Leaderboard

Oh. Something else I thought of. One of our pit techs this past season was talking to us about changes in DCI. I remember him mentioning Vanguard (but I forget which year). He was talking about the first show where the drill was not symmetrical the entire time. He said they placed low that year because it was new and nobody "liked it", but the next year more corps used asymmetry. Now, if a corp had a completely symmetrical show, both the judges and the audience would hate it. I think the same is with electronics. Synths are still relatively new. In a decade, a show without a synth will be "weird". Just my thoughts.

They probably don't allow "dutting" on the podium.

Hey guys!! Thanks so much for the kind words!! @GeneralTsoChicken ~ You have us horribly confused with another mobile repair shop. We have actually documented what you are referring to via photo's etc when we would get instruments to re-repair. I would never allow myself or any of my guys to let a horn leave my trailer without being properly wiped and cleaned. (We all went to Red Wing to learn the proper way to repair instruments.) We actually even hand rag the areas we work on so it would appear we had never repaired the joint we worked on. On vary rare occasions will we not spend detailed time cleaning up and polishing the area we're working on. Typically if it is at a show sight or the busses are about to leave. The photo's I have of other repair work however would indicate whomever attempted repair did not properly clean the area they soldered. When the area is not properly cleaned prior to soldering the solder does not stick, nor will it go into a joint to form the bond. With this poorly attempted service the solder will glob all over and create a mess. Again, not our style. We repair joints with the thought that we will not have to worry about the joint breaking again for the rest of the season. This is contrary to poorly attempting a repair that breaks the following day. So, I wanted to state for the record that your comments about our mobile repairs are simply not true. Yes we are sometimes limited in capabilities in our mobile trailer, but we are quite well equipped and have actually hand made small parts and braces in the trailer with our tooling. We even have a small precision lathe that has allowed us to modify mouthpieces in the past. If you want to make sure you're not confusing us with another mobile repair shop, feel free to visit our facebook fan page where you'll find pictures of my goofy mug: B.A.C. Horn Doctor Facebook Page --Mike C GeneralTso - where and when did you march? We just started repairing horns with our trailer starting in 2006...

The Reading Buccaneers are proud to recognize the achievements of brass player Tyler Walthers, who was selected as one of 125 high school musicians to be part of the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. Tyler's been a standout member of the hornline for two seasons and his mom, Joann, has been a great volunteer. Way to go, Tyler! Reading Eagle article

Sorry Olive, A few of us were simply attempting to offer solutions to the actual CONCERNS brought up in the thread, seeing as how no one outside of the C2 staff could possibly answer the vague question in the SUBJECT line. I fail to see how helping another young person get a successful start in this activity is a "hindrance of DCA's growth." Feel free to respond. Maybe add something constructive this time instead of accusing half a dozen folks who are trying to help of some evil misdeed. PS - I'm not a corps representative - just a voice in the crowd. Take my statements however you will. But for the record, the subject matter in discussion is absolutely relative to the conversation. And again, I wish b2trumpet the best of luck in getting their marching career off to a successful start, regardless of who they are marching with.

That's pretty much the same technique used by geeks on sports message boards. They see something they don't like and instead of disagreeing with the content of the post, they procede to attack the poster, asking him if he ever played or coached in college or the pro's. Same thing here. A lot of people can't handle having their opinions and beliefs "challenged." Those individuals with massive ego's that can't tolerate opinions that differ from their own might be wise to stay away from internet message boards. Personally, the only opinion that I care about is my own. If I see something that disagrees with me, I'll respond with my opinion and move on. Could care less if anybody doesn't like what I have to say.

Maybe Teal could actually fly in an authentic Zulu Witch Doctor to play the African percussion. That would be cool. How about exploring the sound of a guillotine blade hitting wood as an added texture and color. (Amped of course) Would be a great Pit addition. Another suggestion. Let's change the name of D.C.I. to C.O.A. (Corps of America- A wholey ownned subsidiary of Bands of America)

Word on the street, they're changing DCI to SI - Synthesizers International.

