Top innovations from DCI

[steelchops]

In your opinion, what were the top major on or off field innovations in DCI from the 1970's to present? They can be the obvious like pit off the field or z-pull or whatever. There are so many- which ones were the most significant to the activity?

[Overhype]

I believe curvelinear drill was one of the most significant performance innovations, and I believe it was the Garfield Cadets that brought that in the early 1980s. I believe there had been some asymetrical drill in marching bands and pre-DCI, so I'm not sure how innovative that truly was for DCI.

As far as off the field, I believe the national tour in the 70s was a major innovation. I believe Jim Jones of the Troopers was among the first to develop that. Though rock bands, other types of performers, and sports teams have probably toured nationally in busses, I don't know that touring with such a large group of performers and equipment had been done on such a scale. Sleeping on gym floors, etc.

I can't think of any significant innovation in performance since Garfield in the 1980s. Many of the more recent evolution in DCI has already been done by other types of performing groups, so I would not consider that to be true innovation. While there have been many unique effects and props over all the years of DCI, at the moment, I can't think of many that became commonplace throughout the activity.

[Tim K]

Some thoughts from past to present:

The Bridgemen:. When you consider what they did and when they did it, it was amazing. Can't say they were my favorites back in the day, liked 27th, BAC, and Garfield better, though I miss them terribly today, but they reshaped drum corps. So much of what we see today could be traced back to the Bridgemen.

Blue Devils have always been considered innovators, but I would say their most innovative years were 75-77. The sophistication of their music book set the standard.

Drill: 27th and Garfield under Zingali. While Star 1991 was Zingali's "magnum opus" (it's a Roman themed show, you have to use Latin), it all began with 27th in 1979 and flourished with Cadets in the early 80's.

I do not see Star as innovators on the field, which is not a slight. Star knew what worked on the field and took it to the next level which is not necessarily innovation, but good competitive sense. Remember many innovators die penniless, those who make money are often those who know a good idea and run with it. Where Star was an innovator was in management style. Yes the corps had significant funding from the beginning, but their model of management mixed good business sense with creativity which changed the way successful corps are managed.

I think we may look back on Bluecoats one day as being innovators in the use of electronics.

For guard I will give a three way tie of 27th, Phantom, and Cavies in the late 1970's. These three corps elevated the importance of the guard, had physically demanding shows, and we're amazing to see.

[Tim K]

I believe curvelinear drill was one of the most significant performance innovations, and I believe it was the Garfield Cadets that brought that in the early 1980s. I believe there had been some asymetrical drill in marching bands and pre-DCI, so I'm not sure how innovative that truly was for DCI.

As far as off the field, I believe the national tour in the 70s was a major innovation. I believe Jim Jones of the Troopers was among the first to develop that. Though rock bands, other types of performers, and sports teams have probably toured nationally in busses, I don't know that touring with such a large group of performers and equipment had been done on such a scale. Sleeping on gym floors, etc.

I can't think of any significant innovation in performance since Garfield in the 1980s. Many of the more recent evolution in DCI has already been done by other types of performing groups, so I would not consider that to be true innovation. While there have been many unique effects and props over all the years of DCI, at the moment, I can't think of many that became commonplace throughout the activity.

While I know many contend that ideas are tried in BOA and if successful, find their way to drum corps (I cannot attend BOA or YEA shows due to my busy fall schedule so I can't comment), prior to BOA I'm not sure too many people knew what bands were doing, and when BOA began in the late 1970's, they were more influenced by DCI. It was also about this time Santa Clara introduced the asymmetrical drill in drum corps which was not well received, but when we see the show today we do see it's genius.

[BDCorno]

I believe curvelinear drill was one of the most significant performance innovations, and I believe it was the Garfield Cadets that brought that in the early 1980s. I believe there had been some asymetrical drill in marching bands and pre-DCI, so I'm not sure how innovative that truly was for DCI.

As far as off the field, I believe the national tour in the 70s was a major innovation. I believe Jim Jones of the Troopers was among the first to develop that. Though rock bands, other types of performers, and sports teams have probably toured nationally in busses, I don't know that touring with such a large group of performers and equipment had been done on such a scale. Sleeping on gym floors, etc.

I can't think of any significant innovation in performance since Garfield in the 1980s. Many of the more recent evolution in DCI has already been done by other types of performing groups, so I would not consider that to be true innovation. While there have been many unique effects and props over all the years of DCI, at the moment, I can't think of many that became commonplace throughout the activity.

Not sure here, but I think you're meaning asymmetrical, not curvilinear drill. If you mean curvilinear, Santa Clara and Blue Devils really developed that type of approach. There was plenty of asymmetry to the old style drills (left to right flow of the shows), but more as a function of the rules than an approach. Santa Clara was the first on the curvilinear AND asymmetry bandwagon, and Cadets certainly stamped it into common practice, though some groups had been dabbling with a bit between 80-82.

