Jeff Ream Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 1 hour ago, 2muchcoffeeman said: Pit percussionists are all on board with this idea. After years and years of being told to "listen back" . . . i taught a band that did it...and we were unplugged. granted my 11 kids were 1/3 of the band but still Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 3 hours ago, Stu said: Hmmmm... I see that you are very close to 100,000 postings on DCP there Jeff Hear that knocking? Jeff's noggin' is a tough one - it takes a big stick. Touche, Stu. (even if I know he'll say it's a carry-over mistake of some yadayadayada...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 3 hours ago, Cadevilina Crown said: Moving the pit percussion to the back is a genius idea. It would make for a lot of new drill and staging opportunities as well. Plus, I'm more used to seeing percussion in the back of a stage or field than the front because of the setup of a concert band/orchestra percussion section. Great. Banished again to the back of the band... Why not just put them in the end-zones? Once amped, it doesn't matter where they are, on or off the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 7 minutes ago, garfield said: Hear that knocking? Jeff's noggin' is a tough one - it takes a big stick. Touche, Stu. (even if I know he'll say it's a carry-over mistake of some yadayadayada...) it is. i was officially over 100,000 back in 07. Thru various site upgrades etc I've lost posts. and to be honest I dont care.my volume will most likely drop back down again about 2 weeks after DCA in fact i recently started a closed group on facebook for the old Club DCp gang since they're all over there instead of here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 4 minutes ago, garfield said: Great. Banished again to the back of the band... Why not just put them in the end-zones? Once amped, it doesn't matter where they are, on or off the field. it does present some cool staging ideas. I've seen bands do it where the musicians move in, among and around the pit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) most people don't care about the sanctity of acoustic brass anymore, i've found. i expect what dinos perceive as a problem is going to become the norm more and more. brass sections are going to get smaller over the next few years. scv is at the vanguard (see what i did) of the brass amplification as much as anybody, so it'll be really interesting to see what they do regarding section allotment over the next several years. Edited August 8, 2017 by Lance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 3 hours ago, jwillis35 said: WOW, I would hate to see you go. I know you run a fantastic show! I have been able to come a few times. Other times I have had to call bingo for Bluecoats. But I can imagine the work and money that goes into the whole thing. As fickle as Hopkins comes across now admitting that things have gone too far, I was glad he did because perhaps it changes some people's minds about support for the activity - as it has with you. I do not have a problem with some electronics, with some amplification. But it's wrong that people who sit low and center absolutely get pounded by synth bass and high, piercing synth strings or metallic-sounding solos that are mic'd poorly. Those seats are no longer worth any money and those people will soon stop coming to shows. DCI needs to take action now before the numbers fall. In general the entire pit is too loud and too electronic. There is an unnatural balance taking shape when mallet instruments are over-powering brass and battery percussion. When Mahler, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, or even modern composers like Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein and others, score for xylophone or marimba or vibes, they orchestrate them to enhance the sound, texture, and ensemble writing of the orchestra. They do not want their sound to dominate from the front, but to slightly project from the back -- which is where they are placed in the orchestra. Drum & Bugle Corps has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into the pit and amplified it to the detriment of the brass and percussion on the field. I still love that some corps handle this well and work with balances as well as possible. Bloo, to me, has mostly done fantastic work in this area; but on a whole I find the activity moving away from sensible and musical balances. If this is what they want, it may be time to move the pit to the back of the field (or middle) and amplify from there. The show is actually one of the smaller things I do, and the smallest in terms of financial commitment. I support for the kids. When I begin to think that the kids are being used as puppets to the egos of designers and directors, some reassessment is due. I absolutely believe in reversion to the mean, but I also know that the mean is non-static. By definition, an arms race becomes normalized and the pendulum rarely ever swings the same in both directions. Too far, too fast, as Hop admitted - and ALONG WITH A REASSESSMENT OF WHAT THE MESSAGE IS TO THE KIDS. I'm 30 minutes from making one of the largest "pitches" in the name of the activity of my long tenure as a band geek. It's luscious that this is the moment when I'm personally reassessing whether what's being taught to the kids aligns with what I want to support, much less pitch to a whale. We head to Indy on Thursday. I paid $7,500 for new hearing aids with the best music programming that my audio engineer brother could find. I had hoped to hear their magic in The Can this weekend but I'm afraid that, even in section 240*, I'll have to turn them off to stand the amps. I may even leave them in my ears as ear plugs; at least that's convenient. We've waited long enough for the tide to turn and the pendulum intentionally swung backwards to utilize this new world in a way that retains the analog character of what's coming from the field. *(Section 240, row 6 & 7, the last 5 seats in the section. GET OUT OF MY SEATS!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfever Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 4 hours ago, drumcorpsfever said: Is amplification to drum corps what PED's are to sports? Perhaps that's a bit extreme. There are good uses for amps. I'm not sure stomping it out is the answer. But good use of electronics should be rewarded - and poor use recognized in the scoring sheets. It's up to DCI membership to define what they feel is the best use of their toys. As fans, we can only hope they sheppard the activity in the right direction. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 2 hours ago, 2muchcoffeeman said: Pit percussionists are all on board with this idea. After years and years of being told to "listen back" . . . ...to the battery, exactly as the rest of the corps. It's not that they'll be moved. Their solution comes from having tracks in their ears. Who needs to practice listening to time delays when there aren't any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) Double Post Edited August 8, 2017 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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