Faster way to wam up?

Playing Technique
#1

So here is my dilemma:

I’m not sure if everyone can relate, but there seems to be “levels” of warm-up while playing guitar. You can do a quick 5 minute warm-up and you’re loose, good enough to start playing.

But there is another level reached after you’ve been playing a couple hours where everything is just clicking. Both hands are flying effortlessly and this is where I find true joy with the instrument.

The problem is - because it takes so long to get there, I am usually either too tired mentally, and no longer in the mood. I used to be able to practice 5-6 hours per day, but these days only a couple at a time.

So I am wondering - has anyone found a faster, more efficient way to reach that “final form” of your playing each day?

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#2

I never wamup, unless we consider noodling for a minute or two a warmup. I’m able to play on my moderately fast top speed after that. Waming up for hours?? Mentally I’d be exhausted already.

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#3

Off the top of my head, I would recommend practicing to… not warmup :slight_smile:

Disclaimer: very likely I’m about to misuse terminology :slight_smile:

Interleaved practice is a good related concept in my opinion, where you do a rotation of different challenges but never allow yourself to get into the comfort zone. This should train your brain to “recall motor programs quicker”:

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#4

I used to be like this too, and I figured out that after a couple hours I was just a lot more relaxed. So I started to work on being absolutely as relaxed as I can possibly be at all times. Now I “warm up” relatively quickly in about 10-15 minutes. I started to notice that when I start playing the guitar and string “feel” better to me too, and I try to remember this feel, as that sticks a lot better for me.

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#5

Oh yeah sorry for the confusion - I didn’t mean that I warm up for hours. I just meant that after I’ve been playing/practicing for a couple hours, I enter this zone where everything feels so much more effortless. Picking runs, legato, bends and slides - everything is just in sync and it feels amazing.

Maybe it’s just me? But I was basically just wondering how to reach that point of fluidity in less time.

It’s a level beyond a normal 2-3 minute warmup where you feel more loose. This is like a “final form” type feeling hah

#6

Awesome, thank you for the tip. I will experiment with this, and trying to be more aware of this feeling as it may be due to relaxation for me as well.

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#7

Interesitng, thanks! Certainly worth experimenting with

#8

I actually don’t warm up either, but I’d start a practice session with a lick or sequence that isn’t the most difficult or demanding.
I suppose in a way, it’s a sort of warmup…