Before moving forward, I want to address some of the common misperceptions about warming up:

“Warming up becomes a crutch – the more you warm up, the longer it will take you to warm up in the future.”

Now this is just silly, but I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this, both from students and colleagues.  A good warm up routine should have you ready to go within a few minutes, but you continue on the routine as part of your daily exercise routine.

“Warming up takes too long – I just don’t have the time.”

Really?  It takes 5 minutes and will increase the efficiency of your practice session.  You don’t have the time not to warm up!

“You only should warm up at the very beginning of the day.”

Although it’s true that the most thorough warm-up is necessary when you first start playing for the day, a warm-up routine should be incorporated into each practice session, rehearsal, and performance.  I typically do a quick warm-up to re-focus my energy on playing if I have not played in more than 30 minutes.

“If you’re good enough, you won’t need to warm up.”

Another ridiculous statement!  I hear this one every now and again from brass jocks who approach brass playing as a macho sport.  Even the strongest weight-lifters and fastest runners all warm up, at least a little, before they practice or perform.

There are countless benefits to a regular warm-up routine, including:

• Greater flexibility
• Greater range
• Better tone production
• Better overall intonation
• Better consistency in playing
• More comfort in playing

Some players never earn any of these benefits, because their warm-up routines are not balanced, or are not properly suited for their individual needs.  Here’s how I build a successful warm-up for my students and myself:

First, start with the actual warm-up exercise.  This exercise should be roughly 2 – 5 minutes and should consist of relaxed playing that moves a lot of air.  Most players find long tones and/or slow lip slurs to do the trick here.  Others find adding mouthpiece buzzing to long tones really speeds things up.  A few players feel great after very fast articulating and/or very fast lip slurring, but for me, this is not the case.  Again, every player (and day!) is different, so this is an area for you to explore for yourself.  These exercises are the true ‘warm-up’ and you should not feel that you have to do the same thing every time, but keep the routine relatively consistent.  These notes are the ones that should be utilized at the beginning of every practice session, rehearsal, or performance and your lips should feel relaxed, warm, and flexible when you’re done.

Next, establish a daily routine that will be used to complete your first-notes-of-the-day warm-up and simultaneously maintain and improve your technical ability on the trombone.  In this daily routine, emphasis on each the major aspects of playing should be focused on one at a time:

• articulation – warm-up the tongue.  This concept is often overlooked for warming up, but long tones and lip slurs do little to warm up the tongue.
• flexibility – warm-up the air production muscles.  Lips slurs of variable speeds really help me get my air moving comfortably, but my face must already be somewhat ready to go.
• range, both high and low – warm-up the facial muscles.  A lot of players, especially younger players, think that a few long tones will get them warmed up and playing at any range immediately.  Preparing the muscles to handle both high and low notes is important to avoid injury when playing in these extreme ranges.
• tone production – focus on relaxation and the breath.  The diaphragm, back, neck, and shoulders all need to be relaxed and ‘centered’ in order to produce the best sound possible.  This can take some time to warm up and should be considered in every daily routine.
• double-tonguing – advanced tongue warm-up.  This will work a different section of the tongue to get these muscles ready for faster articulation.

I encourage my students to dedicate 20% of their practice day to a consistent daily routine, with a variety of exercises for each category.  On days where I don’t feel particularly flexible, I may dedicate more time to flexibility or if my low range feels stiff and un-productive, I will focus more on loosening up that range.  It is important not to get stuck on the same exact set of exercises – if something isn’t working or feels like it’s getting ‘worse’, you may not be spending enough time or the right kind of focus on that particular area.  Doing exercises too fast or too slow may not achieve the success you want to have.

In sum, warming up is critical to the development of your technique and an important part of any performing musician’s practice.  By focusing on the different aspects of performing at the beginning of your playing sessions, you can greatly reduce the risk of inflicting damage or injuring yourself while performing and greatly enhance your overall technique as an instrumentalist.