Warming up before jam

[Cary Fagan]

The other night I was at my weekly jam and played poorly for the first half hour or more. I had done some warming up but not as much as usual and it really showed. It seems I need to do a solid warm-up, using the metronome and getting my speed up, if I'm going to go into the jam ready for that first fiddle tune.

I was wondering what other people do. DO you warm up? What exercises do you do?

[Bruce Evans]

I'm not sure how I could warm up at one of our jams. Even if I went to the corner and started playing scales, someone would step up and start playing rhythm to it. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Heck, it's just a jam. I just start playing.

[fmspinc]

I always feel better having a few minutes under my fingers. I even warm up for lessons (given the time), that way I can put forward strong follow up to whatever we were working on and I seem to get better, new material to work on in those cases - as opposed to flubbing the lesson in review.

I knew I was going to be playing for some friends at a party and played like heck the day before and earlier that day - and felt very good about my chops.

[goose 2]

I warm up before if I can. If I can't then I am pretty rigid about playing slowly and cleanly until we all get loose. Fast and sloppy is still sloppy.

[Keith Wallen]

Cary - I went to a Mike Compton workshop last year and probably the best thing I got out of it was stretching before you play as a warm up. Like someone said earlier its tuff to find a corner and pick for a 1/2 hour to get warmed up sometimes especially if your going from work straight to a show and you get there right before you go on stage. What he showed was to start messaging your forearms first then move to your palms and the back of your hand always making a forward motion towards the ends of your fingers also rotating by doing one forearm then the next. After the back of your hands then do each finger by starting at the base and pulling out to the end. I probably spend about 3-4 minutes on each spot. It has been working out great for me and I have been able to jump in almost up to warp speed. But now everybody asks me whats wrong with my arms or hands. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[John Flynn]

I really like the Compton exercises mentioned above. I also like the stretches on musicianshealth.com. If I want really want to do the whole deal, I do the Compton stuff, then the musicianshealth stuff and then pick some simple, slow stuff for a while. Then I am ready!

[Tom C]

At Steve Kaufmans in 1999 Mike compton spent about 45 minutes on these excerises. I was a bit dissapointed going to tenn for that.

[AmosMoses]

It seems this problem gets worse with age. Takes a while longer to get the stiffness out. For jams I just tune up and start playing. For shows though I like to play for at least an hour before. A guitar player from our jam group (who is very good) warms up for 3 or 4 hours before a show. He's also the one who told me that the better you get the more you have to practice.

[Tennessee Jed]

These posts make a lot of sense to me. Athletes warm up. I always found that hitting a few balls on the driving range before a round of golf helped me to loosen up and see what my tendencies were that day, which also led to the confidence to try certain shots on the course or the sense not to try them. Some days I can pull off some things with my mando that I can't on other days. However, I'm not proficient so maybe this isn't a problem with most of you guys.

[Bluegrasstjej]

I don't go much to jams (no jams available) but when I do, I just play scales to warm up the fingers, and some well-known tunes. Don't do it much though. The most important thing is to get the mando and the voice in tune.

[Cary Fagan]

Thanks for the responses and suggestions. I remember something that Radim Zenkl suggested before practising and which I have done sometimes before jamming. Put your hands in hot water--as hot as you can stand--for several minutes. To get the blood flowing. Seems to help some, though your hands look pretty red.

[Joe Mendel]

I went to the mando rhythm boot camp this past weekend and Niles gave us some stretches after we had been playing a while. I could feel the difference immediately, my hands were much more relaxed-iron grip be gone. They'll definitely be part of my routine from now on.

[ira]

definitely do some scales and just pick/strum for a bit to get the feelin-if you know what i mean. i also do some hand stretches, and as important if i;m doing a show- back, and leg stretches. i'm on my feet with something slung around my neck/shoulder for the better part of a couple of hours, and the whole body needs a little stretching.

i do the warm water thing (not hot) just letting it pour on my hands and it feels great. if you ever can- get a parafin dip. works wonders.