Warming Up

The most basic and perhaps most important part of practicing is warming up. How you go about doing this is essential to your success. Use your time wisely to achieve the maximum results in the minimum amount of time. Structure your warm-up carefully and follow these three steps to a great warm-up:

1) Long tones- Start out your practice with at least five Minutes of long tones. Start in the with the low register of your instrument and gradually work your way up to the middle register. Pay careful attention to your tone quality, especially when playing at a soft dynamic level. Take full breaths and always use maximum breath support. Try to compare yourself to someone that you know is good on your instrument.

2) Scales- Scales are an important musical element for practice. One should strive for a thorough knowledge, understanding and flawless execution of all scales. Start with major scales and related arpeggios, then chromatic. Branch out and explore minor scales as well.

3) Articulation- The third part of your warm-up should focus on articulation practice. Strive for evenness of your articulation, particularly on repeated notes. Don’t only focus on increasing the speed of your articulation, but on the quality of your sound while articulating. Tape yourself and compare your tone quality when playing both legato and staccato at all dynamic levels. Make sure they are the same.

Practicing is a good time to experiment.

If you follow these three steps when warming up, you should notice a big improvement in your playing. Good luck!