Great Practice Aide!
Some weeks back at the Iowa Tuba and Euphonium Conference, I picked up a book of warm-up exercises which caught my eye because it included a cd with Gene Pokorny performing the exercises. The book is simply entitled, “20 Minute Warm-up Routine” and is by Michael Davis.
There are 15 excercises in the book that take a variety of approaches to covering the overall range of the horn with a variety of articulations. These exercises are challenging and give one a very extensive warm-up if all are played through without break for the 20 minutes that they take.
What sets these exercises apart from other warm-up routines is the inclusion of the CD. The CD contains synthesizer based accompaniments for each of the exercises which help one keep time as well as work on pitch while performing. The CD contains 30 tracks. Tracks 1–15 have the accompaniment as well as having Gene Pokorny playing the exercises. Tracks 16–30 offer the accompaniment without the tuba part.
For those looking for a way to keep on top of the horn through the summer, I highly recommend looking at this set of excercises. Warming up with Gene each day isn’t the worst thing you could do!
Jeff Funderburk