The best warm up routine for beginners
Warming up before practice is extremely important for two reasons: it helps prevent injury and helps get you in the mental headspace for practice. The amount of time you spend warming up depends on the length of time you have to practice that day. If you only have 20-30 minutes to practice, don’t spend 15 minutes warming up! However, even if your time is limited, it is in your best interest to spend at least a few minutes warming up. Here is the best warm-up routine for beginners.
Step One: Stretch. When I was in high school, my teachers always recommended stretching before playing, and I never really understood why. Now that I’m older, I get it! Practicing the violin is as much physical as it is mental. Incorporate some of your favorite hand, arm, and full body stretches before taking out the instrument.
Step Two: Static exercises. Static exercises are those that don’t involve playing. These exercises can be anything you choose, but here are some of my favorites (all demonstrated in the video below).
Pinky push-ups. Start with the bow on your left shoulder. Press your pinky down so that the bow comes up, and then release it so the bow moves back down. This is a great exercise for pinky strength.
In and outs. Hold your bow vertically, and move your fingers out and in. This works on finger flexibility.
Spider crawl. Hold your bow vertically. Move your fingers up and down the bow. This works on finger strength and flexibility.
Lift and drops. This is an exercise for the left hand. Place all 4 fingers on the same string and lift and drop the fingers one at a time, in pairs, and in groups of three.
Step Three: Open Strings. Open strings are the most underrated exercise you can practice! Even as a seasoned professional, I still practice open strings. There are so many benefits- work on keeping a straight bow, an even tone, a flexible and soft bow hold, and smooth bow changes.
Step Four: Scales. This is your sign to practice your scales!! I know scales aren’t the most fun thing to practice, but practicing scales is kind of like eating your vegetables. You don’t always like it, but you understand the benefit. Scales can be used to work on any technique, but here are a few that come to mind to get you started: tone, intonation, straight bow, posture, shifting, bow strokes, and vibrato.
Warm-up routines are extremely personal and I suggest trying out different things until you find one that sticks. If you have any particular favorite warm up exercises, I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below. :)
