A Short, (Nearly) Silent Routine to Stay in Shape

In recent years I've come to realize that I despise the feeling of returning to playing after more than a few days away from the instrument. My left hand feels sloth-like, intonation is as stable as Gumby, and my hands feel as if there's a half-second delay between them. It usually take me at least 3-4 days of regular practice before I feel back to normal, but since I am often jumping straight from vacation into rehearsals and concerts, I usually don't have that kind of time to ease back into playing. I started asking myself how I could take a break from a heavy playing schedule while maintaining an acceptable baseline so I could ramp up into my regular playing schedule with less stress.

I call my solution maintenance practice. This kind of practice keeps your playing at about 60-70% of your normal playing level with just a few minutes of practice a day. It's short enough to easily fit in without feeling like it's impeding your vacation, and the peace of mind I get from knowing I'm not going to have to start from square one when I return from my time off makes it easier for me to relax during the break.

Interestingly, over my time experimenting with different protocols, I've found that much of this work can be done silently: it's as if I simply have to remind my body of all the weird little motions of playing to get the same benefit I would as if I was making sound! This also means that, in a pinch, if I travel somewhere without my instrument I can do many of these exercises with a pencil or something like a dowel rod and still get most of the benefit.

If I do have my instrument, I will usually pair my silent routine with a little bit of technical work like scales or snippets of etudes. Alternatively I'll improvise or play excerpts of anything I feel like playing. Again, the point here is not improvement, it's just maintenance, so play what you want!

This is also a great routine to do if you are coming back from a break or just as a quick warmup to get your body primed for playing. Since it's silent, I often do it when I'm in the wings waiting to go onstage.

Here's a video of the routine, along with some explanations of the benefits of each exercise.

Want a list of the exercises to have handy? Click here for a free PDF.