Warm Ups

Ok, so you're brilliant at guitar and you're wondering "what warm ups should I be doing to help me get even better (if thats possible)" Well, that's what I'm going to try to help you with. Below I've made up a list of warm ups. Pick a few of them and practise them to death. They'll strengthern your fingers and make you a better guitarist. Please note that you can use any tuning for these warm ups, because the sound doesn't matter.

Warm Up 1 - This is actually a riff from "Master Of Puppets" by Metallica:
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-----2-----3-----4-----3-----2-2-----3-----4-----|
|-0-1---0-1---0-1---0-1---0-1-----0-1---0-1-------|

Just repeat this over and over again until you can play it really well. This isn't the whole riff, and if you want the whole riff, get the tab for the song.

Warm Up 2
|-----------------------------------------1-2-3-4-|
|---------------------------------1-2-3-4---------|
|-------------------------1-2-3-4-----------------|
|-----------------1-2-3-4-------------------------|
|---------1-2-3-4---------------------------------|
|-1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------|

I use this one a lot to warm up, and found it really useful at first, when I had just started.

Warm Up 3
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------17-18-19-20-|
|-------------------------17-18-19-20-------------|
|-------------17-18-19-20-------------------------|
|-17-18-19-20-------------------------------------|

Ok, so this is pretty much the same as warm up 2, but doing this is harder on the lower strings at higher frets! You can do this on strings 1 and 2 as well if you want, but I don't because it's too easy on these strings.

Warm Up 4
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3-|
|-1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3-|
|-1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3p1h5p1h3-|

This may look hard to start with, but it will help you greatly with hammer ons and pull offs and fourth note powerchords. Use your 1st finger for the 1s and your 2nd for the 3s, and finally your pinky finger for the 5s. Remember: don't cheat and use different fingers, or you'll never get anywhere!

Warm Up 5
|-----------------------------------------5-3-2-9-|
|-----------------------------------------3-1-0-7-|
|-------------------------------0/12-12\0---------|
|---------------------0/12-12\0-------------------|
|-----------0/12-12\0-----------------------------|
|-0/12-12\0---------------------------------------|

Here you can practise some slides and powerchords at the end. Feel free to change any notes at the start or ends of the slides, or use different powerchords. It's actually better if you try out different things. Not only does this encourange improvisation, but will be more beneficial to you. There you go, 5 useful warm ups. I hope to post another article soon with more. I hope you find these useful.

-George Frost for Ultimate Guitar ([e-mail])

Comments

[Metallica45]

sweet. I play enter sand man and cat scratch fever for my warm ups.

[0000409D]

its cool!

[shadowsfall]

cool warm-ups are the intro parts to slayers "raining blood" and "south of heaven" and pantera's "this love"

[CrAzYmOfO2424]

i dont warm up. im always ready to shred thre fretboard to peices.

[rockers_214]

looks good to me, cool warm ups

[rockers_214]

warm up no.2 is a basic one
all the others are very useful

[Frank16]

great stuff, thanx!!!

[lush247]

Thanks for the tips...Great!

[Jericho_13]

hey, one of the all time best warmups is AC-DC 's Thunderstruck, it works your speed, accuraccy, and pulloffs. (plus it sounds wicked too hahah)

[PhatassMcCheeks]

warm ups are gay just play, that's better than warming up

[phineas]

thanks,nice tips.

[Mr. Bungle]

i find doing major or minor sweeps help alot.

[cynical]

i dont warm up either, if anything id play better when i dont

[Naktul]

Cool warm ups, thnx for the tips.

[evvo_gc_fan]

good warmups

[evvo_gc_fan]

i play similar ones

[4boomer4]

pretty helpful. i already use the master of puppets riff when i play with band tho

[nicko523]

The intro to Escape From Hellview by CKY is a good warmup as well.

