Warm-Up

[BeachDrums]

Hi all. I'm looking to improve my endurance and was wondering what drum corps trumpets are now doing for warm-up. By "now," I mean camps/pre-summer tour. If you don't mind, please be specific/detailed about duration and range limit for each area of warm-up. I figure if anyone has a handle on endurance, it's gotta be drum corps. Thanks.

[bedford]

Hi all. I'm looking to improve my endurance and was wondering what drum corps trumpets are now doing for warm-up. By "now," I mean camps/pre-summer tour. If you don't mind, please be specific/detailed about duration and range limit for each area of warm-up. I figure if anyone has a handle on endurance, it's gotta be drum corps. Thanks.

[/quote

I would go to ONQ.com and order one of the top corps' technique books. Also grab Arban's or other Etude book and work away at phrasing and dynamic range.

[wvu80]

Get Blue Devils DVD Dynasty of Brass.

It has 16 Blue Devils exercises in Bb for warm-up which also improves endurance, technique and range. The Blue Devils play all 16 exercises in the arc and the audio is separated by sections so so you can play along with them on trumpet, mello, bari tuba, or full ensemble, 5.1 dolby or stereo.

The entire warm-ups sheet music are in PDF format and are included with the DVD.

Get the DVD. It should be in the library of every DCI fan, and everybody who wants to join a corps. There is also so much other great stuff on there I can't even tell you.

Did I mention it also has the sheet music for F Tuning, and Space Chords?

Edited January 26, 2008 by wvu80

[Dennis Argul]

This might be a bigger bone of contention for me than any other when it comes to brass playing.

Why is it that we try and make things so difficult? It's as if the Knights Templar are hiding the secret to brass pedagogy.....

Technique is not warm up. You warm up to get ready to rehearse and/or perform. An athlete does not practice his/her 'technique' before a game. They stretch etc. to get physically and mentally ready for the task(s) at hand.

You want to build endurance? Play for longer periods of time. Push yourself past your comfort thresholds each day. By the end of a week you should be/could be playing up to an hour longer with strength. By the end of a month.....of a year....etc. You want to play higher? Practice high notes and build that area.

These are not 'warm ups.' This is technique.

You warm up. Then you rehearse, practice and/or perform your technique.

Or am I crazy?

Peace,

Dennis

[Cabstuba04]

This might be a bigger bone of contention for me than any other when it comes to brass playing.

Why is it that we try and make things so difficult? It's as if the Knights Templar are hiding the secret to brass pedagogy.....

Technique is not warm up. You warm up to get ready to rehearse and/or perform. An athlete does not practice his/her 'technique' before a game. They stretch etc. to get physically and mentally ready for the task(s) at hand.

You want to build endurance? Play for longer periods of time. Push yourself past your comfort thresholds each day. By the end of a week you should be/could be playing up to an hour longer with strength. By the end of a month.....of a year....etc. You want to play higher? Practice high notes and build that area.

These are not 'warm ups.' This is technique.

You warm up. Then you rehearse, practice and/or perform your technique.

Or am I crazy?

Peace,

Dennis

Well Said.....

[bedford]

This might be a bigger bone of contention for me than any other when it comes to brass playing.

Why is it that we try and make things so difficult? It's as if the Knights Templar are hiding the secret to brass pedagogy.....

Technique is not warm up. You warm up to get ready to rehearse and/or perform. An athlete does not practice his/her 'technique' before a game. They stretch etc. to get physically and mentally ready for the task(s) at hand.

You want to build endurance? Play for longer periods of time. Push yourself past your comfort thresholds each day. By the end of a week you should be/could be playing up to an hour longer with strength. By the end of a month.....of a year....etc. You want to play higher? Practice high notes and build that area.

These are not 'warm ups.' This is technique.

You warm up. Then you rehearse, practice and/or perform your technique.

Or am I crazy?

Peace,

Dennis

Dennis; you may be crazy but I just can't tell from only one post on this topic!!!!! I don't disagree with you, but, Trumpetcall was asking for specific exercises etc... and this can't effectively be offered over a post like this, thus the reference to the prepared sources of other corps and non drum corps material.

From my point of view, which is/was that of a "mature" player, I never understood the elongated warm up arc. I came to play - which meant I had done my warm up by the time I hit the arc. My needs and patterns were not the same as other players in the line. I obviously understand the need for ensemble technique but I didn't need 45 mins of long tones and harmonic slurs after already readying myself in the manner you have mentioned.

I guess another point to Trumpetcall is; differentiate between the talent of the players and the need for ensemble technique versus ensemble warmup. The maturity of the line will dictate this.

[Martybucs]

Dennis; you may be crazy but I just can't tell from only one post on this topic!!!!! I don't disagree with you, but, Trumpetcall was asking for specific exercises etc... and this can't effectively be offered over a post like this, thus the reference to the prepared sources of other corps and non drum corps material.

From my point of view, which is/was that of a "mature" player, I never understood the elongated warm up arc. I came to play - which meant I had done my warm up by the time I hit the arc. My needs and patterns were not the same as other players in the line. I obviously understand the need for ensemble technique but I didn't need 45 mins of long tones and harmonic slurs after already readying myself in the manner you have mentioned.

I guess another point to Trumpetcall is; differentiate between the talent of the players and the need for ensemble technique versus ensemble warmup. The maturity of the line will dictate this.

Also well said.

As a lead player, I find extended warm up routines to be more of a drain than a help.

Most lead players get the chops going the way THEY need to and it is usually different from a bunch of lip slurs, unison chord progressions and crescendos to fff. Doing this kind of warmup usually, for me, makes the upper register more difficult to get going.

I do my own thing that works for me and pretend to do the warm up in the arc.

[KeithHall]

This might be a bigger bone of contention for me than any other when it comes to brass playing.

Why is it that we try and make things so difficult? It's as if the Knights Templar are hiding the secret to brass pedagogy.....

This is the BEST answer! And NO you are not crazy Dennis

Technique is not warm up. You warm up to get ready to rehearse and/or perform. An athlete does not practice his/her 'technique' before a game. They stretch etc. to get physically and mentally ready for the task(s) at hand.

You want to build endurance? Play for longer periods of time. Push yourself past your comfort thresholds each day. By the end of a week you should be/could be playing up to an hour longer with strength. By the end of a month.....of a year....etc. You want to play higher? Practice high notes and build that area.

These are not 'warm ups.' This is technique.

You warm up. Then you rehearse, practice and/or perform your technique.

Or am I crazy?

Peace,

Dennis

[Shadow_7]

Well, when on tour(junior corps), you're not exactly on a only play as needed basis. For me after a hard days rehearsal and the three to five hours from the last loud closing chord of the last run through till show time(dinner plus travel time). That sometimes 2 hour warmup (routine) before a show really helped me loosen back up so I could play loud one more time before bed. Granted that it's not exactly warmup. But from a low brass perspective it makes a heck of a difference to ensure the best possible conditioning for the best possible show at the time of the show.

Although I can see where a lead player might want to play, but doing so would only decrease the possibility of the best show at the time of the show. Not that one will ever be able to play lead twelve hours a day, if they never play twelve hours in a given day. I've always been one to play during rehearsal and each run through as I would during the show. That way the staff is getting an honest picture of what needs to changed if anything. But then again, I've never been good at pacing myself. And I rarely play lead, and most times I don't choose to do so given a choice.

[Martybucs]

Perhaps playing lead as opposed to playing a lower part or lower brass requires a different type of warmup.

You can get too loose, IMO.

Just like sprinters don't want to get too loose. They need a certain amount of dynamic tension in their muscles to obtain a burst of speed when running.