How long does it take you to "warm up"?

[Richard Sinkler]

Well, I started warming up in 1970. I figure I'll be ready to go sometime in 2024.

Actually, I am pretty much ready to go after picking to adjust levels and after sound check.

[Dale Rottacker]

As long as it takes for my legs to go to sleep, but by then it's an exercise in futility anyhow.

[Roger Rettig]

I like Earnest's response.

[Roger Rettig]

When I was doing the Summer season gig in Medora, ND, the weather could be pretty brisk:

I welcomed the intense cold. My hands were numb and I had the perfect excuse for not being able to play things that were beyond me whatever the weather might be.

Some of those fast Hal Rugg double-stop intros I was asked to replicate come to mind.

[Steve Leal]

I alway warm up about 10 minutes before playing by turning the volume off and going down the strings 1234,2345,3456,etc. Middle finger, pointer, thumb, thumb, repeat down. Then up the strings from 10 9 8 7, 9876, etc. thumb pointer, middle, middle. Then try alternate fingers like middle, middle, pointer, thumb, etc. This is an exercise Travis Toy says he uses. Works great for me to gain dexterity and comfort for the first song.

[Sam Conomo]

About 52 years,but no one is counting ,hey.
Sam.

[Bobby Hearn]

Depends on what time I start drinking.

[Peter Leavenworth]

If I have time I use a tiny headphone amp with headphones to just do a few exercises that limber up my right hand fingers and left hand movement. I find that I just need to re-familiarize my hands and brain to the feel of the string spacing and pedal/lever action. 3 - 5 minutes and I'm as good as it's gonna get. If I don't have time for headphones I just play quietly, it's the hands and concentration that puts me in a place to begin. For me it makes a huge difference compared to a cold start.

[John Goux]

The 5 minutes between the shot of tequila and the Advil.
J

[Steve Spitz]

For me , it’s more about trying to relax. That takes me a while longer at times, mostly because I’m a bit of a psycho.

For me, it’s harder to relax than to warm up.

It’s usually after a brutal load in with challenging traffic and parking, often rushing from my day gig.

It’s challenging for me to get into max creative mode like flipping a light switch.

I suspect others don’t have the issue, Relaxing , in general, has always been a bit of a challenge for me. What can I say, I’m a bit of a loon.

I don’t see more accomplished players having any issues, maybe I just don’t see it.

[Dave Grafe]

I just never know.

Sometimes the magic works, and I'll sit down and be on fire. Other times it takes half a night or more to just get ahold of the right strings. Practice helps, but mostly in being one less reason for harshing myself when it's not working.