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by Joe Riposo
Jazz ensemble directors use a variety of warm up materials with their bands. After the
warm up session one would expect the jazz ensemble to play in tune and with good
ensemble balance. Between what is accomplished in the warm up session and the
rehearsal or performance there seems to be a disconnection. The warm up experience
does not always lead to a more productive rehearsal or a musical performance. The
knowledge obtained in the warm up session does not always transfer over into the
rehearsal or performance. Some times it almost sounds like two difference bands playing
one during the warm up session and an other during the rehearsal or performance.
The main focus of this Jazz Ensemble Workout (A Pedagogical Approach with
A Purpose) is to provide students with the experience of being able to transfer the
knowledge obtained in the warm up session to the rehearsal and performance. This
transfer of knowledge needs to become automatic and a natural outgrowth of the warm up
session. The material in this method book allows students to apply what has been learned
in the warm up experience into the rehearsal and performance. One needs to explore the
out comes of a warm up session in terms of what has been accomplished and turn this
knowledge into usable knowledge.
With the method presented in this book, students during the warm up session experience
some of the following concepts: playing with good intonation, line direction, ensemble
balance etc. The material in this book will allow students to play with better balance by
hearing that some notes in a scale sound better then others. While playing in an ensemble,
these are the notes that need to be emphasized which contribute to the balance of a chord.
Learning to play in tune is not playing a concert “A” in tune but playing a note in tune as
related to other notes in the scale or chord.
With this concept in mind hopefully you will experience a more productive rehearsal that
will lead to a musical performance.