[Kealan]

warm up 2 is probably the most beneficial to me as i hardly use my little finger, thats a good one to use for practice

[adamsmith]

i find otherside by chillis is good for warm up

[metOLIca]

i always play master os puppets main riff..for like getting warmed up...then i stred out the solo...really gets your fingers warmed u like a mother..i also sometimes add the open note on the second warm up

D|-----------------
----0-1-2-3-4-|
A|------
-----0-1-2-3-4-----------
| and so on...
E|-0-1-2-3-4------
---------------|

just think it sounds a little cooler...(play it really really fast)

[metOLIca]

k that went a bit wierd dunno why...sure you can see it though |-0-1-2-3-4-|

[strigoi_vii]

these warm-ups are helpful.. but i find them helpful to a beginner. i usually warm-up to something by dream theater or symphony x. good job though

[DamagedJustice]

Metallica kicks ass alright! I like these warm ups. Helpful cus I needa build up my pinky

[strychnine_slut]

That is really great, thanks : )

[punkdosntdie]

I play dueling banjos alot for warm up

[Johnnyboyjca]

pretty good

[psykopicker88]

this kicks major ass

[Whitematter33]

ok ONe question, How do you do hammer ons with your pinky and do it a power cord. My hand cant stretch that far, and if I let go of my first finger on the 1s then I don't have a hammer one anymore.. Please help

[fatbassist]

cheers i've been looking for decent exercises for ages! x

[Gr1m R34p3r]

cool

[bLoWn]

good warm ups... however not great or brilliant

[Dethwolf]

Some good warm ups are for whom the bell tolls by metallica and the intro to sweet child O mine Guns N Roses

[Shodan82]

Nice! This helps a lot!

[Spanner]

I use colorado bulldog by Mr big for my warm ups, harderst song you will evr encounter (Paul Gilbert)

[thestudent]

good lesson iam trying though

[angastig08]

this will help me a lot!TNX!

[Dizze]

this sux, it dosnt really help me, and metallica is over raided

[stutterfly]

this stuff is pretty great thanks!

[guitarhero5t]

it ios easy if you make up your own riffs as warmups. i have several riffs i made that i use as warmups, and i have an entire number that i end with.

[A1D3N-T4B]

ok a question, i am havnt been playing long so. bare with me here. how do you slide from a 0. i.e 0/12 ?
how is that possible

[DK-Guitarist]

good warmups. i use the method 2 alot

[DK-Guitarist]

i use warm-up 2 alot

[splice]

great lesson man
=D

[livestrong]

pretty good, warm up 2 was good

[Guitar-God-Elf]

DK-Guitarist wrote:

good warmups. i use the method 2 alot

hey i was wondering that to man!

[Guitar-God-Elf]

A1D3N-T4B wrote:

ok a question, i am havnt been playing long so. bare with me here. how do you slide from a 0. i.e 0/12 ?
how is that possible

hey i was wondering that to man!i quoted rong on the last one bare with me

[CheeseMuffin909]

Cool little set of warmups.

[battleaxe]

I think playing scales(only using pull offs and hammer ons )for warmups is gonna help u alot

[alex-aka-tezza]

[b]Guitar-God-Elf[
/b] wrote:

A1D3N-T4B wrote:

ok a question, i am havnt been playing long so. bare with me here. how do you slide from a 0. i.e 0/12 ?
how is that possible
hey i was wondering that to man!i quoted rong on the last one bare with me

someone like spanner do lessons for us beginners

[alex-aka-tezza]

[b]Guitar-God-Elf[
/b] wrote:

A1D3N-T4B wrote:

ok a question, i am havnt been playing long so. bare with me here. how do you slide from a 0. i.e 0/12 ?
how is that possible
hey i was wondering that to man!i quoted rong on the last one bare with me

someone like spanner do lessons for us that tell us how to do EVERYTHING!!coz all this stuff is just confusing when ur a beginner

[fingersofflame]

pretty neat...