Yep, hometowns should definitely be listed with every post. It's interesting to know what part of the country the poster is from.

Garfield.........You don't have a GAARRRLFRIEND, do you?

Life is funny sometimes. I lived in the New Orleans area most of my life, (Mandeville) but never did have the opportunity to meet him. I was a big Drum Corps fan but for one reason or another, never became involved with any of the local Corps. (Southern Rebels, Stardusters, Bleu Raeders, Regiment Militaire) I did become a much better drummer while at LSU, because a large % of our snare line were former students of his and I learned a lot from them technique wise from them passing on the "Hurley Technique" Still use the "Left hand pinky pulled back with the thumb and second finger pinched together" grip. We (LSU) were one of the first college drumlines, (if not the first) to use his split shell snares. I'm sorry all paths never crossed...........

.

I e-mailed JW earlier today and got an update directly from him. Thanks......

Mendy328.........Anybody..............How is Marty doing?

It's been two weeks since this was posted. Anybody have an update?

I like the tails and the overall look of the uniform this year, but I wouldn't mind seeing them back in the traditional BD uniform of the 80's. (And most copied ever) I was Quartermaster back in my LSU Band days and even designed a Gold version of the Blue Devils uniform that Tiger Band started wearing in 83. (One year after I graduated)

South: Spirit of Atlanta on G-Bugles playing old school music, with only melodic percussion and timpani on the sidelines and no props on the field. Northeast- North Star, 27th Lancers (With their old school Guard) and Bridgemen as World Class Top 12. West Coast: Updated Velvet Knights as World Class Top 12. (Yeah, I know that SOA, Bridgemen and Velvet are in existence today)

Don't you mean Deep Southeastern Louisiana? Ya mama say da Southern Rebels and Regiment Militaire kick BR's and Star's butts.

I really have a problem with people that try to censor thoughts of other individuals. If you're one of those people that can't tolerate opinions that differ from your own, it might not be a good idea to be hanging out on message boards. Don't like what you read on here, then state your own contrary opinion, but don't any of you dare to tell anybody else what they can and can't say. Oh how boring it would be if this entire board was comprised of nothing but Michael Boo style "See No, Hear No, Speak No Evil" rosy and dreamy Alice in Wonderland sunshine pumping.

Well said. I'm WAY past hs/college age, but I'd pay $15.00 to watch Finals. (And I'm no big fan of what's happening down on the field) DCI needs a thorough house cleaning in their Marketing department. EVERYTHING is too expensive. They have a massively overinflated notion of what their product is worth.

$18.00 admission. That's even more than last year. Should be ten bucks tops. There are some stone cold crazy individuals at DCI thet are setting these prices.

It wasn't a hip injury. That's false information. It was demonic possession.

What was the piece that the Cadets played in 80 that sounds similar to Malaguena? I think it was Fernando's Fantasy. Correct? 1980 was my favorite year. I play the 80 Finals DVD on a regular basis JUST FOR THE MUSIC. Don't even need to watch it. Spirit of Atlanta (Let it be Me ) Cavaliers (Sambandrea Swing ) Crossmen (Pictures of Spain ) Bridgemen (Big Noise from Winnetka ), Madison (Malaguena :worthy:) North Star (Tiger of San Pedro ) Also liked BD and SCV in 80.

