music that can never be played in a drum corps show

[KingJoeVII]

Every month or so someone starts up a new topic to the effect of "Shows you'd like to see!" or "Music that has never been done in drum corps"

so I got to thinking today about music that could not possibly be put on a drum corps field.

A few years back it wouldn't be so difficult because you could say something like "Atlas Ecpliticalus" by John Cage would never been seen on the field (the piece is for amplified orchestra)...however, as we all know, things change.

so I want to compile a list of music that, whether it be for practicality, or aesthetic, or some other reason, will never be tried out on a drum corps field.

I submit for the first entry the "Fingertips" series by They Might Be Giants off their album Apollo 18 -

"'Fingertips" is a series of twenty-one apparently unrelated short tracks ranging in duration from four to sixty-one seconds (although most of them are under fifteen), totalling four minutes and thirty-five seconds." - thank you wikipedia

a flash animation of all of the songs can be found here the fingertips project

there is just no way a corps could arrange these little snippets into anything coherent on the field.

There is no time in any of these to really develop any musical ideas, so there would need to be incredible help from the arranger to come even close to field worthy. Of course, this would destroy the original intent of the piece and make any arrangement essentially an original composition.

what else is out there that flat out would never work on the field?

[skewerz]

hmmm...gotta go with the hokey pokey, and the chicken dance song...

[CrunchyTenor]

hmmm...gotta go with the hokey pokey, and the chicken dance song...

What if the hokey pokey is what it's all about?

Garry in Vegas

Edited May 10, 2008 by CrunchyTenor

[DCImonkey]

4'33 by John Cage

The Barney Song

It's a Small World (i know i know...star...that still doesn't mean it's right)

I've got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts

Kyle's Mom's a ##### (although it would be really cool if it were)

[DrinkinOuttaCups]

"Atmosphères" by György Ligeti. Here's a nice summary courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Any music teacher can tell you of the four main bodies of music: melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre. Ligeti, in this work, has chosen to abandon all but the latter, giving the piece a thickness of texture that few have accomplished before. There are fifty-five string players on the stage here. Normally, their goal is to play the same notes at the same time. Here, however, no two string players ever play the same note. This effectively creates nine minutes of pure sound, with no discernible melody. You won't go away singing the tune to yourself."

However, if you've heard the piece, you'd know that it's still freakin' amazing.

[Lance]

Kyle's Mom's a ##### (although it would be really cool if it were)

Dutch Boy 2006 drum feature. They did Uncle ####er too.

[mellodramatic]

4'33 by John Cage

That's what I was thinking.

[darklordsmiley]

Dutch Boy 2006 drum feature. They did Uncle ####er too.

I need to see this.

[Ryan H. Turner]

Forgive me for not knowing exactly what it is...but Maslanka's music, while some would probably translate ok, there are parts that at least to me listening to it, sound like it needs to absolutely be done in a concert hall, and nowhere else. If I'm not mistaken, a band director who actually worked with Maslanka told me that outside of the fact that Maslanka will NEVER allow his music be done "outdoors", that there is a tremendous amount of spirituality to his music and part of his composing process is based in that, therefore, it needs to come out as such in the concert hall. Not something that can be done on a football field. Additionally, my wife was a pro musician in both the Pacifc Chorale and John Alexander Singers out here in Orange County while Eric Whitacre was doing his composer in residence with them (about 8 years ago). I was there at the Orange County Performing Arts Center the night that Pacific Chorale did "Cloudburst", and it was so moving and powerful that it caused me to get all choked up. That was another song that I thought could never possibly be done on the field...and I know, someone is now. But I'm thinking a whole lot of the nuance and "spirit" of the piece as Eric intended is going to be lost.

[dbc03]

Dutch Boy 2006 drum feature. They did Uncle ####er too.

Did the announcer announce the names of the individual pieces? Please tell me he did.