pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I agree with the Op & Bryan. I haven't been to a DCI show in a few years because it's not entertaining to me; I hate the electronics, the obscure music selections, etc. Nothing against the performers or fans of DCI, but I only go to DCA shows. The music is more approachable, the shows more audience oriented, you can hear g hornlines and what a beautiful & distinctive sound they make. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOSMarcher Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Yes, but a few DCA corps achieve another dynamic level that you never hear in DCI these days. A dynamic level that leaves me gasping for breath, thinking "how the hell is that even possible?". Hmmm... Crown this past year made a bigger sound than I have heard any DCA hornline (including Bucs produce). Not only was it of quality, but it was an overwhelming sound. This is only recent observations (since about 2008), so this is not to say that DCA hornlines have never reached that volume. I also realize that the Bucs have 60 brass and Crown has about 80... I am just saying that I do not share the same opinion. I agree that DCA can still be great entertainment, but the DCI groups simply have a lot more time to tune and perfect a show to make it reach those volumes. For the record, I am also not implying that every DCI corps is louder than every DCA corps. The reason I made the comment is that you said you never hear it in DCI, and if the DCA lines are our measurment, then I would no DCA corps reach it either. ... again, not ragging on DCA. On another note, I think it is exciting that the move to Annapolis has gotten new people interested in DCA!!! I think this is the best news we could hope for when it comes to moving the championships. I wonder what we can expect for the crowd next year? If the numbers are true and we had 5,000 at Finals, then that at least matches what was in Rochester... though I am sure it looked smaller because of the stadium size. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 WNEW? Was that call sign re-assigned to a station in DC? Sorry to be off topic... I know what you mean, unsure. I know they have a KYW-style all news station in the area. I think that was the call. More worried about making time and driving hard to the contest, then trying to get to my parent's afterwards after the delay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I agree with the Op & Bryan. I haven't been to a DCI show in a few years because it's not entertaining to me; I hate the electronics, the obscure music selections, etc. Nothing against the performers or fans of DCI, but I only go to DCA shows. The music is more approachable, the shows more audience oriented, you can hear g hornlines and what a beautiful & distinctive sound they make. Ahh, yes, those obscure musical selections like Gymnopedies, Jingle Bells, Fanfare for the Common Man, Mars, Firebird Suite, New World Symphony, Pines of Rome, In the Stone, All By Myself, Phantom of the Opera, Earth Song, Organ Symphony, Malaga, Channel One Suite, True Colors, Hall of the Mountain King, Rite of Spring, Luck Be a Lady... Yea, all those are completely unrecognizable, to be sure. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Ahh, yes, those obscure musical selections like Gymnopedies, Jingle Bells, Fanfare for the Common Man, Mars, Firebird Suite, New World Symphony, Pines of Rome, In the Stone, All By Myself, Phantom of the Opera, Earth Song, Organ Symphony, Malaga, Channel One Suite, True Colors, Hall of the Mountain King, Rite of Spring, Luck Be a Lady...Yea, all those are completely unrecognizable, to be sure. Thanks for that. And speaking of "Earth Song": being brand new to DCA, I bought the 2010 and 2011 Finals DVDs at Annapolis so as to increase my understanding, and when my budget allows, I hope to expand that collection with video from earlier years. I watched the 2011 line-up earlier today, and was intrigued to find (although CorpsReps doesn't list it), that "Earth Song" was one of the many Michael Jackson tunes that Empire Statesmen performed last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Ahh, yes, those obscure musical selections like Gymnopedies, Jingle Bells, Fanfare for the Common Man, Mars, Firebird Suite, New World Symphony, Pines of Rome, In the Stone, All By Myself, Phantom of the Opera, Earth Song, Organ Symphony, Malaga, Channel One Suite, True Colors, Hall of the Mountain King, Rite of Spring, Luck Be a Lady... Yea, all those are completely unrecognizable, to be sure. Well I did state I that I hadn't been to a DCI show in a few years, and my larger point was that I won't be back because I dislike the sound ( electronics). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
En929 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I have been a drum corps fan since I saw my first McCormick how to marching video in the fall of 1975. I went to my firstDCI contest in Atlanta, GA in 1976. I have attended 3 DCI Championships (1980,1984 and 2000). I have a minor in music and I wrote for Drum Corps World from 1983-1996. With all of that drum corps fan experience up until last night I had never seen a DCA corps live. So here are some random observations: 1) The DCA corps are more fun to watch. They haven't got caught up in all the "I must play music the audience may not understand". 2) The DCA corps are not electronic junkies. My observations is the DCI corps have lost their way in the electronics. If I want to hear an electric piano I have plenty of Chick Corea CD's I can listen to at home. I go to a drum corps contest to hear brass, percussion, not MIDI music. The Blue Devils this year used mics for their soloist--I had no problem hearing any of the non-micro phoned DCA corps this evening. 3)The DCA Corps were not hung up on props. I know some of the DCA corps this year used props, but all the ones I saw were tastefully done, fit in the show and were not covering up for some lack of imagination drill design. 4) The fans of the DCA corps are more mature. The crowd was not full of high school band students. 5) I was surprised to find out that the upper deck of the stadium was not utilized for seat sales. I actually thought my ticket was in the second deck only to find myself considerably lower in the stands. 6) The DCA corps are not afraid to play loud. Nothing stirs up an audience like pure impact volume. Many of the DCI corps have cut back their volume level to sound more musical....bad trade. I don't expect a drum corps to sound like the London Symphony Orchestra. I guess the biggest surprise was the size of the crowd. The crowd was a fraction of what I saw at any of the DCI championships I have attended. The DCA corps are great! Many DCI fans maybe missing out on the best half of the activity. After the second open class corps of the evening I was wondering why I still followed DCI when this experience was so much better. The good news is I don't need to choose between the two halves of drum corps, but if I had to make a choice I would attend DCA first. I am already looking forward to attending next year. Scott Smith You said everything here very very well. Great post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Well I did state I that I hadn't been to a DCI show in a few years, and my larger point was that I won't be back because I dislike the sound ( electronics). If you haven't been there in a few years, how do you know you don't like the sound? Contradictory post is contradictory. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottgordon Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 If you haven't been there in a few years, how do you know you don't like the sound? I can't speak for pearlsnaredrummer. But what I do, is check out one DCI show each year. I go in the hopes that the shows will grab me, and I'll want to see more. In the past 4 years, the one show was it... the electronics ruined it for me. But I do check in once per year, just in case. I'm not ready to totally throw in the towel just yet - maybe the pendulum will shift and electronics will become passe. Yeah, I know, not likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I can't speak for pearlsnaredrummer. But what I do, is check out one DCI show each year. I go in the hopes that the shows will grab me, and I'll want to see more. In the past 4 years, the one show was it... the electronics ruined it for me. But I do check in once per year, just in case. I'm not ready to totally throw in the towel just yet - maybe the pendulum will shift and electronics will become passe. Yeah, I know, not likely. That's a bummer, because a few corps have done some pretty cool stuff with electronics. It's only a matter of time before DCA starts dabbling, and I do think some DCA corps would be a bit more creative and adventurous with electronics than most DCI corps have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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