Posted

Very simple but very effective...

 

E---------------3-----------

B--------------------------

G---------0----------0-------

D--------------------------

A--------------------------

E---3-----------------------

 

These are JUST the notes you play...here's HOW you play them:

 

Set the metronome to 90bpm. Play each note twice per beat (two 1/8th notes each) before moving to the next note on the next beat. After getting comfortable with that...

 

Then play each note four times per beat (four 1/16th notes each) before moving to the next note on the next beat.

 

Use alternate picking. It's a very simple exercise but you'll see that hitting the 105 to 110 bpm is a feat! This will help your cross picking more than anything I've tried. Strangely enough it's similar to The Sex Pistols Pretty Vacant ;)

 

Here's another:

 

E---------------------------------------------------------------

B----------------------------------------------------------------

G-----------------6-6----------------8-8----------------11--11--

D------------4-4----------------6-6----------------9-9----------

A-------2-2----------------4-4----------------7-7---------------

E--0-0-----------------0-0----------------0-0--------------------

 

Again, use alternate picking. Play it evenly with a metronome.

 

Beyond that...

 

1. I just try and start out with some things I've never played before.

 

2. Play a melody and try to enhance it without leaving it. Warming up with this accomplishes more of a "wake up call" than any picking or scale exercise...because it forces you to play music which doesn't have anything to do with a picking exercise, and even a "scale" in most cases.

 

3. Many times I'll turn on the metronome and just play different rhythm picking patterns on ONE open string in time. Most of the time I play drum corp marching rudiments that i used to play in marching band. And, also syncopated rhythms against the metronome. This takes the left hand out of the picture leaving me to focus on just the right hand. I also use the mouse and surf the Net while my right hand is doing this...it makes me do more without thinking about it too much.

  • Members
Posted

 

The best tip I've gotten about warming up is not to waste time doing a warmup.


Use your warmup time to learn a new song or perfect one you are in process with.


Playing a scale you want to learn is also good. Master the major and pentatonic scales.

 

 

+1, i don't see the point myself. I simply start off with stuff that's slow and fairly non-technical. For example I'll start with some reading practice, or practice chord inversions up and down the neck (or do both).

  • Members
Posted

Warmup = Anything that is neither playing a song in front of an audience or playing an exercise at challenging speed

 

Personally I warm up often with simple pattern permutations, because they are not speed exercises but just relaxation/indipendence exercises.

  • Members
Posted

 

+1, i don't see the point myself. I simply start off with stuff that's slow and fairly non-technical. For example I'll start with some reading practice, or practice chord inversions up and down the neck (or do both).

 

 

Yeah. I think that would depend a lot on what you need to play. If for instance it's a casual that's in your comfort zone, sure.

Auditions, recitals, solo albums, ahem...

  • Members
Posted

righttoe.jpg

 

No way could I do that :eek:

 

My knees would explode! :cry:

 

My warmup is a simple chromatic pattern up and down the fretboard. It gets the fingers moving requires no though and no stretching. That's almost always the first thing I do when I pick up a guitar. After that scales and more involved exercises.

  • Members
Posted

 

The best tip I've gotten about warming up is not to waste time doing a warmup.


Use your warmup time to learn a new song or perfect one you are in process with.


Playing a scale you want to learn is also good. Master the major and pentatonic scales.

 

 

Warming up is what you do before you practice or perform. What you've described is essentially practicing.

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