It’s morning somewhere…
The Live Warm-Up was here during the summer of 2020 when we were living in isolation due to the Covid-19 Lockdowns to keep saxophonists motivated and guide them through long tones, articulations, scales, pitch bends, and many other exercises to get practice sessions started all across the country.
To see the Live Warm-Up Family Album Click Here
Behind the Scenes
It all started while I was laying on my couch, in despair about what quarantine meant for teaching my students. Then the idea for a small studio warm-up blossomed into a community event. Watch the NEXTET podcast interview about the Live Warm-Up for more behind the scenes information. There is even a Taylor Swift Long Tone Puzzler.
Long Tone Puzzlers
Click to view/download them for free!
FAQs
Q. Do I have to bring any sheet music to play with you?
A. No, I will share my music through screen sharing so you will see everything I am looking at and playing.
Q. How much does it cost to join the Live Warm-Up
A. The cost is Free.
Q. Am I allowed to ask questions during the warm-up?
A. Absolutely. I always take questions in between exercises and I am constantly talking about fundamentals and giving you mental exercises to help you gain a firmer understanding of your playing.
Q. Is the warm-up difficult?
A. This depends on your skill level. However we always begin all exercises at a moderate tempo so everyone will be able to play in the beginning of the exercise. Gradually we increase tempo, but this allows everyone to push themselves.
Q. I’m scared of other people hearing me.
A. Your microphone will remain on mute the entire time you are playing. Which means you will be able to try all the exercises as if you were home alone without anyone to hear you. But we are all still there for moral support. You can join with or without camera; whichever you prefer!
Q. Who has been attending the Live Warm-Up? Will I be out of place?
A. I can assure you, no matter what level you are, you will not be out of place. the Live Warm-up has had middle school, high school, non-traditional, and college students, as well as educators from high schools, and some sax professors have made an appearance. I believe this is the beauty of the warm-up; We can all share this hour together, no matter what level we play at.
Q. Do I need any special equipment?
A.You need two things:
1. The ability to log on to Zoom.
2. A speaker that will play at a volume you can play your saxophone and still hear me. This could be headphones (play with one ear free),
3. Your stream will be faster if you are plugged directly into your router through a ethernet chord. Wifi can cause some lag, but will still work!
Q. What is the Long Tone Puzzler?
A. A melody from a piece, sometimes classic rock but mostly standard saxophone repertoire, where all the notes have been turned into whole notes. We play through them as a long tone warm-up.
Q. What are some other perks I can expect from joining?
A. Great question! I tell you the date and day of the week, just in case you forgot. My dog Watson can be seen walking around when I’m really playing in tune. Sometimes we share quarantine stories from around the country. I almost forgot, we do stretches at the end too!
