Warm-up Exercises
- Why warm-up exercises? Because we all need them. You should really start off your practice time with a warm-up routine, starting off slowly and gradually build up speed. How many of you have watched the Olympics, or a baseball or footballs game? You always see the athletes warming up before they play. Their muscle need 'woken up'. Your muscles need 'woken up'! Your finger, wrist, and forearm muscles are just as important to you, as the leg muscles are to a runner. Take care of your tendons, and you'll be able to use them for many years. This lesson will not only help you keep your fingers in shape, but you will be able to gain speed and accuracy, too. Hopefully after a few times of playing this lesson, you'll be able to play it with your eyes closed (literally). -
Before we begin, you need to stretch your fingers. Make a gentle fist, and slowly straighten your fingers spreading them as far apart as you can. Do that 10 times. Now you're ready to begin...
We'll start off with four notes on each string 4/4 time, playing them up the neck, then back down. You can start off at 120 bpm, as long as you play 1/8 notes!
FIGURE 1 LISTEN TO IT
e||--------------------------|--------------------------|
B||--------------------------|--------------------------|
G||--------------------------|--------------1--2--3--4--|
D||--------------------------|--1--2--3--4--------------|
A||--------------1--2--3--4--|--------------------------|
E||--1--2--3--4--------------|--------------------------|
--------------1--2--3--4--|--5--4--3--2--------------|
--1--2--3--4--------------|--------------5--4--3--2--|
--------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------||
--------------------------|--------------------------||
--5--4--3--2--------------|--------------------------||
--------------5--4--3--2--|--------------------------||
--------------------------|--5--4--3--2--------------||
--------------------------|--------------5--4--3--2--||
We might as well work on timing while we're at it, huh? Let's move onto the same idea, only this time play triplets 3/4 time, also 120 bpm.
FIGURE 2 LISTEN TO IT
e||--------------------|--------------------|-----------1--2--3--|
B||--------------------|--------------------|--1--2--3-----------|
G||--------------------|-----------1--2--3--|--------------------|
D||--------------------|--1--2--3-----------|--------------------|
A||-----------1--2--3--|--------------------|--------------------|
E||--1--2--3-----------|--------------------|--------------------|
--4--3--2-----------|--------------------|--------------------||
-----------4--3--2--|--------------------|--------------------||
--------------------|--4--3--2-----------|--------------------||
--------------------|-----------4--3--2--|--------------------||
--------------------|--------------------|--4--3--2-----------||
--------------------|--------------------|-----------4--3--2--||
I'm going to push you now. Not only am I going to make it harder by having you play hammer-ons and pull-offs, but the time signature is still 3/4 time.
FIGURE 3 LISTEN TO IT
e||--------------------|--------------1h-3--|--4p-2--------------|
B||--------------------|--------1h-3--------|--------4p-2--------|
G||--------------------|--1h-3--------------|--------------4p-2--|
D||--------------1h-3--|--------------------|--------------------|
A||--------1h-3--------|--------------------|--------------------|
E||--1h-3--------------|--------------------|--------------------|
--------------------||
--------------------||
--------------------||
--4p-2--------------||
--------4p-2--------||
--------------4p-2--||
One last example, then you'll probably need to give your hands a
rest. You'll play 12 notes up along each string. You won't be able
to anchor your thumb, you may have to use your pinky, and you'll probably mess
up the first few times. You'll thank me for this one sometime.
FIGURE 4 LISTEN TO IT
e||--------------------------|-----------------------------|
B||--------------------------|-----------------------------|
G||--------------------------|-----------------------------|
D||--------------------------|-----------------------------|
A||--------------------------|-----------------1--2--3--4--|
E||--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--|--9--10--11--12--------------|
-----------------------------|--------------------------|
-----------------------------|--------------------------|
-----------------------------|--------------------------|
-----------------------------|--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--|
--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--|--------------------------|
-----------------------------|--------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------1--2--3--4--|--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--|
--9--10--11--12--------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
--------------------------|-----------------1--2--3--4--|
--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--|--9--10--11--12--------------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|
--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--||
-----------------------------||
-----------------------------||
-----------------------------||
-----------------------------||
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You must remember to take your warm-up exercises seriously, and slowly. You can speed up, and that's a good thing. This lesson is designed to help you play faster, too. You should warm up before you play a gig, before you practice, or at least 3 times a week.
Suggestions or comments? Tips that I should know about, send them to me. Send this lesson to friend.