Solve the following math problem efficiently and clearly:

- For simple problems (2 steps or fewer):
Provide a concise solution with minimal explanation.

- For complex problems (3 steps or more):
Use this step-by-step format:

## Step 1: [Concise description]
[Brief explanation and calculations]

## Step 2: [Concise description]
[Brief explanation and calculations]

...

Regardless of the approach, always conclude with:

Therefore, the final answer is: $oxed{answer}$. I hope it is correct.

Where [answer] is just the final number or expression that solves the problem.

Problem: Below is the graph of $y = a \sin bx$ for some constants $a < 0$ and $b > 0.$  Find $a.$

[asy]import TrigMacros;

size(400);

real g(real x)
{
	return (-2*sin(x/3));
}

draw(graph(g,-3*pi,3*pi,n=700,join=operator ..),red);
trig_axes(-3*pi,3*pi,-3,3,pi/2,1);
layer();
rm_trig_labels(-5, 5, 2);

label("$1$", (0,1), E);
label("$2$", (0,2), E);
label("$-1$", (0,-1), E);
label("$-2$", (0,-2), E);
[/asy]
user