Purpose of this treatise:        

To clear up any confusion between the Pivot/Track Maneuver and any Angular Motion of the Instrument while enacting this maneuver.   

For any given type, with very few exceptions, and for the purpose of this paper, I will emphasize more of an explanation to the ASCENDING Pivot.  Also, I will address only the Jaw movement in relation to Angular Motion of the Instrument while Pivoting/Tracking and leave the “muscular” discussion of the embouchure for the nonce.  (Please refer to either Pivot Classification One or Pivot Classification Two in The Encyclopedia of the Pivot System for a complete description of Jaw, Muscle, Lips, Pivot, Track, Tongue placement, and Breathing co-ordination.) 

For both Pivot Classifications One and Two, one of the basic factors to producing a high tone is “how far the jaw must protrude”. Keep this in mind at all times for the following  observations. 

First of all, any movement of the embouchure formation, the jaw, the head, or the angle of the instrument is more pronounced in the lower register because of the greater distance between the partials.  Page 193 of The Encyclopedia states “In the early stages of PIVOT development, some angular motion of the instrument is often prescribed, so that the performer may thoroughly familiarize himself with the proper jaw manipulation and its attendant sensations for his particular physical type.”  Check and STOP any vertical movement of the HEAD if detected, as this is the most common playing fault of anyone “misinterpreting” The Pivot.  

There are two documents of The Pivot System that are invaluable for a more clear understanding of the jaw and the angular motion of the instrument.  The first is THE PIVOT STABILIZER.  The second is THE TRACK ROUTINE. 

 THE PIVOT STABILIZER 

When introducing the Pivot for the first time, Dr. Reinhardt states “Exaggerate the PIVOT manipulation throughout the playing of this [page]…” Please notice that he does NOT say “exaggerate the angular motion” but “the PIVOT”!  This is a very important point.  So the logical question is, How does one exaggerate the PIVOT without exaggerating the Angular Motion of the Instrument?  As one is instructed to “stay with the jaw” (as we keep the majority of weight on the lower lip) as the jaw protrudes slightly to ascend and (recede slightly to descend), it would seem natural that the instrument angle would be likewise “tilting” in compliance with this jaw movement for all Types.  

From an interview with Dr. Reinhardt by Phillip Horch in the early 1960’s, this very point was discussed.  Mr. Horch is a Type IIIA and his question centered around the “angular track” in relation to the PIVOT and the descending habit of a IIIA to “lift the angle of the instrument to descend ala Ferguson”. (Note: I have found in personal teachings that some “switch types” between IIIB in the upper register to IIIA in the low register do this type of  “ducking the head and raising the horn angle for the very low register, thereby literally killing the IIIB’s upper register completely!) 

When the average teeth slightly recede behind the upper teeth for the average trumpet player, the extreme high register is not possible to go all the way up with a jaw in this position.  Many players feel that if they bring the horn angle down, that makes the high register much better, that they can’t play the high register with the horn angle up.  The reason for this fallacy is that it’s too far up in the first place.  They do not have the contact at all in the middle register as much as they should have it on the lower lip, so that when the jaw DOES protrude, the horn doesn’t raise at all.  So they think that by pulling it down on the soft flesh, when it did not provide the contact on the lower lip, it looks to them as though when they play in the high register the horn angle should be lowered.  On the contrary, the jaw manipulation, as slight as it may be, should take care of that. 

Now, to get back to the “angular motion of the Instrument”…”The position of the jaw should protrude while ascending (nd recede while descending), however slightly that may be.  So slight in some cases, that …you need a microscope to see it.  Most players are allergic to movement, so this movement should be reduced .  The idea of doing away with the angular motion…the only reason of mentioning it in the first place is TO ENCOURAGE THE JAW TO PROTRUDE.  When I (Doc) say lift the horn angle, it is to encourage the jaw angle to protrude.  Rather than say “Protrude the jaw, Charlie, while ascending” I am doing it another way because I don’t think the attention should be focused on the jaw at that point.

