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Do you have a ritual or exercise that you like to do before you start playing, for practice or performance? If I remember to do it, I like to windmill my bow arm at shoulder and elbow and shake out the fingers and hand on the left. Just a bit to loosen up. But I always play this little ditty in A, nothing fancy, hitting the notes in the maj scale w/ a few double stops in there. This lets the ol muscle memory wake up, and freshen up the ear. I've noticed that if I don't get the chance to do this, it will take a tune or 2 to get into the groove.
So how about everyone else? An exercise or warm up tune? A stiff talking to, to the internal musician or a prayer to St. Paganini? Mental gymnastics? 20 pushups?
Maybe your ritual can help others!
Personally, I can't play right out of the box, have to go through the motions first. Look at pro golfers. They spend an hour warming up their swing before tee time, and even on the course you see them rehearsing the next shot as they approach the ball lay. The golf swing and violin bow stroke is so alien to the way our body normally moves, you just about have to remind the muscles every time.
10 min or so warmup. Right hand/arm: slow, long bows from frog/heel to tip until tone is pure. Left hand: an exercise moving individual fingers around with the other 3 anchored on the fretboard. Vibrato warmup, slow, then fast, arm and hand. Setting the hand frame playing octaves between index/pinky. A string crossing exercise. 15 min of scales after that, concentrating on coordination. Majors on MWF, minors T/Th.
In the event I can't do this (rehearsing with others, etc) I just do a couple long bows and let the first few tunes sound crummy.
I play through a couple of fiddle tunes slowly, not even keeping time really, just to get used to all of my fingers being in the right place.
1) wash my hands and use nail brush
2) take violin out of the case and turn it to add the shoulder rest
3) apply a lot of Pirastro gold on the bow hair (my luthier's choice , he said last time he had been looking up stuff and thought it would be a good choice for rosin and it is, I don't ever want to try another type :))
4) use my rosin spreader to divide the rosin equally over the bow hair
5) gently pick up my bow, check my bow hold and try to hold it as light as possible
6) check the tuning I am in and adjust the fine tuners while playing long bows strokes
And ready we are :-D
Edited by - Quincy on 01/10/2025 13:47:54
When I begin playing, I'm making sure everything is loosey. I just noodle around in maybe D or A doesn't matter which. While I'm doing this, I'm checking to see how lightly I can press the string and produce a clear tone, and the same with bow hold; light and loose, with short strokes. I may continue like this as I play the first tune of the day, but eventually this evolves into full tone with dynamics and bow accents. Technical exercises and other stuff are spread out over the session. I don't have performance ritual, we get to the gig, set up, take a break then into it....
Naw, I recon I just sit down and play. But I think I've stumbled upon a thing to play that's something of a springboard that can take me into new places. (No, it's not a 12bar Blues) We'll see.
Edited by - farmerjones on 01/11/2025 05:23:37
Soak the hands in hot water so that the piglets will wiggle a little bit better.
quote:
Originally posted by bacfireSoak the hands in hot water so that the piglets will wiggle a little bit better.
You know, that is true!!
As for pre-play, when I'm learning a tune I leave my fiddle/bow out on a table and will go to it maybe 20 times a day and just play one part of a tune that I want to learn. Hand-brain coordination works but the MOMENT that I get ever a Little confused with a tune I put down the fiddle and leave it until a little later.. Over the years I've learned that brain fatigue sets in with any new task and I don't want to practice with a frustrated brain (hate when that happens)... Slow but steady with the Complete Knowledge that with patience and time there is no tune I can't learn unless it just get Tired of it!!! So for me it is ALWAYS pre play!! (got back on topic).
I get in tune ...all over.
Edited by - tonyelder on 01/12/2025 09:11:47
Interesting question. My instinct is to just say, "no routine," but I've observed myself a little. Check the tuning, almost always play a double stop with index and ring fingers (G-b, d-f#) and then buzz a quick scale in D or G. If I'm going to need it I'll play couple Bb and B scales, but literally just quick and dirty, mostly reminding my ring finger to reach a little farther. Them I'm off and running with whatever I picked the fiddle up for in the first place.
Edited by - ChickenMan on 01/12/2025 17:20:00
I tune the fiddle referencing the 440 A from my Seiko battery-powered metronome. I bow slow up and down strokes on each open string until I'm relaxed and comfortable. Then I slowly make my way up various major scales, usually starting with D. Then, finally, I let my fingers conjure up whatever tune/melody/riff they seem to want to play. If it's jazz riffs in Bb, so be it.
Normally, I do 15 minutes of play along of scales and apreggios exercises from Gordon Stobbe’s “ Red Book”.