Note the following facts about current drum corps, "the traditional top 6": SCV First Title: 1973 Prior Year Placement: 3 Madison First Title: 1975 Prior Year Placement: 2 BD First Tile: 1976 Prior Year Placement: 3 Cadets First Title: 1983 Prior Year Placement: 3 Cavies First Title: 1992 Prior Year Placement: 2 (and 4 other top 3 finishes prior to that!) Phantom First Title: 1996 (Tie...boooo) Prior Year Placement: 5 (but 7 other top 3 finishes, incl 3rd in 93 and 94) Over-simplified conclusion: A corps must first finish in the Top 3 before being considered "qualified enough" to win, and it's much more likely if that top 3 finish was in the PRIOR YEAR. Other facts: Cadets has had the same leadership for over 20 yrs. Cavies has had the same leadership for over 15 yrs. BD has had the same leadership for over 15 yrs. That's our recent "top 3," right? Although the current streak of leadership years is not long for SCV, Madison and Phantom, all three have had very long-tenured directors in DCI. Conclusion: Winning is likely a function of consistent leadership. More facts: The only corps to make Top 3 and NOT win are: 27th Lancers (1980) Bridgemen (1980) Troopers (1973) Blue Stars (1973, 1972) Two are gone, and the other two are back on the ladder, basically starting over. One more corps deserves mentioning: Star of Indiana. They won in 1991 after a Top 3 finish in 1990. Although Star did not have to wait long in DCI (started 10th in 1985, and ascended quickly from there), one could argue they had very long and consistent leadership even before they were born into DCI. They certainly had [have!] financial/human-resource resources! If I were to use this data to make a prediction of "who's most-likely to win that hasn't?", I'd first look to corps with long and consistent leadership. Carolina Crown has had the same leadership since its inception, 1990. They are certainly going about things the right way, and they've improved regularly. With a Top 6 finish this year, LOOK OUT in the not too distant future. (but they'll have to finish in the Top 3 first, see above) Same can be said for the Bluecoats. Although the director is young and relatively new with 5 yrs on the job, he was also a marching member and drum major. There are other key players that have been there for a long time...some since the Bluecoats inception in the early 70s. With a 4th place finish in 2006 and plenty of momentum (7 consecutive yrs of improving placement), Blooo seemed to be on the threshold of the Top 3 in 2007. The Glassmen have had consistent leadership since 1997. With over 10 yrs experience, they should be getting some serious consideration as well. I'm sorry if I'm remiss in mentioning Blue Knights, Crossmen and Boston Crusaders, but between them they've had maybe 3-4 Top 6 finishes all-time! They never seem to be a factor. Maybe they have leadership issues! (I didn't do the research, but I have a hunch.) So back to the traditional Top 6: BD, SCV, Cavies, Cadets, Phantom and Madison. The last non-Top 6 corps to finish in the Top 3 was Star in 1993. The last corps before that was 2-7 and Bridgemen in 1980. SINCE 1981, only SEVEN different corps have been in the TOP 3, and 2 of those only did it a few times (Madison and Star). This is what I call Competitive Inertia. All of that history is almost impossible to overcome. You see it in all subjectively judged events. It's humanly impossible for judges to "blank out" all of that inertia and start with a clean slate every year, especially when corps have such consistent leadership, and that leadership is always putting the same bug in DCI's ears all the time. It takes time to build up CI, and all the while the ones with the inertia are building more, rolling downhill while the rest push uphill. Same thing happens in baseball, when Barry Bonds' or Tony Guinn's strike zones are shrunk based on their past. They have such a history of being good, that it makes umpires give them breaks. Happens in the NBA too, especially when Jordan was at the top of his game. When one of the Top 3 has an "off year" (ie, finishing lower than 3rd), every non-homer is usually in agreement that wherever they placed, they probably should've been lower. It's very, very difficult for judges to overcome the inertia. (And homers, too!) Crown 2007 gets lots of props here. Do you really think Crown would've placed in the Top 3, or--heaven forbid--WIN this year, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THEY WERE? My conclusion is: Human nature makes it impossible b/c of Competitive Inertia. For a new corps to break that inertia (ie, create their own), it will have to be in a class by itself in all captions that year. If there's any single point of contention, the new corps will never get the benefit of the doubt. Furthermore, even if that corps IS clearly better, it will only make it to the Top 3...it'll have to be even better the next year in order to win. I'm not saying the judges are unfair. I'm saying I understand their incredibly difficult task, and how their job is simplified by relying on Competitive Inertia. I don't blame them one bit. I blame the lower corps for not recognizing this, and not rising up to meet this standard. If we're to get new blood in the top 3, then it's incumbent on those new corps to be darn good for a consistent period of time. They need to make it obvious. They need to have consistent leadership, with a clear, credible and persistent voice during critique and winter activities. Success breeds success. Build Competitive Inertia.

