Best way to warm up before playing

[falseta]

So you got an important gig or maybe you are sitting down to a long session of practice. The last thing you want to do is start playing triplets or stretching that pinky finger to hit that super high note without first warming up your hands and fingers. I have experienced forearm cramps, knuckle soreness and finger cramping all of course at the wrong time usually in the middle of a song. I know of many musicians who have experienced the same thing so what do you do?

Here are couple of things I have found that helped me:

- Make a fist and turn your hand like you were opening a door.

- Make a fist and turn your hand like you were twirling a jump rope.

- Open your hand with your palm facing you and starting with your pinky finger roll your fingers in like making a fist as if you were crumpling up a piece of paper.

- Put hand together like if you were praying in push fingers of right hand against the finger of the left hand. You should feel a stretch in your wrist area then reverse.

Those are some examples of what helps me warm up. What are some of the ways you warm up before playing or practicing?

[Payul]

Very nice exercises falseta, I will use them too!
They feel very nice and comfertable.
I use for my left ( my fret hand) hand this one: touch the top of the i finger toward the thumb (p), than the m finger to the thumb (p) than the a finger to p, than x ( pinky)to P , a to p, m to p, i to p. etc, etc, speed it up if you can.
( If you do this both handed at the same time in the opposite order so left hand start with the i and p, and the right hand x and p it is a perfect brain trainer, to learn your fingers moving separately from each other)

My right hand I warm up wit rasq. at the side of my trouser, together with tremolo.

Together with your exercises steam must come off than!

Payul