Even though musical performance is not a sport, it does share a similarity in terms of the importance of a warm up.The more challenging the musical performance, the more beneficial a warmup will be.There may be a lot of different approaches but here are some that I have used:
Stringed instruments:
if a cold winter day, *physically* warm up the hands
hand warmers, breathing hot air into cupped hands, etc
stretching fingers
remove instrument from case to acclimate to environment, tune up
doing scale exercises and finger patterns slowly then increasing tempo
bowing scales slowly to warm up the bow and work in rosin
waving hands vigorously
stretching, back and legs
sight reading (depends on genre)
Wind Instrumentalists:
Wind instruments get sharper as they warm up
this is due sound moving faster in warm air than in cold
realize that the temperature of your breath has an affect on this
the greater the differential of your breathing temperature and the temperature of the instrument, the greater the affect
the larger the instrument the more the effect
slow scale exercises
lip buzzing
finger stretches
Keyboardists:
finger, palm, neck and leg stretches
wiggle all fingers
shake hands vigorously
slow tempo scales and patterns playing lightly
gradually increase tempo and/or note attack as you warm up
Vocalists:
be conscious of the difference in temperature of the vocal chords and the venue temperature.The greater the difference, the more time should be spent in warmup.
lip buzzing
tonguing exercises
flexibility exercises
slow scales
massage throat
humming low notes
range exercises
Drummers/Percussionists:
if a cold winter day, *physically* warm up the hands
hand warmers, breathing hot air into cupped hands, etc
Stretching palms, heels, arms, hands, neck and legs
Doing rudimentary patterns at a slow tempo
Using a practice pad if actual set used at performance not available
Mental warmup:
Visualize a great performance
Convince yourself practice time is over and it is time to enjoy the performance experience
Surely I am missing tips so please share what works for yourself.
