Great! What does your warm-up routine consist of exactly and how long do you do it for?
Even doing basic stretches helps a lot.
I wanted to post about the importance of warming up before downbeat... I have not been doing my regular warm-up routine as of late, and started to notice that I have not been comfortable behind my kit until about mid-set. This goes for all the artist I play with, so it definitely had nothing to do with the music type. I have been using the same basic set up for each gig, but something just did not seem right. It was my warm-up routine! I could not believe the difference last night after I did my routine and got up on stage!
There are other things that come with the uncomfortableness of not being warmed up, like the psychological effects of not feeling like you are performing at your ability! This mind game leads to other drumming faux pas, which ultimately affect everything we drummers pride ourselves on, i.e. tempo, feel, space, etc....
This is just a friendly reminder to warm-up every time you sit behind your drums for optimal performance!
Lorenzini
Great! What does your warm-up routine consist of exactly and how long do you do it for?
Even doing basic stretches helps a lot.
I'd also be interested if there's a particular routine you usually follow.
-Stretching?
-Rudiments on a pad?
-Beer? [img]tongue.gif[/img]
It is very simple really! I usually bring along a practice pad and if the practice pad does not make it I always can use one of my trusty knees... The warm-up usually consist of the following:
1. Hand stretches
2. Arm stretches
3. Cherrie Pickers! Basically, a stand up position bending at the waist and touching your toes. This stretches your arms, back, legs, as well as creates increased blood flow to the brain.
4. Single and double stroke rolls at different speeds and accents for about 5 minuets usually will get my hands and wrists warmed up.
5. Finally, 1 or 2 barley pops (pick your own flavor) to relax the mind!
The complexity of the rudiments is really up to you and of course the type of gig it is. A rule of thumb for me is that if I am playing say a pop gig, I am most likely not going to be digging into my metric modulation or polyrhythmic bag to deeply, so I defiantly dumb down the warm-up to set the tone and get my head wrapped around the music!
Each of us have different needs as far as getting warmed-up, so take some time even if it is only a minuet to warm-up the mind, body, and soul! Don't loose sight of the fact that we are making music, not just playing the drums!
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Man, i totally agree ! Warming up is so important. I personally stretch my arms, legs, ankles, wrists, neck and back, then warm my hands up with the basic rudiments. I've been doing this for the last year or so, ever since i hit 40, that's when i started to feel muscle tension. Eating a light meal before your gig helps too.Originally posted by Lorenzini:
I wanted to post about the importance of warming up before downbeat... I have not been doing my regular warm-up routine as of late, and started to notice that I have not been comfortable behind my kit until about mid-set. This goes for all the artist I play with, so it definitely had nothing to do with the music type. I have been using the same basic set up for each gig, but something just did not seem right. It was my warm-up routine! I could not believe the difference last night after I did my routine and got up on stage!
There are other things that come with the uncomfortableness of not being warmed up, like the psychological effects of not feeling like you are performing at your ability! This mind game leads to other drumming faux pas, which ultimately affect everything we drummers pride ourselves on, i.e. tempo, feel, space, etc....
This is just a friendly reminder to warm-up every time you sit behind your drums for optimal performance!
Lorenzini
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 05, 2005 08:58 PM: Message edited by: Blue Tav ]</font>
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks