Warmup Ideas
letostak@netcom.com (Judy Letostak)
Use a metronome with all exercises, and use a clean tone.
If at anytime your hands or forearms cramp up or hurt, STOP shake out your
hands and arms, then try to relax and start again, if you continue playing
with the pain, you will probably develop tendonitis or a similar problem.
|------------------------------------------1-2-3-4--5-4-3-2----------------
|----------------------------------1-2-3-4------------------5-4-3-2--------
|--------------------------1-2-3-4----------------------------------5-4-3-2
|------------------1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------etc
|----------1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------------
|--1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------------------------------
play up to the 12th fret then back down
use alternate picking (down, up, down, up etc) or hammer ons and pull offs
|-------------------------------1-2-3--4-3-2-------------------------------
|-------------------------1-2-3--------------4-3-2-etc---------------------
|-------------------1-2-3--------------------------------------------------
|-------------1-2-3--------------------------------------------------------
|-------1-2-3--------------------------------------------------------------
|-1-2-3--------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------1-3--4-2--------------------------------------------
|------------------1-3----------4-2----------------------------------------
|--------------1-3------------------4-2------------------------------------
|----------1-3---------------------------4-2-------------------------------
|------1-3-----------------------------------4-2etc------------------------
|--1-3---------------------------------------------------------------------
use your 2nd and 3rd fingers, start up at the fifth fret if this feels
uncomfortable.
(Catapillar)
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------1-2-3-4--5-6-7-8etc------------------------
|-1-2-3-4--5-6-7-8--9-10-11-12---------------------------------------------
play on rest of strings, then go back down
When the next note lies right below roll your finger, don't lift your finger
off the string but always make sure to mute the first note.
Ascending 3rds (key of Gmajor)
1st position
|-------------------------------------------------------------2---3--------
|----------------------------------------------------3---5--3---5----------
|------------------------------------2----4--2--5--4---5-------------------
|---------------------2---4--2--5--4----5----------------------------------
|--------2---3--2-5-3---5--------------------------------------------------
|-2-5--3---5---------------------------------------------------------------
then descend (use in every key)
2nd position
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------5--
|--------------------------------------------------------5---7--5--8--7----
|-----------------------------------------4---5--4--7--5---7---------------
|-----------------------4-----5--4--7--5----7------------------------------
|----------5-----7---5-----7-----------------------------------------------
|-5--8--7-----8------------------------------------------------------------
-----7--5--8--|
--8-----------|
--------------|then descend
--------------|
--------------|
--------------|
3rd position
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------7---8--7--10--8-
|------------------------------------------------7----9--7---9-------------
|-------------------------------7----9--7--10--9---10----------------------
|-----------7------8--7--10--8----10---------------------------------------
|-7--10--8-----10----------------------------------------------------------
--7------8--7-10--|
-----10-----------|
------------------| then descend
------------------|
------------------|
------------------|
4th position
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------10------12
|-------------------------------------------9------11--9--12--11-----12----
|-----------------------9----10--9--12--10-----12--------------------------
|----9----10--9--12--10---12-----------------------------------------------
|-10---12------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------10----12---|
--10--13--12----13------|
------------------------| then descend
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
5th position
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------11------12--11--14--12--
|----------------------------------12------14--12------14------------------
|------------12----14--12--15--14------15----------------------------------
|-12--15--14----15---------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------12-----14--12--15---|
--12------13--12--15--13------15--------------|
------14--------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------|
Gmajor scale ascending in fours (pattern)
This is a good way to connect scales, you can incorporate slides, hammer-
ons and pull-offs.
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------2--------2--4-----2--4--5---
|----------2--------2--3-----2--3--5--2--3--5-----3--5--------5------------
|-2--3--5-----3--5--------5------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------2----
----------------------------------------------3--------3--5-----3--5-------
-----------2--------2--4----2--4--5--2--4--5-----4--5--------5-------------
---2--4--5----4--5--------5------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------2--3-----2--3--5---|
--3--5--------5------------|
---------------------------| then descend
---------------------------| do this for all 5 positions
---------------------------|
---------------------------|
Gmajor scale in 4ths (intervals)
|--------------------------------------------------------------------2-----
|--------------------------------------------------------3-----5-------3---
|---------------------------------------2----4-----5--2-----4-----5--------
|----------------------2-----4----5--2----4-----5--------------------------
|----2-----3-----5--2-----3-----5------------------------------------------
|-2-----3-----5------------------------------------------------------------
--2----5---|
----3------|
-----------|then descend
-----------| do this for all 5 positions
-----------|
-----------|
Here's a cool little (interval) 4th pattern, sounds good when you play
it fast. The first two notes (4th interval) go forward, the next two
go backward.
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------2--4-----------------------------|
|-------------------2--------4--5-----2--------4--etc---------------------|
|----2--3--------5-----2--3--------5--------------------------------------|
|-2--------3--5-----------------------------------------------------------|
here's a strange little lick that I came up with
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-/5-3-4------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------5--4--------2-----------------------------------------------|
|----------5--------4--2-----5--------4--2--------------------------------|
|-------------------------------5--3--------2~----------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Arpeggios Major
Keep playing this up to the 12th fret then descend down.
Try using sweep picking as well as alternate picking, it's good for your
right hand dexterity.
|-------------2--3--------------------------------------------------------|
|----------3--------4-----------------------------------------------------|
|-------2--------------3--------------------------------------------------|
|----4--------------------5-----------------------------------------------|
|-5--------------------------6etc-----------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
or
|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|-----------2--------------------3etc--|---------2--3---------------------|
|--------3-----3--------------4--------|------3--------4------------------|
|--1--5-----------5--1--2--6-----------|1--5--------------6--2------------|
or
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------4--------------------5--|----------4--5----------------------|
|-----1---4-----4--1--------2--5-----|----1--4--------5--2----------------|
|--2------------------2--3-----------|-2--------------------3-------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
That's it for now, I'll try to dig up some more warmup stuff. If you
have any questions or comments, letostak@netcom.com
Don't try to do ALL of this in one practice session. This stuff is only
to warm up your hands, so you don't do any damage to the tendons, about
3-5 minutes of this should do the trick.
Judy Letostak