Takes me forever to warm up?

[Bluemonk]

Originally Posted by Thisisme

Anyway I wanted to show to them I have the chops which I do, i feel im good enough to play dicky betts and duane allman stuff but i cant physically play there stuff unless iv been playing for well over an hour, my fingers slip and any fast run my fingers just stop and slow down, so basically i showed to people that by far im not good enough for this position when in reality I am.

This may be the key. The need to prove your prowess to others could be debilitating. I suggest that you try to shift your attitude away from trying to prove yourself and just immerse yourself in the music.

[Thisisme]

Originally Posted by massimo

But, besides stage fright, how long does it take you guys since the moment you pick up the guitar before you play to the best of your capabilities? I mostly mean "mechanical" rehearsal. Maybe this is what the OP was meaning? For me it has to be at least one hour, two better...The first minutes it is as if I am a total beginner, really- and I have been gigging and recording for almost 50 years

So for me it could vary but yea generally it was after an hour or two. People who jammed with me would also point out that I was significant better after a long while. Like I say I’m getting better at it. There’s a guy I know where I live and he is out of this world good. Sort of guy that plays a few notes and you can tell he’s the best player in town. I’ve seen him play with his band and I’ve also seen him at jam nights and he probably hasn’t played his guitar that day and as soon he picks it up he can play to his maximum playability the moment he starts playing. My oh my how I Envy that Ability

[Mandobart]

I was interested to see the follow-up. We'll likely never learn if this is the only area of life the OP has this challenge with or if it's part of a bigger physiological issue.

To answer the more recent question of how long it takes us all to reach our "best" level - I don't have a hard and fast answer for myself. I work a full time job and have other responsibilities. I don't have the time to devote a full hour plus of warm-up before going to play with friends or do a gig.

I show up, load out, set up, tune up and play. I'm good enough cold out the box to do what I need. We structure our sets so we open with a fast driving song we all know very well. I warm up as I play.

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by massimo

But, besides stage fright, how long does it take you guys since the moment you pick up the guitar before you play to the best of your capabilities?

Difficult to answer this as the 'best of my capabilities' seems to be more dependent on emotional and mental factors than physical ones.

I can do a warmup in 5 minutes, although I prefer 10. That will get me ready to play a short set anywhere, anytime.
However this is NOT peak level!

A typical performance might require me to be within 60-85% of my peak capabilities. That is more achievable than a bullseye ever single time!

If I have ever hit 100% peak level, it was either in a recording studio or rehearsal - NEVER performance.

Performances for me are always a compromise in some way. I reduce my expectations accordingly.

[CharlieBman]

99% of the time the thing that promotes a poor performance is the crap going through my head. I've been playing long enough that autopilot kicks in early. But if I veer off course it's because what going on in my head isn't connected to what my fingers are doing.

[min7b5]

I have a regular early morning warm-up routine that is part literal warm-up and part woo woo.

I usually do my heaviest actual guitar practice early in the morning. As the day goes on my playing is more teaching, writing.. On and off, and a bit random. But in that crucial early morning real practice-centered time, I start off in the kitchen with my hands, soaking in hot soapy water (sometime seated epson salt) in an old serving bowl that I got from my mother and has been in the family for fifty years -the sentiment actually helps I think. It really makes my hands feel a lot better.

As for the other part; I’ve been lucky enough in my career to play with three absolute top-notch studio/sideman players to the stars, and if there’s anything I’ve taken away from working with them it is how they are just seemingly always immediately and completely in the zone. They're like buddhas and guitar playing is meditation -fully present not bogged down by the monkey mind going all over the place. I've also learned that it can be cultivated. So to that end, for my ten minutes of soaking in hot water, I do a simple meditation practice on an app I have. Ten minutes later I’m toweling off, freshening up my coffee and hitting the guitar in a solid undistracted frame of mine, with hands that feel young again – if only for a while

[12FanMan]

Originally Posted by Thisisme

Iv had this problem the whole 20 years iv been playing guitar. I do hand exercises but most of the time it still takes me usually well over an hour of playing to play to my maximum level. Its not just a subtle thing its really noticeable, people who know me point it out and are just as baffled as i am. Its frustrating, im a good player and its a curse. It really hit hard when i was at a jam night and got speaking with people to start an AllmanBrothers project. I live in the UK and they aint big other here so it was my one and only chance. Anyway I wanted to show to them I have the chops which I do, i feel im good enough to play dicky betts and duane allman stuff but i cant physically play there stuff unless iv been playing for well over an hour, my fingers slip and any fast run my fingers just stop and slow down, so basically i showed to people that by far im not good enough for this position when in reality I am. It means every gig i do i have to chor away for two hours before a gig before I become fluent and literally 5 times better. It was heartbreaking. Not because im eager to show off a level of skill but because I wont be starting an Allman brothers band now

I know everyone needs time to warm up and i see it at gigs, players become much better and fluent halfway through the gig but with me its on a whole different level.
Its not fair why do I have to be like this and how does everyone else watm up because maybe there’s something i can do to help. It would be a dream to pick up my guitar and 20 - 30 minutes later i can play to me full potential

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I'll add my two cents worth, though for free.

Many medications cause unforeseen side effects, even if not listed in the literature. Try to find out when the problem started. Then, check your medical record for any med changes that were instituted about that time. See if you get any correlation. Also, look2c if any OTHER symptoms emerged about the same time you started having this problem. There are occasions when a medication change can clash with another medication....or simply lose its effectiveness...necessitating a switch. A bit of research as to the side effects of the meds you may be taking may also reveal problems you never anticipated. Of course, bounce all this off your physician.

I never look up side effects when my physician prescribes something for me. That avoids projecting symptoms that may never emerge. I do, however, look them up when I start to experience unacceptable effects. Then, I return to my doc for a discussion thereof.

Finally, take a look at your sleep patterns. Lack of (or decrease in) quality REM sleep can mess with your brain in all sorts of ways...and some meds are known to inhibit REM sleep.

Parenthetically, I am neither a physician, nor do I play one on TV.