Technique is the great equalizer. No one naturally plays Minor 6ths at 154 beats per minute. No one maintains their scales and arpeggios after checking off the box and never touching them again. Technique ebbs and flows; musicians constantly work towards it, just like a basketball player drills the free throw line or a marksman goes to the range. There are countless books that help develop these skills.

When the music world went on sabbatical during the COVID-19 pandemic, Graser switched gears and began a new project—fleshing out ideas in his studio and plugging away with the music notation software Sibelius, synthesizing a much-needed update for the saxophone. What resulted was three volumes and nearly 1,000 pages of saxophone exercises and analytic studies that you can practice until your fingers go numb. Chops 221 Full Range Fundamentals and Technical Exercises for the 21st Century Saxophonist (2021)is over 350 pages of humbling fundamentals containing the patterns and building blocks needed to extend your range and technique as a player.