This article is going to cover the reasoning and my methodology behind warming up when I practice, something I believe very strongly about when it comes to playing the bass and something I was taught back in my earliest days as a classical musician. Warming up can not only function to put yourself in the right head space for a productive practice session but it is also extremely beneficial when it comes to injury prevention in the forearms, hands and the wrists.
Our hands are one of the most incredible miracles of evolution in our world. Our ability to manipulate objects with great speed, surprising strength and incredible delicacy, not to mention our sense of touch, are all virtually unique in the animal kingdom. They are however very delicate and need to be treated with care, especially when doing repeated movements over and over again over a significant period. Injuries such as tendinitis and RSI are relatively common among musicians, and in order to avoid potential surgery and being unable to play for a period of months, some simple precautions can be taken at the very start of your practice session, no matter how long or short.
Hand Temperature
The first step I take when I’m preparing to practice is to ensure my hands are both up to temperature. Having the tendons, muscles and joints nice and warm means they will be supple and loose and able to move freely and quickly. Having warm hands also means good blood flow, which means the joints, muscles and tendons are getting the nutrients they need as well as helping to prevent lactic acid buildup in the muscles and thus, reduce fatigue.
If my hands are cold (particularly in wintertime), one way I can get heat into them quickly is to put on a pair of kitchen gloves and hold my hands under the hot tap for around 15-30 seconds, stretching and contracting my hands while doing so. I repeat for as long as needed, and this is also a great way to warm up when you come in from the cold!
Room Temperature
The next step is to ensure your practice space is also nice and warm. Because the hands are at the extremities of the body, if the room is cool they will lose temperature rapidly. Personally, I like to have a heater in the room, especially helpful given that I often practice late at night when the heating to the rest of the house is usually either low or off altogether.
Forearm flexibility and stretching
I usually do this only when my muscles are feeling very tight, after I’ve had a heavy deadlift session for example. Loosening tight forearms shortens the warm up period and reduces the ‘stiff’ feeling when you play your first notes on the instrument, and if you have a job that involves manual handling, I absolutely recommend this step! To get a better idea of the forearm stretches I sometimes use, I’ve included a helpful YouTube video for you all! This can also help reduce the risk of RSI and tendonitis. I’ll also include the link to the preventing injury course in the course library, its something well worth examining in detail, especially if you gig regularly.
Centring oneself
This is, along with getting my hands up to temperature, one of the most important steps in ensuring I have a productive and enjoyable practice session, and all it involves is taking 3 deep slow breaths. This calms me and helps me focus on the work that I’m about to do on the instrument by letting go of the stresses of the day. I may sound somewhat like a yoga commercial saying that, but I recommend at least trying it, just after you have tuned and strapped on your bass, take 3 deep breaths, focusing in on what you want to work on during your practice session. If I’m focused on the stresses of the day, whether it be covid, parenting issues, political issues or whatever else might be cluttering my mind, I’m not focused on the task at hand and practice/learning becomes a futile exercise. In the current climate I would urge you to try this.
Time and Sound
The final step before I start the warmup on the bass is to think of the principles of time and sound, two of the most critical elements when it comes to making great music. I think of how I want my bass to sound, and of feeling relaxed within the time (this is especially important if I’m going to be doing any recording whatsoever). This only takes a moment and then I’m ready to begin. I would like to stress that all these steps thus far take me no more than 5 or so minutes before I begin to play
My warm up
My own warm up takes me around 15 minutes to complete and is primarily built around a specific diminished exercise I took from John Myung around 2008. I like this specific exercise because it works all 4 fingers of the fretting hand, involves string skipping and string raking in the right hand and can be worked chromatically around the instrument. The specific exercise can be found around 45:45 in the video linked below, and I typically start with 8th notes around 80bpm worked all the way up and down the neck, then 8th note triplets, then 16ths. Gradually moving through the subdivisions gets the blood flowing through both hands and gives me a good idea as to how the practice session is going to go, whether it be one that flows smoothly or one that is going to be a little more difficult.
One thing I recommend when devising your warm up is to make it consistent, something that eases you into playing and gives you immediate feedback about how the bass is feeling in your hands. Always listen to what the hands are telling you, and if they feel a little stiff, then take more time warming up before you get to the heavy lifting within your practice session.
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My own warmup routine has remained constant for more than 10 years now and it helps to centre me and prepare me for whatever I’m going to be working on during the session. I also credit it with the fact that I’ve so far had no serious playing related injuries to contend with, always a bonus! You don’t need to take this warm up specifically, but whatever you choose to do, make it something you are happy to do daily, that isn’t too technically demanding and can be ingrained within your muscle memory.
Longevity with playing the bass is something I think we all desire as bass players, and I hope this article has perhaps struck a chord to help you develop a set warm up of your own. I cannot stress enough the importance of looking after your health, both within the hands and overall, because you will be happier and can accomplish more on the instrument while in good health.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment and discuss!
Excellent I'm gonna go spend a few hours on this now, house quiet for a change 🤣
Excellent stuff, john looks like a spider in that video, maybe a breakdown would be useful?