[wimm83]

master of puppets riff is pretty good for practice. also great lesson

[lucretia_45]

CrAzYmOfO2424 wrote:

i dont warm up. im always ready to shred thre fretboard to peices.

your not gunna be able to play wen your older your wrists and fingers will e killing you, you better start warming up or else your gunna start goin backwards in your playing

[i_love_H.I.M]

I play Black Sabbath's Iron Man, & N.I.B, & S.O.A.D's B.Y.O.B as some of my warm-ups.

[reubenc]

show off

[Qaphela]

CrAzYmOfO2424 wrote:

i dont warm up. im always ready to shred thre fretboard to peices.

good for you.

[s11pkn07]

thnx for the warm-up ideas. i never did any warm-ups cause i didnt know what to do.

[Floyal]

Amazing warm-ups seriously...

[supersolus666]

man i cant play exercise three you have to have small fingers for that

[sTx]

Um. Can I copy some of your stuff. I'm writing a lesson myself on warm-ups?

[Shreddist]

Good stuff... very helpful. I usually jam some At The Gates riffs to warm up... always a healthy work out.

[E_xiLe]

hehe, i play the pre-chorus riff in seek and destroy or just some up and down the neck..REALLY fast man :P

[jayvader]

cheers man

[sTx]

Warmnup No.2 is best for beginners who want to get good at alternate picking.

[Disturbinator]

to answer the question about sliding 0/12 ...
its where u play the open string, and then do a smooth action with ur finger coming down onto the fretboard starting somewhere near the nut and then slide all the way up the neck to wherver you want... in this case, 12 fret.
the point is to get a smooth motion, the notes in the middle dont matter at all... its just the starting not(open string) and ending note(12)...
practice a little and ull be doing it in ur sleep..

[webbster87]

my hands are to small for number 4 the hammer ons

[gamejokerr]

warm up no 1 and 2 is good

[gatesofdelirum]

very nice, many thanks

[Rossticles]

these are good warm ups but i have to say metalica suck but hey try this one out

|-----10-12-10-----|
|-----10-13-----13-10----
-|
|-----9-12-----12-9-----|

|-----10-12-----12-10|
|-----10-12-----|
|-10-12-----|

|-----|
|-----|
|-----| Just go all the way down then all the w
|-----| Way back up
|-12-10-----|
|-----12-10-|

[Rossticles]

ignore this it hasent went on right

[Razah]

Jump in the Fire By Metallica is a good one too.

[samick/fender]

CrAzYmOfO2424 wrote:

i dont warm up. im always ready to shred thre fretboard to peices.

you should warm up you have like tendonitus and ton of crap when you older >_

[sum_ugly_man]

PhatassMcCheeks wrote:

warm ups are gay just play, that's better than warming up

dude warm ups are not gay...cus if you are rusty...its not fun to play man...

[September01]

heres what i like to do to warm-uponly use E, A, and D)

D----454--
A--47---74
E-5-----Repeat then drop a string

[September01]

woops a put a smily face in mine by accident

[September01]

heres what i like to do to warm-uponly use E, A, and D)

D----454---
A--47---74-
E-5-----5 Repeat then drop a string

[September01]

whoops didnt mean to put a smily there

[VanHerren]

playing warm-up 2 from the top down is good, but also playing from the bottom up as part of the same sequence is more benificial becaus u get double the work.

[~ac-dc~]

The master of puppets warm up is a good technique ive mastered it at about 210 Tempo

[FrettnFretMan]

Beginer stuff but still fun to refresh the basics. Metallica is always good for speed.My advice...practice hard, Play even Harder!!!!

[6sic6_blank]

I usually do the second method, but ascend by moving a fret up over each string. So I end up from the first fret of the E string, to the eleventh fret of the same string.

Then I play through the Blues Penatonic scale. Did I spelt Penatonic right?

[ZeroAvix]

Warm-up 1 is pretty useful. Since I started (2 months ago-ish) I always do warm-up 2, forwards and backwards and skipping strings. Great to practice alternate picking too.

[--alexcp--]

how much time should i do each warmup???

[smith]

I though it was great!