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The Importance of Warming Up (with Hannah Shilvock)

12th September 2025

It’s easy to skip a warm-up when you’re short on time, but those few minutes of preparation make a big difference. Just like athletes don’t sprint without stretching, clarinettists need to ease their body and instrument into playing. A mindful warm-up not only helps your clarinet respond more easily, it also protects you from tension, pain, and potential long-term injury. Here are some easy steps to add into your routine, along with a pro tip from clarinetist and yoga teacher, Hannah Shilvock!

Why Warm Up?

Warming up gives your embouchure and fingers a chance to adjust gradually, so you don’t strain them with sudden demands. It helps prevent tension from building in places like your jaw, wrists, and shoulders, which often bear the brunt of fast passages. A warm-up also supports stamina, meaning you’ll last longer in rehearsals and performances without hitting a wall of fatigue.

Practical Warm-Up Tips

Even a few minutes of preparation makes a difference. Try adding these habits into your routine:

  • Start with your body: Shake out your arms, roll your wrists, and stand tall. Treat it as tuning your body before tuning your clarinet.
  • Focus on breathing: Take deep inhalations through the nose for 4 beats, hold for 2, and release long, steady exhalations through the mouth for 6-8 counts to centre your air support.
  • Play slowly at first: Begin with long tones and quiet dynamics, then move into simple scales before tackling more complex passages. If you begin playing with your most difficult piece (because that’s the part you need to practice) you’ll most likely become frustrated and tired faster than if you built yourself up to it. Build up gradually and you’ll have more energy and focus for the tough stuff.
  • Take stretching breaks: Step away every 15–20 minutes. This helps to reset your posture and stop stiffness from creeping in unnoticed. Playing in front of a mirror also helps to keep you and your posture accountable!

Pro Tip from Hannah Shilvock

As a yoga teacher, Hannah understands more than most the importance of warming up. Playing the clarinet is very physically demanding and is easy to create tension when playing. Try shoulder rolls up to your ears, then release them back and down. It’s such a simple move but it signals to your body to let go. Relaxed shoulders mean freer breathing and more comfortable playing.

Do this before you pick up your clarinet, and again during practice breaks, to keep your upper body free.

Final Thoughts

Your clarinet is an extension of your body. Give both the care they deserve – even five mindful minutes at the start of your practice can transform how the rest of it feels. Warm up, breathe, reset often, and notice how much freer your playing becomes.