alternative rock

[BRASSO]

You are referring to BD's 2011 show. Alas, they only silvered.

Yes, but the selection of songs had nothing to do with their 2nd place finish... 2 years earlier they won DCI and one of musical selections in the show was " Happy Days Are Here Again ". Its doesn't matter what they play in music, imo.

[skevinp]

I love Crossmen 94's arrangement of Pop Goes the Weasel, and I'm a grown man.

Seriously, I am.

No, really.

I am so.

[BRASSO]

BD is has so much marcher talent each season, that with its talented writing staff, they could write a Polka Music song and make it work for them.... even add in an accordian for good measure if they wanted too. BD is not alone in this either. Cadets could too, imo. Both Corps typically have strong and talented Visuals and Guards. Both are prominently displayed in their theme depictions most years now, so they can play anything from "Jingle Bells" to "Happy Days Are Hear Again" to " Roll out the Barrel ", etc and it would work for them, imo. Obscure Music, POP, Rock, Original Written Music, Classical, Jazz, Indie Pop, African Beat, Folk,, etc... you name it......... these 2 Corps can put any music they choose on the field now and it can be written and then performed to work for them. Thats just the reality as well as a tribute to their decades long dominance. Thats my observation on this anyway.

Edited September 11, 2014 by BRASSO

[MikeD]

I love Crossmen 94's arrangement of Pop Goes the Weasel, and I'm a grown man.

Seriously, I am.

No, really.

I am so.

I liked BAC's pecussion feature of the same tune in 1969, when they used orchestra bells.

[Overhype]

To the OP and others. What do you consider "alternative rock?" Could you name some bands as examples?

I'm now in my mid-40s. Seemed to me, in the early 90s, that alternative rock was not really a musical genre, but a way of trying to separate then-current "rock" music from hair bands, new wave, and "classic rock" that came before. "Alternative" always seemed to be an ironic nomer, considering how immensely popular it was. It was really the mainstream at that point. But I guess they had to call it something.

When I think of alternative, I first think of the Smiths and Morrissey. Sort of post-new wave music. I think differently of the flannel-wearing Nirvana and Pearl Jam; they seem more like post-hair band rock. In any event, a rose is a rose...

[BRASSO]

To the OP and others. What do you consider "alternative rock?" Could you name some bands as examples?

I'm now in my mid-40s. Seemed to me, in the early 90s, that alternative rock was not really a musical genre, but a way of trying to separate then-current "rock" music from hair bands, new wave, and "classic rock" that came before. "Alternative" always seemed to be an ironic nomer, considering how immensely popular it was. It was really the mainstream at that point. But I guess they had to call it something.

When I think of alternative, I first think of the Smiths and Morrissey. Sort of post-new wave music. I think differently of the flannel-wearing Nirvana and Pearl Jam; they seem more like post-hair band rock. In any event, a rose is a rose...

Good point. Before we ask for more " Alternative Rock " music when its Rock Music to be played, it might be helpful to define today's " Alternative Rock " as perhaps not everyone's definition of today's " Alternative Rock " is the same. To a 35- 40 year older " Radiohead, Green Day, might be their version of Alternative Rock Bands, but to many of the young, they are now mainstream and passe for them as being considered " Alternative Rock ". For the young ( under 30) they would tend to consider groups such as Bad Rabbits, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Fall Out Boy, The Flaming Lips, Manic Steet Preachers, A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Dashboard Confessional, The Janks as a few bands that would today fall into the realm of " Alternative Rock " Bands for them.

Could music selected from any of these groups resonate well with today's DCI judges ? Yes. I believe so. Provided it was written by a G7 corps arranger it could work, imo. It would not neccessarily matter if none of today's DCI Music or Brass captioned judges had a clue on what the song is, nor the Artist. If written well ( assuming Corps get the Music Copyrights ) it would work just as equally well as " Jingle Bells ", or " Happy Days are Here Again ", " Harmonielehre ", or " Symphonies : V " and so forth, imo.

Edited September 12, 2014 by BRASSO

[Overhype]

Could music selected from any of these groups resonate well with today's DCI judges ? Yes. I believe so. Provided it was written by a G7 corps arranger it could work, imo. It would not neccessarily matter if none of today's DCI Music or Brass captioned judges had a clue on what the song is, nor the Artist. If written well ( assuming Corps get the Music Copyrights ) it would work just as equally well as " Jingle Bells ", or " Happy Days are Here Again ", " Harmonielehre ", or " Symphonies : V " and so forth, imo.

Some modern arrangers tend to arrange the snot out of their source material. They take out all repeats. They add 32nd note runs as countermelodies that wind up sounding like a poor man's "Flight of the Bumblebee" (gotta get credit for that 'demand'). Chop and bop, and completely change the vibe of the original piece. So by the time the piece has been "arranged," it may be recognizeable, but will probably lack the character of the original.

