A Perspective on Warming Up

This is an illustration on the process I use right now concerning warming up. This is strictly concerning marimba--I warm up differently on other instruments such as snare, timpani, piano, etc. However, there are general things I do that can be transferred to any instrument. I hope that anyone who reads this can find something interesting to add to their warm-up, no matter what instrument they may play.

1) I take a couple of deep breaths, and let go of everything that happened previously in the day. I don't practice in the morning, so this step is important for me.

2) After getting relaxed, I immediately think the word "music". And I never get away from that thought. After all, if I'm not practicing music the way I'm going to perform it, then what's the point of even practicing? There simply isn't, not for me.

3) Now I actually start playing. If I have plenty of time to warm up, I will start with a major 7th chord and use chord mutation to go an octave down the marimba. A more elaborate explanation follows:

For example, say I play a C major 7th chord (major chord, not dominant). Mallets 1 and 2 play C and G, respectively, and mallets 3 and 4 play B (natural, not flat) and E, respectively. Then I move mallets 2 and 3 down to F and A, respectively. Finally, I move mallets 1 and 4 down to B and D, respectively. And I continue through this alternating pattern until I reach the same C,G,B,E pattern an octave down the marimba. This is transferrable to all natural, flat, and sharp keys and should be done so.

Hearing is always better than reading about it, so here's an audio file. It should make more sense, if it doesn't already. Keep in mind, playing music is the most important thing, so I always try to play this as musically as I can.

7th Chord Progression


4) Next, I play some major and minor arpeggios. Starting on C, I go three octaves, up and down, in sixteenth notes. After finishing C I continue to C#, and repeat the process until I reach the next C an octave up. I always do this with a metronome, and again always play as "musically" as I can. The speed of the met depends on if I just want to warm up my technique, or if I want to push my technique. It varies depending on the day. Here is an audio example of the arpeggios I play.

3 Octave Arpeggios


5) Next, I play some sort of chorale. I do this to get in the mood of playing actual compositions. The ones I use are from a book by Evelyn Glennie ("Three Chorales for Marimba"). I don't play through the whole chorale (unless I feel like it), but I do always play them as musically as I can. Here is an audio file of the chorale "Giles", by Evelyn Glennie.

Giles

6) Finally, I take a break!


So there you have it. This usually takes 30-40 minutes or so, and of course can be shortened if needed. If I don't have that time to warm up, I'll usually just play a couple of the 7th chord proggressions and go a few times through the arpeggios. This is an ever-changing philosophy I will have on warming up, but as of right now, this is what I do.

Thanks for reading!

-J