And from the same interview, “Retain your original idea of the jaw protruding slightly to ascend and receding slightly to descend and naturally there is some angular motion.  But some of that, as slight as it is, is absorbed by the position of the head.  Frankly, the head moves a little bit.  I try to discourage that very much, but the head certainly shouldn’t be stiff either.” 

(Keep in mind that the above is specific for a IIIA, yet should be remembered that “jaw-wise” all types should be using this jaw mannerism to one extent or another i.e. protrude to ascend, recede to descend.) AND From Doc “When the jaw does protrude, it protrudes one direction or the other.  It doesn’t necessarily just protrude.  It might protrude to the right, it might protrude to the left and that’s a malocclusion.” 

THE TRACK ROUTINE

In  this routine the rule states: With the head in one erect position and angular motion of the instrument non-existent the mouthpiece and its position on the embouchure as one unit must move up and down on the teeth and gum track according to your particular PIVOT.

Track work in the PIVOT SYSTEM addresses the “utopian” situation of taking the PIVOT action (connecting the various registers of the instrument) and adds a more dynamic approach to lining up the teeth lips in any particular register.  From the slow deliberate PIVOT STABILIZER to the rapid allegro forms of slurring and staccato, and moving from the original explanation of the PIVOT maneuver in the Pivot System Manual to the Encyclopedia of the Pivot System, anyone thinking that pivoting is “waving around the horn in the breeze like a flag” and/or raising and lowering the head while doing so, illustrates such folly. [ed.note: just look at the Don Jacoby Method book and you will see what I mean].

In a letter from one of my students I was asked if there was another way to execute the PIVOT without the wrist turn or tilting of the instrument.  Reprinted here from one of my newsletters I said:

 Keeping the instrument horizontal at all times and moving the entire arm slightly really gets the Pivot/Track moving with the least amount of effort.  This works particularly well with the “rapid” use of the Track, although the more “bell moving in one direction or another” may still be used in some cases when working out the slower PIVOT maneuver.                 

One thing this illustrates is that YOU CAN’T TELL THE TYPE BY THE BELL! 

This entire arm movement works best for trombone players who have their grip a lot closer to the face than does a trumpet player.  The trumpet player will tend to use more “wrist” in the Pivot/Track maneuver because the left hand grip is more of a fulcrum due to  its distance from the face.  For the trombone player, the closeness of the hand lends itself more to the “arm” than the “wrist” action. This is also a personal thing that varies from player to player. 

 [Again, please be reminded to have NO DROPPING or LIFTING OF THE HEAD] 

The PIVOT is an ACTION! The  goal of the Pivot is to form a natural lip pucker (doughnut) around the rim of the mouthpiece.  The purpose of the Pivot is to line up the lips and teeth to keep the lips free to vibrate in all registers with a full open sound.  There is a distinction here between the GOAL and the PURPOSE. 

Although in both cases, whether doing the slow PIVOT action or the more rapid TRACK action, Dr. Reinhardt introduced them to be “exaggerated” to the extent that they become imbedded in the subconscious.  This was only during the early stages of learning the necessary actions to “line up the lips with the teeth” and the exaggeration was to be “whittled down” to the point where these actions were almost undetectable as the muscles adjusted to the correct PUCKER formation.  A good thing to remember is that excessive movement, especially for the trumpet player and REALLY for any Type IV situation, is more fatiguing than excessive mouthpiece pressure.  A good rule of thumb is to realize that excessive movement is the enemy of all types, in all situations!

IN SUMMARY

The statements from the Pivot System Manual page 8 that “PIVOTING is the transference of what little pressure there is in playing from one lip to another. When  you first study it make a point of tilting or tipping the instrument and not the head position.” was always regretted by Dr. Reinhardt.  This has led more “misguided teachers” on  how they think to pivot down the path of “flag waving” and has probably caused the most critics of the Pivot System by misconstruing just how the “track of the inner embouchure” works.   

Like any mind, thoughts evolve. And Doc’s thoughts on his discovery that everyone pivots (whether they know it or not!) underwent a descriptive “evolution” to further explain this KEY (the Pivot) that has unlocked the door to success for so many brass players. There is no conclusion to all this.  The future will further illuminate the past.