Traditional Teaching vs. Reinhardt Teaching

The Traditional Approach for the beginner on a Brass Instrument.

1. Form the lips for mouthpiece placement by smiling them into their playing position.2. The lips are stretched across the teeth like two rubber bands and are controlled by pulling the mouth corners toward the ears to ascend and releasing the mouth corner tension to descend.3. Drop or lower the position of the jaw to descend into the lower register of the instrument.4. The mouthpiece must be placed in the center of the lips, so that the mouth corner stretch (smile) will be identical on both sides of the mouth.5. Use a minimum of mouthpiece pressure against the lips at all times.6. The instrument must always be held in a horizontal position.7. The abdominal regions should be pulled in while inhaling.8. Inhale as large a quantity of air as possible; learn to control it.9. The diaphragm and abdominal regions must protrude to ascend and recede to descend.10. Execute the attack by enunciating the syllable TOO or TU. The tip of the tongue should penetrate between the teeth and lips, much like spitting seeds, threads, or confetti from the tip of the tongue.11. The student is nearly always started on the lowest open tone on his particular instrument.

The Reinhardt Method for the beginner on a Brass Instrument.

1. Saturate the teeth, lips and mouth corners with saliva and keep them in this lubricated condition throughout the playing.2. Always PLACE – INHALE – PLAY and never inhale – place – play. 3. Learn to BUZZ correctly as early as possible. No instrument or mouthpiece.4. Form the saturated lips as if to buzz to ready the lips for mouthpiece placement.5. The HOO or no-tongue attack is utilized during the first few weeks.6. Positively never permit the tip of the tongue to penetrate between the teeth and lips.7. Positively never “smile” to ascend.8. The membrane (red) of the lower lip must move slightly in and over the lower teeth while ascending.9. The slur is demonstrated and taught during the initial lesson, being an absolute necessity for rapid embouchure development.10. Practically all students are started from the third open partial on their particular instrument.11. The diaphragm and abdominal regions must move down and out to inhale, and move “in” to blow and “in and up” ascend the instrument.