One "innovation" is the "pre-show". Not too many groups doing the old F tuning sequence/drum warmup like the old days. Everything is a seamless transition, once you appear on the field. I find it a bit refreshing, as it allows groups to set a mood before the show starts...one thing I think Blue Devils do very well. Some groups spend it tinkering with the electronics too much.

[sadtrombonesound]

I would argue that modern uniforms have been a big innovation driven by DCI. Now, one could say that now WGI drives uniforms and they end up appearing in DCI, but I think that DCI truly influences marching bands of all levels much more than WGI. Uniforms like Crown would be unheard of a little while ago and now their hat style alone is slowly becoming more common (in DCI alone, I point to Cascades and OC), as is uniform design like they use.

[snare_guy_83]

While I know many contend that ideas are tried in BOA and if successful, find their way to drum corps (I cannot attend BOA or YEA shows due to my busy fall schedule so I can't comment), prior to BOA I'm not sure too many people knew what bands were doing, and when BOA began in the late 1970's, they were more influenced by DCI. It was also about this time Santa Clara introduced the asymmetrical drill in drum corps which was not well received, but when we see the show today we do see it's genius.

Carmel HS and the Cavaliers of the early 2000s both had Richard Saucedo, Mike McIntosh, Michael Gaines, and Scott Koter. The surdo drums used in the Cavaliers' 2002 percussion feature were tested out in Carmel's 2001 program.

[perc2100]

In your opinion, what were the top major on or off field innovations in DCI from the 1970's to present? They can be the obvious like pit off the field or z-pull or whatever. There are so many- which ones were the most significant to the activity?

* Blue Devils mid-00's-current: show design w/complete integration visually/musically. They've changed the design game where the trend of success is essentially WGI winter guard for drum corps. Doesn't matter what their show is, whether they go 'dark' or 'light' their design strategy is wildly successful and many corps are copying it

* Cavaliers late 90s-mid/late 00's: incredible visual design became the focal point that music designed around. With DCI Hall of Famer Michael Gaines innovating drill design, Cavaliers were on an incredible tear. Many corps still seemingly design this way, and since Gaines' departure Cavaliers have struggled to find similar success with design

* Star 1993 - body sculpting/movement vs just marching drill. This was fairly revolutionary for its time, and I think judges weren't 100% sure how to rank/rate them against other corps' visual programs. But even as early as 1994 their body sculpting philosophy was all over DCI corps, regardless of show. This has been taken up several notches over the decades since; one need only look at Crown 2015 to see how heavily a corps relies on body sculpting/choreography over marching drill dots.

* SCV 1991 - percussion arranging. Percussion arranging really exploded in innovation in the late 80s-early 90s (largely, IMO, thanks to Garfield's beautiful concert-approach as battery orchestration in 1987 that scored perfectly at finals). SCV 1991 takes the cake as far as the sound effects, timbres, etc. they created with their Miss Saigon program, highlighted by the helicopter sound effect during the 'Fall of Saigon' near the end of the program. There has been so much amazing percussion writing from late 80s/early 90s to now, but it seems SCV 91 kicked the door down and really 'challenged' percussion arrangers to be creative in 1991 (coincidentally, they tied High Percussion with Star whom also had starkish writing in 91 through 93, seemingly picking up where Hannum left off with Garfield in 97).

* SCV mid-80s - while Garfield was blazing the path with drill design innovations, SCV went the opposite direction and brought pageantry to the forefront. Their 87 Russian program, 88&89 Phantom of the Opera, 90 Carmen, 91 Miss Saigon, and even 92 Fiddler programs often brilliantly married music design, drill, and theatrics in their programs, making the Phantom disappear, showing the fall of Saigon complete with helicopters, etc. DCI trends go back and forth between prop-heaving pageantry and just-the-basics in visual design, but SCV showed us how to succeed with them in the modern era.

* Garfield early-mid 80s: drill design + non-mainstream classical/symphonic rep. = lots of success. This is a trend that Cadets often still go with, but George Z. and the Garfield music design team of the early 80s pioneered the 'movement.' Garfield did amazing things with Bernstein music that many thought might've not been possible previously, and they did more than just the highlights from "Appalachian Spring" in their triumphant 87 show. Either their design team from early to mid/late 80s was brilliant or crazy for what they attempted (note: I'm perfectly fine accepting the maybe likely "both"), but they changed the marching world in so many ways during that era.

[Sideways]

I'd toss Suncoast '88 in there as a real game changer too. For the late '80s that show was at least a decade out of place conceptually.

[tesmusic]

I would say that the dancing that started getting incorporated into guards in the late 70's and early 80's, much of it done by Madison was a big innovation.