So you got the job. You’re the “go to guy” on this upcoming recording project. You’re pumped! Who wouldn’t be, right? You go into the studio, set up your equipment, and listen to the tracks. You’ve gathered your ideas, the vibe and the direction of the album. Now, you press record and lay down your first take.
Whoaaaa!!!! Hold up just a moment.
Let’s compare this to another activity in life that some of us enjoy and others don’t (I’m with the latter). I’m talking about exercise…..fun, right? Where am I going with this? Well….you wouldn’t walk into a gym, put on your workout gear and then go squat 400lbs as soon as you step out of the locker room. At least, I hope not.
Now, we know that recording tracks in a studio isn’t quite like working out in a gym, but it’s not very far off. You still need to physically “warm-up” and also mentally prepare. We might not be breaking a huge sweat in the studio but we are putting our bodies and minds through some strenuous repetitive motions.
Warming up doesn’t mean playing as fast as possible, its actually the opposite, just slow to medium scales, rudiments, chromatics, chords, rhythms, even just physical stretching of the arms, legs, back and shoulders to get the blood flowing and at the same time you’re telling your body and mind that you’re switching into “killer music mode”. You might think that when deadlines are pressing down and you only have a certain amount of time to get everything just right, that warming up might be a waste of time. However, I can assure you that taking a moment to warm-up your body and mind will make you tremendously more efficient.
Practicing these habits of becoming efficient and doing the right kind of prep work will open many doors toward a more creative work flow. Once we spend less time fighting our inner selves on a physical and mental scale, it can only lead to better and more creative music.
This is one of those small things in music that most of us know but we often forget….well, this is your loving, friendly reminder…always warm up so you can run those musical marathons without risk of injury and with better performance.
To close, here is an example of my warm-up on guitar:
- 5-10 minutes of scales with different rhythms
- 5-10 minutes of chord changes (focused on smooth transitions)
- Rudiments for my picking hand and/or shoulder and hand stretches
Stay warm, and until next time SOSers!
Cory