Do guitarists need a "warm-up"?

Excellent parallel points made comparing sport and/or exercise with guitar.double edge sword there.if you go to a gym and let's say just start weight lifting you are asking for trouble not warming up first.know this from both being a trainer and being trained.conversely with guitar it is different.You Can grab an axe and play as long a one knows the do's and don'ts of what to do and what not to.
like Pete Townshend says I just pick up my guitar and play just like yesterday.methinks it is personal preference or put another way what ever works for a player.personally find experimenting is my ticket to not getting bored or allowing any set pattern or drill as it were interfere with creativity.hey it works for me.

well chris, i hear what you're saying about music, but there's also moving effortlessly, and i've also heard music that actually seemed to pick me up off my butt and move me around. i'm not sure what category that falls under.

well chris, i hear what you're saying about music, but there's also moving effortlessly, and i've also heard music that actually seemed to pick me up off my butt and move me around. i'm not sure what category that falls under.
it seems Chris is just comparing the two ideas of what can or does work and what doesn't.as far as moving effortlessly that is experience on stage and in a studio for the most part,we have all heard music that moves us or picks us up and seems to make us move around.in general it could or would fall into the pop culture category however I've heard Zeppelin and Aerosmith tunes that do the same that I would not consider pop.fact is many artists of nearly every genre and style have done songs that pick one up and rather effortlessly I might add.ah the magic that can be done in a studio is not very often repeated live and on stage.here again there are exceptions to the ''rules''(for instance Jeff Beck) that never cease to amaze us.I do not consider any of Jeff's work pop for the record.much too stylish

Joe's warm up sounds like me wasting time during practicing haha! :lol:

Joe's warm up sounds like me wasting time during practicing haha! :lol:
I suppose it could look that way unless there is something you are looking for a way to start a good practice session although running licks and scales is pretty standard procedure and not really warmup which is a moot point anyway unless you gig a lot.

i think it depends on what you are about to play and under what condition. i was somewhere recently where i was to play in the cold and i couldn't move my fingers for a while. so a warm up can help and not to complicate things, i think warm up should just be running of your scale with speed and exercising of your fingers. so i think a warm up is essential.

understand about having to play outside in the cold.decades ago my band did the same in Canada and yes it is difficult to play out like that.also would agree warming up for such an event is a must however today going it alone in a warm sunny place dictates the ''have to'' warmup factor as a non issue.know what I mean Vern?

Mine isn't very specific. I just run through a bunch of scales and I use a bunch of different rhythmic patterns and change directions at different times. I think this helps warm up more picking patterns.

indeed scales and patterns are good.going directional even better as normally for me anyway it opens up other avenues to explore. oh and welcome spiritboy

Joe Satrioni spoke on this on youtube and even he agrees, every guitarist needs warming up. I play thru serveral scales up up and down the neck, then I'm okay to go

Joe Satriani spoke on this on youtube and even he agrees, every guitarist needs warming up. I play thru serveral scales up up and down the neck, then I'm okay to goyes it's a proven fact.although I have seen players start cold.best guess is they warm in a hurry.

I don't have a specific set in stone warm up routine, but I do think it is important to warm up before playing something demanding. As with sports - it takes some time for the muscle to get ready to play. When I do not warm up, I feel easily tired when playing demanding passages and also sometimes even pain.

I don't have a specific set in stone warm up routine, but I do think it is important to warm up before playing something demanding. As with sports - it takes some time for the muscle to get ready to play. When I do not warm up, I feel easily tired when playing demanding passages and also sometimes even pain. exactly.using the muscle analogy = good idea because in fact that is what you are doing.stretches,warm up,etc,in other words it is possible to start cold just not practical for a number of reasons.with guitar it is Not a ''no pain,no gain'' proposition as if attending a gym let's say.

I always warm up. Every day I pick a key, and run through scales, arpeggios, and chords in that key (and its relative minor) in all positions. I think it serves three purposes:

1. It limbers up my fingers for the work ahead
2. Since I do a different key every day, I'm reviewing every scale I might have a call for on a regular basis
3. It gets my head in the game - focus now, it's practice time

I always warm up. Every day I pick a key, and run through scales, arpeggios, and chords in that key (and its relative minor) in all positions. I think it serves three purposes:

1. It limbers up my fingers for the work ahead
2. Since I do a different key every day, I'm reviewing every scale I might have a call for on a regular basis
3. It gets my head in the game - focus now, it's practice timeexcellent.I concur with most.only dif might be it's not work but Is fun.ah yes focus is a must although when using three guitars the three purposes are still there being each one yields a different tone and sound and a lot of good fun also.