When I pick up my guitar i you'gilly start off my playing scales and going faster and i use some down stroking scales.... and i find i can never get warmed up quick enough.. like i'll be playing like some slayer... or some sepultura and my arm tends to go num or begins start hurting up by the bycep... you'gilly when i start alternate picking extremely quick... i do use streches but it still tends to do that until i get warmed up which takes like 20 min you'gilly... i wanted to know if anyone could lend me some tips on getting warmed up faster and some good streching tips.. thx in advance

Okay, first:

Stop that.

Now, you're saying your right bicep gets sore when you start playing songs? And all you do to warm up is to run up and down scales at increasing speeds? It sounds to me as though you're doing a decent warm up for lead, but not one that prepares you in any way for the pounding monotony of thrash rhythm. Basically go through a progression of ever-increasing chug riffs to get your right hand up to the speed an precision you need. Don't just jump into picking the E as fast as you can; play a slower song or two first.

As for the length of time: Though it's been years since I found my arm sore just because of regular playing, it does take me about as long as you to get my right hand properly tight. By which I mean able to take on just about anything I can. I don't know of any way around it, and don't really mind it.

I'm sure someone with a more disciplined warm up can be more helpful.

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yea... i guess i just try to rush in to shredding stuff when i havent even warmed up... but could you give me an example of a chug riff?

Chugged riff is like palm muted power chords, like Dun dun dun dun dun dun .. Yeah.

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Yea i'll try that out

play along to master of puppets a few times, thatl warm u up, but ul be sick of the song after a while

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i used to be like you

especially before i was about to play a set
but now im over it

keep practicing and be confident and you will get over it too

Thx guys

Alot of guiatrists tend to tense up and get tired when they play higher energy music. That's why not to many guiatrists can play thrash and death properly and accurately. Don't tense up. Put yourself in a state of mind where you are one with the guitar and it is simply another appendage. Don't think about your audience or any few number of people that might be listening to you perform. Just think about the pick hitting the string accurately. I know I sound like I'm teaching you karate or something, but it does work. Learn to concentrate, and you will overcome.

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Yeah, I just mess about for 20 minutes playing improvised "chug riffs" before scales, then my arms and fingers are warmed up. And when it hurts, keep going until you can't move your arm at all and the next time you'll be able to play for longer without your arm aching, eventually you'll be able to play for ages.

If you can, learn an entire album of a songs that you love....than try and play the whole album all the way through on your guitar while you listen to the album. That has helped me get very fast and have a lot stamina as well.

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I usually warm up with some random scale tapping and some Psycroptic. Good for both rhythm and lead!

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scale tapping, I would like to know what that is exactly....

sounds like a good idea, ill have to try that out to like an iced earth album, mucho galopping, that would be a good stamina test.

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quite simple. you tap. following scale patterns.

I meant it more like "random scales" than "scale tapping".

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sounds pretty hard to do correctly, I can only reall tap constantly on one string.

Yeah, I totally fart around for my warmup.

I do some basic finger exercises (like the 4 notes/string chromatic scale) up and down the neck. Then, I just simply improvise on the guitar for about 20 minutes. If something starts to sound good while improvising, I try to develop it and the such.

If I actually have a practice plan, I usually just start out slow and try to memorize the new material at a slow pace.

Of course, I 'do' wear a warm-up suit. I find when my arms and wrists are cold, I play super slow. I gotta be warmed up from the inside out first. Wear a pink sweater and blue ankle socks like the chicks in the '80s! Maniac, Maniac.

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I think he means tap the scale out with your fretting hand while not picking the string. In order to be heard you have to put a little more energy into your fretting action so it warms your fingers up faster.

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i just do basic excercises like

1-2-3-4 on the e
1-2-3-4 on a ect

then go up to
12-13-14-15

the somethin like
1-2-1-3-1-4 (hint if you play that backwards 4-3-4-2-4-1 it really helps to strengthen up your pinky!)on all strings then ill play some riffs that use all fingers like the MOP riff and jump in the fire some sabbath riff and this pantera thing. then just kinda fuck around for a little while longer tapping or little leady runs sweeps whatever floats my boat ya know

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yea i'll try all kinds of things out you'gilly what i do know is wait till im totally warmed up inside and then just play master of puppets twice or threw times and im ready to go... but i down stroke the hole song so it really warms me up fast
thx

srry about that i didn't realize i was on friends account.. he has his thing to remember me... :S o well anywho... thx