This Piano Warm Up Routine Delivers Big Results

Did you know that as a pianist you are also an athlete? Musicians are athletes of the small muscles. There are actually physical therapists specially trained to work with musicians and the physical issues they encounter throughout their years of playing that are unique to being this type of an athlete.

Warming up is something we normally think of doing before a physical work out, such as running. Stretching our muscles and all of those connective ligaments and tendons help us to prevent injury during our workout and serve to allow our bodies to wake up a bit before putting so many demands on it.

It’s the same with practicing the piano or any other instrument. Taking the time to warm up before you start practicing the piano will enable you to play better, not hurt from straining your hands or wrists, and give you a feeling of connectedness to the piano before you really start on the hard work of practicing.

Over the years I’ve developed a beneficial process of what I use to warm up with before I start practicing or playing. Following this routine will take you through a step by step plan and after you try doing this yourself for several weeks, you’ll know it for memory and can adapt it to what you are working on at any time.

Here is my preferred piano warm up routine!

1. First, start with scales and arpeggios.
   • It’s OK if you don’t know all of your scales and arpeggios because this warmup time gives you the perfect time to practice them and learn them better each day. A great goal for learning your scales and arpeggios is to do a new/different one each day. Try starting with C.
   • Move up chronologically in order as you move through a new scale each day. This just means that you start on the scale that is ½ step above the one you did the day before.
   • Play as many octaves as you can or know each day moving up to 4 octaves of the same scale and arpeggio, at a time.
   • Go through this sequence of a new scale/arpeggio every day until you arrive back at C.
   • Next, you need to play through your minor scales and arpeggios the same way. Start with the Harmonic minors first, then you can add in the natural and melodic afterwards.
2. Second (and first!) Use your metronome.
   • Set the tempo at 60 = quarter note to start with for your scales and arpeggios.
   • Once you’ve mastered your notes at this speed - then move up two or three numbers and try again at this tempo.
   • Don’t set the metronome at a tempo that is too fast for you to play with successfully…meaning all of the notes are correct and you can play from one note to the next one easily.
3. Third - Sight reading:
   • Sight reading new music each day is a great way to warm up your brain power; similar to warming up your fingers and hands by starting with scales and arpeggios. It grabs our focus, keeps us alert and really brings us into the moment.
   • Pick something new to play that may seem a little easy to start with. Remember, you’ve never seen or played this music before, so you don’t want to get overwhelmed with a lot of new technical things…keep it simple and stick to what you know already.
   • Try to read/play through at least a page of new music each day. This can be several different short pieces that are maybe just a line each, or it can be a piece that is the whole page.
4. Fourth – Practice Arpeggios in Octaves
   • You will want to start out with this step very slowly. Try playing with both hands together…you can do it if you will go slowly enough.
   • Feel the form of your hand(s) as you play in this stretched position and as they move across the keyboard. Allow yourself and your hands to “learn” this form as you practice each day.
   • Accuracy is the main goal here. You don’t want to hit extra notes with your other fingers while moving up and down the keyboard. Aim to play just the 2 octave notes in each hand. Yes, your hand will be jumping all over the keyboard and this is one reason that this is such a great warm up exercise. It will get more comfortable each day…just keep at it!
5. Fifth – Finger Exercises
   • These types of exercises add on to what you started with your scales and arpeggios. They will increase your finger speed, knowledge of the keyboard, clear articulation, and accuracy.
   • Hanon Exercises are the best place to start for finger work. These etudes will really encourage the connection between the left and right hand by mirroring the notes in each hand for the duration of the exercise.
   • Czerny Exercises are the next best etudes to increase your technical abilities and challenge you so you can move on to more advanced pieces.
   • Examples of each will be in the video below.

Once you’ve mastered this routine and can sit down prepared ahead of time (mentally) for the scale, arpeggio, sight reading, and finger exercises that you have set to work on, you’ll really be connected, engaged both physically and mentally, and ready to successfully start working through any pieces that you’re working on; and really accomplish a lot.

​I’ve included a few extra things in the following video that you can add into your own warm up routine once this one feels familiar that will change things up a bit and keep it fun! 

If you like my tips and lessons, you will love the courses over on my website. Whether you are a beginner looking to get a solid foundation to build on or you are looking to take your existing skills to that next level, the online music courses on my website https://www.pianolessonsontheweb.com will help you do just that.