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George Hopkins


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Has anyone said that they think they know what the corps members want?...

Perhaps not specifically, but someone said that they applauded out of "respect", and that implies that the students want respect more than they want to inspire and excite their audience. Perhaps some are involved in drum corps only to receive respect, but I think most want much more than that. Obviously, I'm assuming, but I don't know many people who sign up for any kind of musical experience solely to garner "respect".

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You know, I feel that string quartets could really use a boost in popularity. I was thinking about adding electric guitars and amps...it would help connect to a different audience and help increase attendance. But I wonder if adding electronic guitars and amps would adversely affect attendance from people who like string quartets just the way they are?

If I could plus this a thousand times, I would. You've hit the nail on the head (and far more succinctly than I can be).

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Perhaps not specifically, but someone said that they applauded out of "respect", and that implies that the students want respect more than they want to inspire and excite their audience. Perhaps some are involved in drum corps only to receive respect, but I think most want much more than that. Obviously, I'm assuming, but I don't know many people who sign up for any kind of musical experience solely to garner "respect".

Don't know if anyone else said it but I posted if nothing else I applaud to show respect and/appreciation for the work involved. Don't give a crap if that's what any of the members want but that's what I do based on my previous experiences.

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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dont say narration because they just changed the rule so you could press a button

This. The recording doesn't make mistakes or have poor inflection. If they could figure out a way to get the MMs to stay in sync with a recorded backing track, they would do it in a second.

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This. The recording doesn't make mistakes or have poor inflection. If they could figure out a way to get the MMs to stay in sync with a recorded backing track, they would do it in a second.

Simple. Just replace the drum major with a large, red light pointed at the field. Or better yet, have the drums watch a white light, the horns a red one, and guard a yellow one or whatever. Teach each section to ignore all the others. Then set the timing of each light milliseconds apart to accomodate distance from the front line and, bingo...

You have robot automatons who can play behind any music track you'd like.

Lip-sinking drum corps style.

Better yet, set a second pair of speakers on the back line timed slightly apart so it creates depth, then just have the MM's carry flags and make pretty circles.

That would sure solve the problem of letting woodwinds in, and strings, too. You could carry a $2.00 violin from a junk shop and have it "sound" good through the amps.

/sarcasm, I think. Or maybe it's prescient fear. :tic:

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Don't know if anyone else said it but I posted if nothing else I applaud to show respect and/appreciation for the work involved. Don't give a crap if that's what any of the members want but that's what I do based on my previous experiences.

Translation: I act the way I feel not "Gee I think the performancers want me to clap so I'd better do it".

LOL - another shot for negative hits.....

Edit: Since I missed this earlier.

"Perhaps not specifically, but someone said that they applauded out of "respect", and that implies that the students want respect more than they want to inspire and excite their audience. Perhaps some are involved in drum corps only to receive respect, but I think most want much more than that. Obviously, I'm assuming, but I don't know many people who sign up for any kind of musical experience solely to garner "respect"."

If you're referring to my personal experience I related earlier I was talking about bringing a defunct Senior corps back from the scrap heap. So any comparision to students or todays DCI experiences are useless. Sorry if you were misled but you read more into my post then was really there.

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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This. The recording doesn't make mistakes or have poor inflection. If they could figure out a way to get the MMs to stay in sync with a recorded backing track, they would do it in a second.

True story...

December of 1989, I'm pretty sure it was...I had a friend who was a percussionist with the U.S. Army Concert Band at West Point... they were doing the halftime show for the Army-Navy Game at the NJ Meadowlands that year.

Long story short... when the band rehearsed at the stadium, a couple of days before the show, it was so cold that the instruments weren't working... brass valves freezing, problems with the woodwinds, etc. Nothing solved the problem... motor oil, nothing.

The game-day forecast was for the same well-below-freezing temperatures... so the officer in charge of the band took them into their recording studio at West Point, cut a tape of the show... and the band, for all intents and purposes, "lip-synched" the show to the recording on game day.

So it can be done. Beware. :tongue:

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Translation: I act the way I feel not "Gee I think the performancers want me to clap so I'd better do it".

If you're referring to my personal experience I related earlier I was talking about bringing a defunct Senior corps back from the scrap heap. So any comparision to students or todays DCI experiences are useless. Sorry if you were misled but you read more into my post then was really there.

It wasn't your story I was referring to. Also, I didn't mean to imply that we should only respond when we think that's what the kids want. Moreso that we should help and encourage kids to be the best they can be. Most importantly, though, show designers should create products that lead to the kinds of magical responses that make any artistic endeavor rewarding. I don't think respectful pity applause rises to that level, but maybe I'm wrong.

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Narration and sampling are great examples.

I envision a show about sampling narration; the act of sampling the narration would then be narrated and sampled for playback effect. It would be the first recursive drum corps show. I would then write about writing about it.

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