I believe that there has been quite a bit of confusion over the phrase “the Claude Gordon method.” In reality, what Claude Gordon taught regarding playing a brass instrument was not new and was not really a “method.”He would tell you this. He would tell you that his teaching was squarely based upon the foundation of the teachings of Herbert Clarke and the other great virtuosos of the last two centuries, all the way back to Arban and Saint Jacome. Claude taught us that the great virtuosos of the past all played basically the same way, and that even though certain players might look a little different on the outside, on the inside , where things really matter, the greats all did it the same way. Sometimes, a great player can’t even explain how he does it! But thanks to Herbert Clarke, Arban, Saint Jacome, and others, we can learn from what they have passed on and save ourselves a lot of time and grief.