Orientation

Wilktone · Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2003 5:22 pm Post subject:

Things have been a little quiet here lately, so I thought I'd stir things up a bit.

I assigned all my brass students to go listen to a tape of Dr. Reinhardt giving his Orientation (I always feel a little strange typing "Doc," since I never met the gentleman and that's what some of my students call me). Many of my students (and I) got a chuckle out of his delivery and confidence.

A while back a former student of Reinhardt's sent me his orientation/analysis and first lesson. It's a lot of the same information, but with a lot more, well, diversions. There are a couple of times on the tape where Reinhardt would say something like, "Don't repeat this to your mother." The tape would click as he stopped recording and he would come back on saying, "...but between us guys, I would not talk like that in front of a lady."

What stories do you guys have about your orientation? What were your first impressions? Did you think that this guy was nuts or did you see right away he knew what he was talking about?

Dave
_________________
wilktone.com

Mr.Hollywood · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Dec 2002 Posts: 1730

Well he wasn't exactly what I had expected.

Most of the teachrs I had up to that time just told me how good I sounded. When I played for Doc, I felt like he thought that I couldn't play.

I mostly just remember leaving there confused about everything that I was supposed to work on. It all didn't really sink in for a month or so.

As far as funny stories go, unlike Caruso who used to wear headphones to protect his ears during a lesson, Doc liked you to play loud high notes right at his head! Once during a lesson Doc was showing me the Glissando high register routine. On this routine you hit a high 'G' as big and loud as you can, then you gliss up to the next partial or note. I was trying not to hurt Doc's ears by pointing the bell away from him. After several times of telling me to blow right at him, he kind of got mad and hollered " I said blow right at me ! " Well, I put the loudest high ' G ' I could play right between his eyebrows, I tried to split his skull with it. When I took the horn down he didn't flinch, all he said was "That was a good 'G'. " And that my fellow pivoters is one of the few compliments that Doc ever paid me.

I only wish that he where alive so he could see how far I have come by following his teachings. I know you have all heard this before from Bill Gibson, Rich, Paul Garret and myself but I'll say it again............ We owe it all to our friend and teacher Dr. Donald S. Reinhardt ( 1908-1989 )

Chris

bgibson · Veteran Member Joined: 04 Sep 2002 Posts: 211

Dave W. and everyone;
Chris, you are right on the money.
I owe Doc my career.
Pivotalk on the web has stories about my" June session" with Doc. (also some other stories)
Paul G. has my video tape that was played at the 2002 reunion that also discusses my first meeting with Doc.
Paul, you do have the VHS tape??????????????????
WEG

scream · Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2003 2:01 pm Post subject:

Yeah Bill, I do have the video tape. To be honest with you, I'm tryng to get the money together to get a DVD burner to get your tape (Bill's) as well as much of the reunion I was able to video. I also want to get Willie Olenick's last lesson with Doc on DVD and offer it all on the PivoTalk (www.pivotalk.com) web-site, with a portion of the proceeds going to the foundation. Of course complimentary copies going to my friends here on the forum. Please be patient I'll get them out to you.....it's that time of year and I'm broke.

The only story I have about Doc (I think I told Chris this one) was when I had type switched to an upstream type IVA. He had me play a high C. Apparently I wasn't setting my lower left leg. Noticing that while I was playing, he took my bell and set that leg and a double C came out as easy as anything. Of course, my eyes got huge and Doc just chuckled away. What an amazing teacher!!!!

_________________
Paul Garrett
Lawrenceville, GA

"Wherever you go....there you are."
Buckaroo Bonzai

[ This Message was edited by: scream on 2003-01-31 17:02 ]

bgibson · Veteran Member Joined: 04 Sep 2002 Posts: 211

Paul;
Actually I posted that just to get a laugh out of Scotty.
I am considering doing a version II of the tape for those people that are "not as familiar with Doc and the Pivot System"
Any comments or ideas on this?????????
I can still remember the reel to reel tape flapping and the door opening with all the fans running, the windows open and the inner office still THICK with cigar smoke.
"I have your sheets right here."
WEG