I have had quite a few awesome moments in drum corps....believe me....but this past week I had a one that will stand out in my life. I finally met George B. formerly of the 27th Lancers. I know, huh. His daughter, who it was also a pleasure to meet, works with the Santa Clara Vanguard organization and I was volunteering. What an Honor Oh I also met Vic Firth...that was cool too.

The BAC Horn Doctor saves drum corps lives. Drum corps puts huge wear and tare on brass instruments, but ever horn the BAC Horn Doctor has fixed makes those worn out pieces of marching metal look like nothing's happened. Ode to the Horn Doctor. Post previous experiences you've had with the Horn Doctor here. Give 'em some love!

READ MORE HERE

My first valve was broken. I took it to him to fix it. He couldnt fix it

This guy save my life this summer. And was very friedly, and did an excellent job.

Something important to consider before lighting the fire under everyone's butt: ALL THE CORPS use electronics. So saying "this corps uses too much electronics" or "people should use less electronics, like this corps" is a little irrational, because all the corps are using them. Even simply mic-ing the front ensemble is a "use of electronics", and all the corps have additional things like synthesizers and samplers and xylo-synths and electronic drum pads. Technology and music advance in correlation to each other, and so DCI utilizes technology because it is a musical event. The topic question is this: What will become of the electronics? In this past season, several corps only use electronics in the form of instrument microphone setup. Then there are corps (like Cavaliers or Blue Stars in their preshow) that play pre-recorded samples. Then there are corps (Like Crown and their two synth players) that use the electronics less as an effect and more as an actual musical instrument, having actual trained pianists playing well-written, musical parts. I like the effects that can be produced with electronic synthesized noise that couldn't be created before, but I also very much like the idea of using the electronic synths as musical parts that are just as important as, say, the xylo or the glock or the marimba. Prediction: This coming season will show many corps including a synthesizer as an actual musical instrument and not a background, chordal effect.

We're challenging everyone in marching band to download the all-new Cadets2 poster, post it in their band room, take a photo and we'll send you a FREE Cadets2 t-shirt. It's simple and all you have to do is print and post! Post the photo on either the Cadets2 or the USSBA Facebook page and you're [...] ... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorps...hoto-challenge/

Also, back to the original question, I agree. More talented pianists are going to start participating. Piano based synth writing will become more prominent. I don't know if that will happen as soon as this coming season, but definitely in the near future.

That was a stand-up post Tom. Good on you.

Cabs would be crazy not to put an invite out to them IMHO. Butts in seats!!!

Don't know about drum corps, but my wife (the guard instructor for the band I tech at) has all of our band's music on her iPod. That way she always has it with her as she works out her choreography. I'm sure she's not the only one that does that.

Why are so many people counting Kidsgrove as a Top 5 automatic?? They are good, don't get me wrong. But they haven't broken in to the Top 5 yet right? And their only DCA finals placement was 2010 in 6th place by a decent margin between them and 5th. Lets give the corps that are consistently in the Top 5 every year a chance first. I think its more likely to see Cadets Part Duex breaking into the Top 5 in 2012 than Kidsgrove, but- best of luck to all.

