Shred Academy – Free Guitar Lesson by Tim Gibson

The
Importance of Warming Up

By
Tim Gibson

It easy to find numerous
instructional materials on how to gain extreme speed or increase
your chops, but it is very seldom that any of these materials
explain the importance of warming up.

The hand is one of
the most intricate parts of our body, in it are several ligaments,
bones and tendons that make it function the way it does. Believe
or not, playing incredibly fast passages or using movements that
involve wide stretches can be very stressful on the ligaments
and tendons. The last thing you or any good teacher would want
is for your music career to be cut short by carpal tunnel syndrome
or tendonitis. It would be a shame to have invested so much time
into an activity, and suddenly loose the ability to do it through
injury.
I am a firm believer that playing guitar and playing a sport share
many similarities with one another. Both require discipline and
consistency in a practice routine to become a good player. Warming
up is key to any athlete, why shouldn’t it be for a guitarist
who is putting his hands through a marathon. In many cases athletes
warm up for a longer period of time than they actually play in
a game or participate in a particular event. Take a look at Olympic
sprinters; they warm up long before their race, which only lasts
a few seconds. During high school I used to play soccer. Our coach
would have us start warming up an hour and a half before the game
started. We would run laps and stretch, as well as, slowly run
through drills that would take our bodies through motions we would
be using during the game. When game time rolled around, we were
all physically ready to play. Our muscles and tendons were loose
and prepared for sudden and constant motion. This allowed us to
play the game relaxed and without being tense. Many injuries occur
when our body becomes tense or tight, and as result becomes less
flexible. The teams that I played on did not struggle with injury
problems, and were therefore able to be more effective and win.
Most of our competition warmed up for half of the amount of time
we did, and did not take it seriously. You don’t know how
many times I have had to see a player leave the game within the
first few minutes with a pulled muscle or torn knee ligament,
because they were not physically prepared to put their body through
such demanding physical activity. They were not loose and relaxed
but tense.

We have all had days
where we have practiced a large amount of time. During a long
practice session, we reach a certain point where licks and exercises
become very easy. Through warming up, we have a safer and more
time efficient means of reaching the plateau where guitar seems
effortless. So doing the mundane chromatic exercises and scale
fragments at a slow tempo does carry other significance than building
your speed. It will prepare and loosen your hands for the game.
What team will you be on?