How to warm up when you don't have time!
Yes, we get it. It seems there ain't time for a big warm up when you've got 18 clarinet excerpts on your stand! But seriously. Don't skip it. It's good for your brain and body and essential to establish the foundation in your playing.
It also doesn't have to take long - sincerely, even 10-15 minutes can make a large difference if you're honed into exactly what you need to pay attention to. So, here are 3 tips for how to warm up when you feel like you don't have time.
- Think about the rep you're working on - are there certain skills you need for it? Fast articulation, soft high playing, long phrases? Address those things very specifically in your warm up and when you go to practice that rep, you'll be better prepared. Plus, you'll feel like your warm up is super targeted because... it is! Remember, it doesn't have to be long - it has to be DELIBERATE!
- Use your rep AS your warm up! Pick a hard technical passage and play it slowly in long tones. (One of our FAVORITE things to do to save time and learn better!) Pick an articulation passage and find a way to make it an articulation warm up. Take a lyrical section and practice it even slower than you need to go. You can get really creative here.
- Don't just skip your warm up because you're worried and you think you need maximum time on your rep. Remember: the foundation you establish in your warm up can be the heart of everything you do! But... not if you skip it. So think about this question: what exercises are going to make you feel confident when you move to your rep? Think about large categories:
- Air
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Tone/sound
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Articulation
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Intonation
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Technique
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Find an exercise to plug in for each of those categories that will bring confidence, power and agility to your playing. Pre-meditating this, or even finding 3-5 exercises for each category that you can easily plug in can save so much time! You just go through the categories and do the most important warm up of all: PAY ATTENTION! This is sort of like meal prepping... you don't want to have to think about what to make. It makes good decisions easier.
Hope these tips help you make the most out of your warm up when you're busy and tempted to skip it. Don't do that. Even 5 minutes can make a big difference!
Happy clarineting!
ps: Want 5 days of long tones? Download them here!