But a weird habit I have is that whenever I am going to play a tune in the key of C; I first play the opening couple of measures “Alabama jubilee” which was the first tune I learned in the key of C. It somehow gets my intonation right.
Edited by - stumpkicker on 01/17/2025 06:09:23
I generally open a beer.
*Loosen shoulders and hands.
* Tune to a single tone, preferably a "D", sometimes an "A" for the E string if it's not behaving. My E string is the string that fluctuates the most. Check tuning with tuner.
*Adjust bow tension.
*Long bows starting on open strings, then some double stop with drones.
*Take a 5 min break.
*Noodle on last thing played from day before.
*Double stops.
Back when I was doing a lot of playing my warm up was to play the banjo for the first 45 minute set, abstain from alcohol until the second set lol.
I read a post where the author described how an internationally famous fiddler soaked his hands in warm water before playing. That makes sense. It stimulates circulation. I am going to start doing that. Then scales using slow longbow strokes, Finish playing with a some exercises for ornaments and less common but useful bowing techniques.
Whisky...A nice blend, (Chivas Regal), or a single malt loosens the arm and calms the nerves.
Nothing quite like a good single malt. Speyside or Islay, Highland in a pinch.
Tonight starts with a London dry gin martini, lemon peel garnish. Our lads won today and I'm celebrating with some tunes.
quote:
Originally posted by ChickenManNothing quite like a good single malt. Speyside or Islay, Highland in a pinch.
Tonight starts with a London dry gin martini, lemon peel garnish. Our lads won today and I'm celebrating with some tunes.
Maggini fiddles and dry martinis? We may have been separated at birth. 
Y'know, I've heard a bunch of these fellars up thread play. Maybe I shouldn't be so cavalier about preparation?
"Maggini fiddles and dry martinis". Sounds like the title of a tune! maybe "Maggini's And Martinis" ?
Our session warms up with slow jigs...
( thank heaven we don't launch right into the reels! )
At home I also warm up with slow tunes...
& after, I try to stretch wrists/fingers (gettin' old! & battling ole RSI* that's always lurking)
*RSI = repetitive stress injury. Mine caused by moves requiring big reaches on classical guitar. My hand swelled up one morning, and I didn't play an instrument for a year...so I'm careful now! Learned my lesson...
quote:
Originally posted by pete_fiddleWhisky...A nice blend, (Chivas Regal), or a single malt loosens the arm and calms the nerves.
This here. I didn't want to appear to abuse, so didn't mention it earlier but a little whisky smooths out my bow immensely. Especially the home-made 180-proof.
First, I usually wash my hands. I often notice that my nails are looking a bit shabby, so its time for a trip to Susie's "Old Saigon" salon for a touchup. During the holidays I've been enjoying metallic gemstone colors, inspired by Christmas ornaments - emerald green, sapphire blue, ruby red, amethyst. I've added little dots of these colors to my Christmas music book, so I can still play "Away in a Manger" after a little too much eggnog. I think its time to switch to a patriotic theme for President's Day, or something for Black History Month.
While washing my hands I also sometimes notice my makeup needs a little touchup too. I can tell you no fiddler looks good if they'been out in the rain and their mascara is running. At this point I've usually forgotten what it was I wanted to play in the first place, so I just put my fiddle back in the case. There is no fiddle tune you might want to play today that can't wait till tomorrow. I don't ever play scales or long bowing exercises.
Hope this helps.
Edited by - DougD on 02/16/2025 07:05:46
Oh, the humor is strong with this one.
I'll do a serious one. None of this is ritual, more about building up to a long gig and managing nerves if any folks are curious on those topics.
I don't play every day, and my endurance suffers, so the week before I have a big 3 hour dance I do the exercises I use for hand strength. I come from the classical word, these are little repeating one string patterns (good old Schradiek first page) and playing a few common scales in 3rds, 6ths, and octaves. Now, none of that is for the faint of heart.
Other players will swear by suuuuper slow practice, including my college professor of violin the late Lynn Blakeslee and oddly, Huck Tritsch of the Wild Shoats (listen to my interview to hear the description of this- it's crazy!).
Day of preforming it depends. For a jam where I know I may have to lead tunes, I will absolutely look over my session notes or my Old-Time binder. For a bigger show I will not eat too much, that never sits well, and if I find myself feeling anxious I do box breathing (equal breath in, hold, out, hold) or cyclic sigh (two sharp breaths in through nose, slow exhale through mouth) to manage. If I'm playing with other people, I try to focus on playing with them, rather than on myself or the audience or dancers.
I'll point you to two episodes you may find useful. On is me talking about this from the perspective of a violin teacher who works with children and teens. The other person who talked about this podcast from different perspective recently was Austin Scelzo.
Maybe I should have a ritual. Um...rosining my bow?
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