Practice Guide

Here are some strategies and tips that will help you to prepare to play “Rollo Takes a Walk”, as well as
becoming a better overall musician!

1. Breathing Exercises:

To play any music well, we must be able to support our tone with a lot of quality air!
Begin each practice session by doing the following exercises (yes percussion, these will
help you too!):
1. In for 4, out for 4. Then increase the out to 8, 12, 16, and 20. (@60 bpm)
2. In for 4, out for 4. Then decrease in the to 3, 2, and 1. (@60 bpm)
3. In, sip, sip. Out, blow, blow. Do this starting at 60 bpm and steadily increase each
rep until you reach 100 bpm. The sips and blows should be shorter than in and outs.
4. Let all your air out, take in a big sigh, and relax your body. Do this as many times as
you like!

2. Long Tones

Long tones are a great way to work on air support and tone building for your
instrument. You can take any of the breathing exercises, and practice playing it on the
note of your choice! Another great long tone is to do 16 count long tones, with 8 counts
of crescendo and 8 counts of decrescendo, while trying to maintain good tone.

3. Articulation Exercises

“Rollo Takes a Walk” uses many different articulations, as you noticed in the warm-up.
Along with using those articulations on a single tone, here are some other ways you can
practice.

1. Mix and match articulations on a scale. You can slur up, accent down, or alternate
marcato and tenuto every other note. There is no wrong way to do this!
2. Articulate different rhythms! Practice doing different articulations on whole notes,
half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes. Mix and match the order you do the
lengths of notes
3. Practice doing sections of the piece with tough articulations. First do it on hair,
holding out your hand in front of you so you can “feel” the articulation. Then, move
to doing it on just your mouthpiece. Then, apply it to your instrument. If you
struggle, go back a step and master that step before moving on.
4. Lip Slurs for Brass

Using lip slurs will help our brass players to work on flexibility and intonation throughout the
harmonic series. Try different patterns, including some that work the high and low range
separately and together! Work on consistency of tone and length of notes, as well as intonation.

5. Slurred Patterns for Woodwinds

It is important that our woodwind players have the dexterity and ability to play consistent
patterns on sixteenth notes as these are very prevalent in our music. Start by playing scales of
your choice one quarter notes, then working to eighth notes, before finishing on sixteenth notes
You can tongue first if needed, but the end goal is to be able to play them all slurred with
consistent air and tone throughout the scale.

6. Percussion Patterns

Percussionists need to practice too! It is recommended that you get in practice on both mallet
and stick percussion to keep your technical facilities well-rounded. Using your bell kit and
practice pad at home you can do the following:

1. Practice scales and scale patterns on your bell kit

2. Practice sticking and patterns such as para-diddles and rolls
3. Practice different articulations and dynamics on both

7. Metronome!

It is vital that as musicians we can play our parts not only correctly, but in time and at the
correct tempos. Use a metronome to help keep accountable. You can start at a slower speed
and work yourself up to tempo, or vice versa. There are many free metronome apps you can
download on your phone or ask Mr. Rajewski if you need a recommendation. Remember, the
metronome doesn’t make you play in time, it just tells you if you’re right or wrong!

8. Write It Down!

The only way we can get better as musicians is if we remember what we did wrong and how to
fix it. It is highly recommended you always have a pencil on you when you are playing and write
down anything in your music that will help you to play it better in the future. Along with that, it
is a great idea to have a “practice journal” and write a sentence or two after every practice
session about what went well, what went wrong, how you fixed it, and what you do not know
how to fix. Remember, when in doubt, write it down!