Warming Up

[Metaholic]

Hey, just wondering if anyone has any great warm ups, ive tried all the chromatic stuff and nothing seems to work, the only thing that works is spending about 20-30 minutes a day doing a bunch of these exercises my guitar teacher gave me out of this Guthree Govan book, i spend hours playing guitar every day but the exercises just bore me too much, ive been doing them about a month now and they are helping me with my speed, and i can never reach the speed i get to after doing them exercises if i do any other exercises instead, anyone got any really good quick exercises?

[TheWannabeMusician]

I'm not really sure if you're interested in alternatives, but what I always do is play a cd with backing tracks, or just play along with my favorite songs. Of course improvising along the BT's is better because it improves your improvisation. But that always warms me up, and it's fun too. After that, depending on what I want to do with my practise time (improving speed, learning a new song etc) I take out the metronome or open the guitar pro tab or do some chop exercises or some etudes... So songs/improvising with BT's first, then exercises and the actual "improving" part. As for warming-up exercises: I haven't got any, because they tend to bore me to death as well. So if you really want exercises for warming up this advice was pretty useless, but if you want to try something different (and fun) for warming up you could give it a shot

[Metaholic]

Thanks ill try it, but im just basically looking for some quick warm up to get my fingers ready

[ONEbpm]

What I do gets kind of boring as well, but it works to loosen up my fingers, so I just sort of zone out and to it. Steve Morse does this every day. It's a lateral exercise rather than a chromatic one. I don't use a metronome for it because...well...it's a warm up. I go to first postion (first fret) then work with my index and second fingers.

First. low E string starting with a down stroke I'll use fingers 1 and 2 on the first and second fret. Then I do the same thing on the A string, D, G , B and high E, but on the high E string, I use D1-U2-D2-U1 and then move to the B string 2-1, G -2-1, D-2-1...etc after I work my way back down to the low E, I repeat the pattern starting with an upstroke. When that patter is done, kepping your hand in the first position, you then do the same pattern using fingers 2-3, 3-4, 1-3, 2-4, and finally 1-4. You start on an up stroke for one round, then a down stroke. Then once you've done this (you've used all possible two finger combinations in that position), you shift the whole thing to second postion, third postion, fourth, etc. I usually do this up the the 12th fret, then back down one fret at a time to the first. This is A LOT of work!!! I would recommend not trying this whole exercise, maybe just do 5 frets to start until your fingers get use to it. It's good for your finger coordination as well as your alt picking. It used to take me 25 minutes to do this, now it takes me about 17 minutes. If any of this is unclear, let me know and I'll post just the picking pattern and fingering.

Good luck!

[Metaholic]

So are you going from the low e to the high e 1-2 then on the high e 1-2-2-1 then back down?

[ONEbpm]

So are you going from the low e to the high e 1-2 then on the high e 1-2-2-1 then back down?

Yes, exactly! That way, you're starting the descent (from high E to low) on a down stroke. What I forgot to mention, was that the second time you do that pattern, starting with an up stroke u-d u-d..etc, you do the same 1-2-2-1 or but it's U-D-D-U. Getting that ring finger/pinky combo is the worst!

[Metaholic]

Im confused, could you just write it in a tab please?

[ONEbpm]

Im confused, could you just write it in a tab please?

Index and middle fingers:

D-U D-U D-U D-U D-U D-U-D-U D-U
Low E string 1-2, A string 1-2, D string 1-2, G string 1-2, B string 1-2, High E string 1-2-2-1, B string 1-2

D-U D-U D-U D-U U-D U-D
G string 2-1 D string 2-1, A string 1-2 Low E 1-2 Then start on an UP stroke Low E string 1-2, A string 1-2,

U-D U-D U-D U-D-U-D U-D U-D U-D
D string 1-2, G string 1-2, B string 1-2, High E string 1-2-2-1, B string 1-2 G string 2-1 D string 2-1,
U-D U-D
A string 1-2 Low E 1-2 That's one cycle.

Middle and Ring fingers: Do a cycle using fingers 2-3 on the 2nd and 3rd fret.

Ring and Pinky fingers: Do a cycle using fingers 3-4 on the 3rd and 4th fret (this is the tough one)

Index and ring fingers: Do a cycle using fingers 1-3 on the first and third frets

Middle and pinky fingers: Do a cycle using fingers 2-4 on the second and fourth frets

Index and pinky: Do a cycle using fingers 1-4 on the first and fourth frets

That's all two finger combinations of the left hand in first postion. Then you shift up to second position and do it all over again. I usually take this on fret at a time up to the twelth fret, then all the way back down to fist position. When I first started doing this, I would warm up before even attempting it and then I'd only go up the neck a bit and add more over time. Currently I've done this every day for about three years. It's not a very musical warm up, but it works for me.

I originally found this on the, now VERY rare, Steve Morse Hot Licks cassette tape! It's the fifth image from the left at this link:

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&gbv= ... 63&bih=557

It's the only image I've found of this cassette on the net and the clicking that link doesn't work for me. When Steve expains how to do this, he say something like "you do this, up and down the neck and...uh...you....you've paid some dues okay? (laughs)..." So even he considers it a ball buster. Good luck with it!