This obviously isn't the case with all corps/band arrangements (BD 1988). But with genres like rock/pop, which rely so heavily on tones and ambience of electric instruments and effects, much is lost when translated to a large brass ensemble. I mean, imagine a U2 band/corps show without Edge's amplification and effects. Unless you have an electric guitar and/or other electronics, the music is probably going to sound more like a Sousa march than U2.

[N.E. Brigand]

BD has so much marching talent each season that with its talented writing staff, they could write a polka song and make it work for them, even adding in an accordion for good measure if they wanted to. BD is not alone in this, either. Cadets could too, imo. Both corps typically have strong and talented visuals and guards. Both are prominently displayed in their theme depictions most years now, so they can play anything from "Jingle Bells" to "Happy Days Are Here Again" to "Roll out the Barrel", etc., and it would work for them, imo. Obscure music, Pop, Rock, original music, Classical, Jazz, Indie Pop, African Beat, Folk, etc., you name it: these two corps can put any music they choose on the field now, and it can be written and then performed to work for them. That's just the reality, as well as a tribute to their decades-long dominance. That's my observation on this, anyway.

Ah, but, as I think the earlier question to you on this subject was driving at, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing? Should corps not be dominating when playing certain kinds of music?

You've so often stated that a corps with strong visuals and guards can win even while playing Christmas carols that I think some posters are reading your comments as sarcastic: that you believe it's wrong for Cadets to score as high as fourth with that repertoire, even though the pieces are arranged so as to be every bit as musically challenging as drum corps versions of works originally written by, say, Respighi or Shostakovich.

Is that in fact your meaning?

[BRASSO]

Ah, but, as I think the earlier question to you on this subject was driving at, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing? Should corps not be dominating when playing certain kinds of music?

You've so often stated that a corps with strong visuals and guards can win even while playing Christmas carols that I think some posters are reading your comments as sarcastic: that you believe it's wrong for Cadets to score as high as fourth with that repertoire, even though the pieces are arranged so as to be every bit as musically challenging as drum corps versions of works originally written by, say, Respighi or Shostakovich.

Is that in fact your meaning?

Yes, i have said that Visuals and Guard provide more point o to be found on today's sheets than Brass or Percussion. Musician performers are judged on Visuals moves, but Guards are not judged on instrument playing ( Corps can win a DCI title with Percussion in 6th, 7th, but that'd be impossible to do today finishing 6th or 7th in the Visual or Guard captions, for example. ). As such,, Corps can play anything at all and win, including any ordinary music. ( But they can't win, doing ordinary Visuals with ordinary Guards ) I don't know where my remarks are inconsistent of late with what I might have said before regarding the preeminent role of the Visuals and the Guard to todays placements and scores. The Visual Show Design mostly carries the theme nowadays, and thus the most scoring points to be had under today's sheets. ( ,Madison of late knows this full well, one would imagine, as well as other Corps ) Cadets and BD have placed where they desereved under the current sheets... and have never complained ever on their placements and scores. BD writes their shows to the sheets better than any Corps out there. To their credit, and they perform it better than the others. I've never stated otherwise.

Edited September 13, 2014 by BRASSO

[MikeD]

Yes, i have said that Visuals and Guard provide more point o to be found on today's sheets than Brass or Percussion. Musician performers are judged on Visuals moves, but Guards are not judged on instrument playing ( Corps can win a DCI title with Percussion in 6th, 7th, but that'd be impossible to do today finishing 6th or 7th in the Visual or Guard captions, for example. ). As such,, Corps can play anything at all and win, including any ordinary music. ( But they can't win, doing ordinary Visuals with ordinary Guards ) I don't know where my remarks are inconsistent of late with what I might have said before regarding the preeminent role of the Visuals and the Guard to todays placements and scores. The Visual Show Design mostly carries the theme nowadays, and thus the most scoring points to be had under today's sheets. ( ,Madison of late knows this full well, one would imagine, as well as other Corps ) Cadets and BD have placed where they desereved under the current sheets... and have never complained ever on their placements and scores. BD writes their shows to the sheets better than any Corps out there. To their credit, and they perform it better than the others. I've never stated otherwise.

Corps have not won DCI with low-placing music caption scores, outside of the anomaly of Crown's 6ht place percussion score. I went back 10 years and looked; in Brass Performance, Music Ensemble and Music Effect all of the winning corps placed in the top , usually first or second. To think that the music captions, including the show, make no difference just flies in the face of reality, IMO. To present another anomaly...when Regiment won in 2008 they were 3rd in VP, 4th in VE and 4th in Guard.