Warm Ups For "Moonlight Tango"-6-8Th Orchestra

Warm Ups for “MoonLight Tango”- 6-8th Orchestra
● Warm up 1- Second Finger Pattern

● Warm up 2- Playback, Aural Skills (String Crossings)
● Warm up 3- Arpeggios
● Warm up 4- Latin Rhythm Listening
● Warm up 5- Dynamics, WASP
Warm up 1- Second Finger Pattern

Sequence: In this warm up students will begin exploring the second finger pattern which
introduces f and c natural on the d and a strings. The basses are also learning f and c natural but
have a different set of needs. We will begin by playing a regular D major scale with f# and c#.
We will then move to the pre teaching for low two fingering for high strings and second finger
placement for cello and bass, first focusing on F natural on the D string. Violins and Violas will
have their second finger almost touching their first finger. Cellos will use their second finger
instead of their third finger; basses will also use their second finger instead of their fourth finger.
● First finger’s best friend. “Your second finger is your first finger’s best friend. They do
not want to be apart. Can everyone show me their regular finger positon? Now show me
how your first two fingers are best friends. Vl and Va they should be touching. Cl and Bs
they should be the only two hanging out on the D string”
● Sliding Up to the Cookie. “Vl and Va the first finger has a cookie. Your second finger
wants to eat that cookie. Can you slide your second finger up to your first finger so they
can get the cookie.” Practice this a few times.
● Low Two Tango. “We are going to put our fingers down one at a time. But they are
tangoing fingers. So they are going to dance as we go down; follow me. First finger
dance 1, 2, 3, 4. Second finger only tangos in low two! Second finger dance 1,2,3,4. Now
third finger (Vl, Va) fourth finger (Cl) first finger again in third position (Bs) dance
1,2,3,4!”
● At this point we ask the students if they can tell what is going on with our second finger.
The basses will probably understand when you have them shift up for the g. “We have
been playing in this first finger pattern for a long time! Can you guess what the second
finger pattern is?” Have students show you with their fingers in the air or on their
instrument. Now I have a challenge for you! Let’s play the D major scale again with the
second finger pattern. ide up to the cookie. Vl and Va, your first finger has a cookie that
your second finger wants. Slide your second finger up to your first finger to get the
cookie. Practice the slide a few times.
● Low Two Tango. We are going to step our fingers down in a tango fashion. Because our
fingers are dancing we are going to tap four times on each then pizzicato four times on
each. Lastly, in tango, our second finger only dances in low two vl and va. Here we go,
first finger dance 1,2,3,4 pizzicato 1,2,3,4 . Second finger dance 1,2,3,4 pizzicato 1,2,3,4.
Third finger Vl and Va, Fourth finger Cl, Basses First finger again in third position Dance
1,2,3,4!
Can anyone find a pattern happening here? (Setting the space for student discovery of second
finger pattern and f and c natural.) We have been playing in the first finger pattern for a while
now with 2nd and 3rd finger close vl and va, and 3rd and 4th finger cl, and 4th finger for f# bass.
Now we are playing f natural and c natural. Let’s play D major scale again, it will sound super
funky but this time play f and c natural with the low two this time.
Transfer to Knowledge: In the lesson that follows this warm up, students will explore where in
the music they play with the second finger pattern. This will set them up for success by
alleviating confusion when the new f and c natural show up in the music.
Warm up 2- Playback, aural skills (string crossings)

Sequence: Using aural skills, students will participate in playbacks between each other focusing
on string crossings, rhythms found in Moonlight Tango and low two fingering. T will begin by
telling the students to listen closely and they are starting on the d string.
Bank of pitches for Teacher:
After several rounds of playbacks from the teacher, students are given the opportunity to make
their own up for the other students to respond to.
Transfer to Knowledge: The lesson that follows this warm up is on identifying melody, harmony,
and bass. Therefore, the playback warm up opens up the student’s ears to their surroundings.
Warm up 3- Arpeggios
Sequence: With the sheet in front of the students, they will play through the arpeggios. First play
open strings that the notes fall upon. Then shadow bow while students finger the notes and the
teacher sings. Then pizzicato through the arpeggio. Play arpeggio slowly. Play it a little quicker.
Transfer to Knowledge: There are several arpeggiated sections that everyone plays at one time in
Moonlight Tango. The lesson that follows this warm up touches on the bass line of Moonlight
Tango which we consider to be the rhythmic accompaniment that are made up of arpeggios.
Warm up 4- Latin Rhythms Listening

Sequence: In this listening warm up, students revisit Toccatina and Libertango from the melody
and harmony lesson and add El Toro and Bossa Rojo. This time when listening students will
identify different rhythms they hear.
Toccatina by W. Hofeldt Excerpt 0:00- 0:45
Libertango by Piazzolla/ arr. J. Kazik 0:25- 1:00
El Toro by Don Brubaker 0:00-0:52
Bossa Rojo by Bert Ligon 0:00-1:05
● Stopping at random points in the excerpt and ask the students to sing the rhythm they just
heard.
● After we discuss the rhythms, we ask them “What do you think this song is about?”
“What do you think was going on in the world when this was written?”
Transfer to Knowledge: This warm up sets the stage for talking about Argentinian history, and
culture. Listening to different latin music and talking about what we think is going on with the
history creates a mystery that excites them to learn more about their piece Moonlight Tango.
Warm up 5- Dynamics, WASP

Sequence:
On the board we will define what each of the words in WASP (Weight, Angle, Speed, Placement)
mean, what range those can be, and what we might use those different ranges for in the context
of playing. Teacher will write out the ranges on the board as they are discussed.
● Weight- How much you are pressing into the strings with the bow. It can range from very
light to very weighted.
● Angle- the direction in which the bow is facing. Typically the stick should be angled
more towards the scroll. The range is from very tilted towards the scroll, to having the
bow hair flat on the strings.
● Speed- How fast you are moving the bow across the strings. It ranges from very fast to
very slow.
● Placement- The zones of playing are the possible placements of the bow. The range is
from close to the bridge (lane 6) to close to the fingerboard (lane 1).
If we are playing a super fast section what might our WASP be?
● (answer: light, angled, fast, lane 2)
If we are playing a forte slow section what might our WASP be?
● (answer: heavy, more flat, slow, closer to bridge)
What if we played the opposite of what we are supposed to?
Let’s try it.
Now we are going to take turns choosing the WASP for this line of music and see how it sounds
different.
Transfer to Knowledge: Moonlight Tango has many different dynamics that really make or break
the character of the piece. By talking about dynamics in terms of the weight, angle, placement,
and speed, students are able to think about all the elements that go into producing a quality
sound. This warm up precedes the lesson about personal interpretation of a piece of music, and
this lesson sets up the ides of different listening scenarios.

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Warm Ups for “MoonLight Tango”- 6-8th Orchestra

● Warm up 1- Second Finger Pattern

Warm up 1- Second Finger Pattern

Warm up 2- Playback, aural skills (string crossings)

Warm up 4- Latin Rhythms Listening

Warm up 5- Dynamics, WASP

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