Rick Dior on Warming Up before playing

Rick Dior is the best teacher/performer I've ever found on the Internet in his comprehensive knowledge of percussion, drums of so many styles. I watched the video and started the stretches as he showed, great points being made here. If he does it regularly, I certainly would have to.
Amazing lessons for free from Rick.
 
On this topic... does anyone else not warm up before gigs? I pretty much never do any kind of warm up before any show. The most I'll do is wear a hoodie for the first song or two.

When I'm practicing though, I make sure to take a good 15 minutes to get my hands loose.

It depends on the gig. I used to do a lot of different types of gigs when I was younger.
Big Band gigs: yeah...I needed to warm up. The first tune was usually a "barn burner"...really up-tempo charts. I couldn't go in cold.

Orchestra gigs: That depended on what instrument(s) I was playing, and at what point in the concert the piece(s) occurred. For instance, Ravel's "Bolero" would sometimes be the "opener". I usually played the snare drum part, so, since it required unbelievable control in the beginning, I would do pianissimo rolls as the orchestra was warming up. If we were doing something really demanding like one of the Rachmaninoff symphonies, they would either be the second or third piece in the first half of the concert or the last piece of the concert. So warming up before the concert or during intermission was sometimes pointless. The hands just got "cold" again.

Musical Theater/Club Dates(weddings, engagement parties, etc)/Jazz Piano Trios(the main gig I play now): Never. You'd be surprised how warmed up my hands get setting up the kit. Twisting wing nuts on stands/holders does wonders for me as far as stretching is concerned.
 
I have found over the past few years (53 now) that I have to warm my hands up for about an hour before we play else I will struggle badly with cramp. Lots & lots of stretching. Especially of my fingers & thumbs.
 
I never used to warm up but started religiously doing so 3-4 years ago for every gig. I found that it consistently took 3-4 songs in to find and sink into the groove. But then, why waste the first three songs waiting to feel good?

I bring a pad and sometimes an extra throne. If it's a bar gig I just warn up at my kit playing the pad where my 2nd floor tom would be and my feet on the floor. If it's a stage/festival gig, I'll use the extra throne off stage.
 
I watched a bit of that yesterday. His channel is by far my favorite, but sometimes find it discouraging as a part time hobby drummer. I can barely find that time to play each day let alone warm up like that. He has other videos that also remind me that I’ll never be a high level drummer. I think that’s why in person instruction is so important. The instructor needs to work with the student at their current level and work towards realistic goals based on skill, time, age, etc.

Sorry got a little off tack there. I have been stretching and warming up more than ever, things I learned through his other videos.
 
I watched a bit of that yesterday. His channel is by far my favorite, but sometimes find it discouraging as a part time hobby drummer. I can barely find that time to play each day let alone warm up like that. He has other videos that also remind me that I’ll never be a high level drummer. I think that’s why in person instruction is so important. The instructor needs to work with the student at their current level and work towards realistic goals based on skill, time, age, etc.

Sorry got a little off tack there. I have been stretching and warming up more than ever, things I learned through his other videos.
I'd have to agree that as great a teacher as Rick is, his content assumes the viewers are high level-intermediate to advanced. I also love the way he demos all his extensive gear in sufficient detail. He not only has everything, but multiples of those everythings. I think his primary orientation is geared for students aspiring to become full time musicians or musicians looking to fine tune their skill sets.
It would be incredibly productive to take personalized lessons from him.

Some of his percussion videos were easier to catch on to for me than the advanced drills on the drum set or even the congas/bongos.
I can follow his instructions on the surface level but acutally practicing them can be very challenging. His drumset book is incredible but very advanced. Just working on 1 page or even 1 measure takes me a while to integrate. Some pages I can't even fathom. There's enough in that one book for years of beneficial practicing without getting bored.
He's also got some crazy level coordination exercises with the hi hats-- ostinatos, opening and closing, splashing, etc. that are played along with the hands. Good stuff overall! :D
 
On this topic... does anyone else not warm up before gigs? I pretty much never do any kind of warm up before any show. The most I'll do is wear a hoodie for the first song or two.

When I'm practicing though, I make sure to take a good 15 minutes to get my hands loose.

I always warm up for personal practice. For gigs, usually not.

Most days I get two blocks of practice time in. First thing in the morning, and mid/late afternoon. A few laps around the kit after setup/soundcheck at the venue, and I am usually good to go.
 
Dior is among the best online teachers. He really knows his shite. I never "warmed up" as a teen, while playing six nights a week in rock and roll saloons. Are you kidding? All I needed was pot, cigarettes, and a girl to try and impress. I'm now 67 and you can bet your boots I have to warm up. I've got a bum shoulder and a stiff back, and I need to ready myself for gigs. That includes a couple of advils, a dropper of cbd oil, and a half hour at the pad. I do, however, feel that I'm a better drummer than I've ever been. I dropped drumming for some years to raise a son and work my newspaper gig. Hit the shed once again at 50 and I've never stopped. Damn, it surely takes a long time to learn something new at this age. But I'm in there, blasting away at the rust every morning. I also lead a band of extra fine musicians who require that I stay in shape.
 
I warm up with a super-slow version of the Stone Killer exercise, with sticks raised all the way over my head between strokes. Then I do a very slow version of that with the feet. Then I play a super-slow version of the money beat for several minutes, again with very high stick heights, both open-handed and closed-handed.
 
For all physical activities, "warming up" has literal significance. It's not so much about stretching muscles and tendons as it is about elevating blood flow and body temperature. Optimal circulation discourages strain and injury. This is why weightlifters often warm up on a stationary bike or a treadmill before a resistance workout.

When I begin a practice session, I usually start on a pad and wear a jacket, keeping my upper body insulated. I execute single-stroke and double-stroke rolls for a while, relatively slowly, as well as several patterns from "Stick Control." When I move to my drum set, I play straightforward beats for a few minutes with simple fills to loosen up. When I feel warm, my jacket comes off, and I'm ready to roll.
 
When Rick Dior talks, I listen! I am going through the video and taking notes and I am going to start stretching now!

When he said to start a warm up slow, and does single handed 16th at 90 bpm, well that seems pretty darn fast to me! But he does say that he gets 8 to 9 hours of practice time a day, so his slow is my fast, I guess!

I love all his videos and I'm going through his " All American Drummer" videos. I thought I had that book down pretty well, but he takes most of those solos at tempos I can barely keep up with. Good thing YouTube has the slow down feature!
 
Igoe’s lifetime warm-ups are pretty good. I might do a run or two at a slower than a higher tempo and I’m good.

I’ve also tried the clapping exercise prescribed by JoJo Mayer which is a good compromise when I’m away from the kit and don’t have time to practice with sticks before I start the gig.
 
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