Generally you and I are in lock-step on DCP BUT.... You're pretty much ignoring ensemble balance. Corps are already fielding 70 to 80 brass. How many WW's will it take to create a balanced ensemble at reasonable dynamics? Yeah -- IMO *that's* why we won't see marching WW's. You just need too many of them. I suppose corps could reduce the number of brass players to achieve balance but I don't think that's very likely. You're currently "stuck" with a WW-heavy band -- but (honestly) would you like to have more brass players? Darn tootin' you would

I think this is a pretty comprehensive description on why one corps is more successful than another: http://www.starofindiana.com/drum_corps/starting.html This is Bill Cook, founder of Star of Indiana + an incredible businessman, describing what it takes to start a drum corps. All of these necessary steps can be applied as the 'whys' regarding building a successful drum corps (or marching band for that matter). If you look at the highly successful, consistently successful drum corps, marching band, WGI units, etc. they will be very similar to Mr. Cook's model. It's one thing to hear theories or broad discussion from those of us here on a forum. But few people have had the success building a consistently great (both competitive AND financial) marching arts group like Bill Cook. I've not read a better 'source' than this anywhere else online, and while it is the approach of starting a corps, you can very easily reframe the article as, "what does it take to make a competitive and financially successful drum corps/marching band."

You mean like roughly 90% of the "Off the wall and totally unregognizable" music that's been played by DCI Corps since around 2000 or so. (Music selection was better this year, but still not there yet) I mean really, who has time for this, except for maybe high school or college students with a lot of free time on their hands? I certainly don't (Nor do most drum corps fans) want to hear what amounts to a freaking marchiing "Chamber Music" performance on a football field.

OK...Let me just say...as a major doubter..when you guys got started...I was wrong. Way to go and way to stick with this idea. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished in just a few short years. I mean it. Congratulations. I was a doubter and major critic, but you, sir, have proved me wrong. I apologize. Now, keep doing what you are doing because it's growing!

Sometimes when I can't find something I use a search engine such as google, yahoo, bing or ask. I'm sure there are more. I think people are afraid of Cadets2 and the offseason competition is rearing it's ugly head. Cheers!!! Olive

Does anybody else feel bad for the origianl poster besides me. The OP asked about Cadets 2 not any of the other drum corps that responded. I am sure that if someone from C2 would have posted in a seperate thread asking about a seperate drumcorps some of you would be up in arms. Please stop living in a double standard world. To the original poster - The director for the Cadets2 is Eric Kitherman. Here is his address Eric@yea.org Hope this helps Olive

Can we rename this the "Bus Song" thread? :thumbup: "My father was a fireman..."

Several corps were able to find trained pianists - Crown found two - and I'm saying that will happen even more in the coming season (in my personal prediction). And yes, trained pianists. I can only speak for Crown because they are the only ones I am sure of. Both are piano students in college. One goes to William and Mary, and the other goes to Berklee College of Music. Yes, trained pianists.

Great video!! Can't wait to here your staff and show announcements!

I'm guessing they will recruit members, write a show, have tryouts and practices during the winter and field a corps which will perform during the summer just like they do every year.

i dont even count greens or reds til my reds get into the negatives where they belong

the tails need to go.

Howdy...let me be blunt. No one on DCp cares about your "resume". Have you not realized everytime you sign in, you get mocked? And I'll tell you why...because it's all about you, and your resume no one cares about. You're still here dredging up #### from RAMD from 15 years ago...AND NO ONE CARES. oh and I watched CV tonight. for a corps with 6 weeks to go in their season, they had the issues I saw with other corps up here live saturday. Funny tho, for a guy who quit two weeks before finals, I don't see you out there doing anything...then again, no one wants you. give it up man. This isn't about old RAMD grudges here. This isn't about your resume. it's about drum corps as it is today, not what you want it to be.

WRONG!! =) Kanstul has held their marching brass / bugle prices firm since 2009. Not only that, the MAP ("minimum advertised price") is extremely competitive with Yamaha and King - It's my job to keep it that way! What Kanstul horns do - play in tune with themselves and others. Project better. The offer better response, balance, intonation, construction, and value. What Kanstul (the company) doesn't do - sponsor corps, give away instruments, compromise quality. Kanstul horns are still built in the USA, in Anaheim California. All the best,