dizforprez

Something I have been doing recently is I will put on the Phil Smith concert studies CD (or David Baldwin playing etudes charlier) and play along for one etude. First notes of the day, 100% cold, pull the horn out of the case and go for it. No excuses and you better match Phil’s sound and intonation! After I do one of those I then do my normal warm-up and routine. I have found for some reason that those are the days that my playing is at its best is when I do that pre-warm up bit.

Any thoughts or comments?

MUSICandCHARACTER

Interesting ....

As a Licensed Mental Health Therapist by day .... and something else by night, I would say that you have found your focus by starting that way. Psychologists talk about "flow" -- that place where you are so into what your are doing that nothing else matters. You focus so well that you are deep into your playing.

Sometimes when we warm up, we approach it ho hum. It just long tones and scales and slurs. Miss a few notes, no big deal, I am not warm yet!

But playing a brass instrument often means hitting notes after 30 bars of rest and being dead on -- without being able to work up to it. Trumpets are exposed -- they are rarely background brass. And then when tired, we are expected to hit notes that we sometimes barely can hit when warm and fresh. This takes giving it your all both mentally and physically.

I think your "pre-warmup" is honing those skills of pure concentration on the task at hand. It may not be for everyone, but I like the idea of it.

M&C

__________________
Dr. Jim Fox
Licensed Mental Health Therapist
Mouthpiece chart: www.ibowtie.com/tmptmpccharts.html

dizforprez

one other point about it is that it keeps me from getting bogged down. When i warm up i will tend to "practice" more than warm up, I dont need alot of warm up but i will sit there and practice the warmup stuff i have been given by various teachers and sometimes before i know it i have spent 40 mins on warming up...that is 40 mins of warmup i dont need and time i could spend on other things.....when i do the "no warmup" approach i avoid that.