scvphan Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Was listening to Concerto in F today. What a great piece of music and definitely suited for drum corps (and yes played a fair amount - 11 times in the DCI junior ranks according to trusty corpsreps.com). It got me thinking, why the heck haven't groups been tackling some great piano-featured pieces now that synths are in the mix? Is it because of difficulty, key differential (61 keys on a synth vs. 88 on a grand piano), something to do with the rulebook (I'll admit, I'm not very familiar with the rules regarding synths...), or other reasons? It would seem that a group with a very skilled piano player could do some really cool stuff today with synths. Heck I'd be up for a new production of Concerto in F complete with a live performance on the synth. Now that would be impressive given the difficulty! I could see Phantom, Santa Clara, or Spirit tackle something like this...but that's just me. Thoughts?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 It's been done by a few corps up to now. My favorite is still the performance by the Garfield Cadets at finals in '82. What a massive brass sound for the final push - it echoed off the Olympic Stadium roof for what seemed like minutes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpenceriEuph Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Which Concerto in F? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvphan Posted October 25, 2014 Author Share Posted October 25, 2014 Gershwin - sorry for not specifying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 This led me to go to FN and watch the '82 show, and MAN, those were SOME DAYS. This was my reintro into corps after marching in the mid-70's but taking a few summers off to learn to fly. Good Golly! That was a powerhouse show. And yeah, Concerto blew the roof off. But it reminded me of the extent to which '82 was a foundational setup for the '83 show. Then I had to watch the '83 show, and OMG! That '83 was an absolute brilliant powerhouse. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread. And thanks for the prompt to go back and watch those incredible shows. Dems were da' days, for sure! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGCpimpOtimp Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Is it because of difficulty, key differential (61 keys on a synth vs. 88 on a grand piano), something to do with the rulebook (I'll admit, I'm not very familiar with the rules regarding synths...), There are synths out there that have weighted keys, and the full 88. A lot of corps use the Motif XF8 from yamaha that has 88 keys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdaddy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Was listening to Concerto in F today. What a great piece of music and definitely suited for drum corps (and yes played a fair amount - 11 times in the DCI junior ranks according to trusty corpsreps.com). It got me thinking, why the heck haven't groups been tackling some great piano-featured pieces now that synths are in the mix? Is it because of difficulty, key differential (61 keys on a synth vs. 88 on a grand piano), something to do with the rulebook (I'll admit, I'm not very familiar with the rules regarding synths...), or other reasons? It would seem that a group with a very skilled piano player could do some really cool stuff today with synths. Heck I'd be up for a new production of Concerto in F complete with a live performance on the synth. Now that would be impressive given the difficulty! I could see Phantom, Santa Clara, or Spirit tackle something like this...but that's just me. Thoughts?! Completely agree on doing more piano focused shows. Outside of Crown's Rach Star show, it hasn't been done. That said, I'd choose a different piano concerto... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 (edited) This led me to go to FN and watch the '82 show, and MAN, those were SOME DAYS. This was my reintro into corps after marching in the mid-70's but taking a few summers off to learn to fly. Good Golly! That was a powerhouse show. And yeah, Concerto blew the roof off. But it reminded me of the extent to which '82 was a foundational setup for the '83 show. Then I had to watch the '83 show, and OMG! That '83 was an absolute brilliant powerhouse. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread. And thanks for the prompt to go back and watch those incredible shows. Dems were da' days, for sure! I watched the videos on FN again as well. One thing I noticed with '82 that I hadn't before. There is a "staff" area at the bottom of the stands to the back left side of the drum major's podium. Someone in Garfield's staff is absolutely hyped by the performance - often conducting while they are playing. I don't think it's Zingali or even GH. I wonder who it is. It's loaded with enthusiasm and rightfully so. Edited October 26, 2014 by Lincoln Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 (edited) Oregon Crusader's 2014 ballad featured a beautiful weave of Barber's Nocturne op 33 with Hymn of Acxiom. The synth/piano player did a phenomenal job IMO. Sadly I think it went largely unnoticed because of another corps called BLOO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmPOSxUyDKA Edited October 28, 2014 by luv4corps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I watched the videos on FN again as well. One thing I noticed with '82 that I hadn't before. There is a "staff" area at the bottom of the stands to the back left side of the drum major's podium. Someone in Garfield's staff is absolutely hyped by the performance - often conducting while they are playing. I don't think it's Zingali or even GH. I wonder who it is. It's loaded with enthusiasm and rightfully so. I saw that guy, too, and I really do think it's Zingali. Hop was passing back and forth behind him, and that guy was "slight" in stature, as was Zingali. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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