JAPAN IS SUPERIOR

[The Line]

Saw these on the BD boards...thought you guys would get a kick out of this....simply stunning...just watch.

The visual and musical demand is very impressive...and they did quite well. The ending is especially stunning. Im shocked to see such skill in a high school band. Saw some signature American corps moves in there...

Im still not totally convinced that this band is actually playing....but the drill... it is simply stunning when the scale is considered....and it is performed extremely well! I don't know what else to say.....no field markings at all, and with Im guessing around 1000 people on the field....they make a better block than top div 1 corps!!

[Matthew]

Wow, this is #### good for being a high school band. They got those forms to look very good, with no yardlines! Great sound too (even if it is indoor marching band).

[spirit7698]

Well since I am currently (also on and off for the last 9 years) living and working in Japan I think I can help you understand a tiny bit of the " why " they are good.

It's all about the culture ( the way they think , respect, ).

When Japanese people take for instance musicians ( since I'm one and work with many others) if they like a type of music, they don't just learn the rhythms, they learn the who ( who's the best, who around my town is the best), the why ( why they use a certain technique, why they use a certain company's instruments, ) the what ( what people in the culture the music came from eat, what they wear, what's the language of that culture)

And other stuff concerning the musicians and culture from which the type of music came from.

They will find the best teachers ( money is no object) or who was taught by the best teachers, but also if some one is not the best they will still take what they can from them but usually only from the best. That comes from the Shinto religion ( Japanese culture ; give respect to the best by being the best also ; being good is not good enough; hence the Japanese work ethic).

They are really big on respect very unlike the U.S. in example there is little crime here ( besides yakuza doing the money game) if you go to a Mcdonald's here the young people taking your order/making burgers ( "serving") have a smile on their face and serve you as if you were at the the Waldorf Astoria in the richest town.

They respect everyone/everything even if they don't particularly like it but they are supposed to be respectful ( how their parents/ancestors raised them).

It has been said my many gaijin ( foreigners) and some of my Nihonjin ( Japanese) musician friends have said " Japanese are the greatest imitators ". I don't mean to offend anyone by that it's just a quote.

I have personally seen many Dave Weckl/ you name it ; anyone imitators that play awesome but just can't groove ( no feel ).

This is just the tip of the ice berg on the why they are good.

Edited April 24, 2007 by spirit7698

[geluf]

So...I'm confused....was this a drum corps thread, or was this a "USA sucks, Asia is better, here's why"?

[mellodramatic]

I think it's just Japanese cluture to be the best at what they do and always work hard at it. At least that's what Tom Cruise said in The Last Samurai.

[Crayola8]

To add on to the comments already made about Japanese culture, the other major difference between American and Japanese youth is that they pick ONE specific activity (violin, baseball, ballet, french horn) when they are very young and they follow through almost to the professional level. The American phenomena of kids being involved in baseball, soccer, band, choir, boy/girl scouts, all at the same time simply doesn't exist over there. There are definitely merits to each approach, but it's interesting to see the differences.

[karl E. Hungus]

dude, im telling you, give it a few years, if the japanese can seriously get over here and tour against the us corps, were gonna get pwned.

15 and 16 year olds man, when i was there i watched a elementary school jazz band (10-15) out play every highschool ive ever seen.... ever.

[karl E. Hungus]

also with the NK mass games. that stuff is CRAZY, if you look around in the youtube scroll bar youll find more vids of that. literally thousands upon thousands of performers, find the one with all the soldiers doing rifle work. also the massive changing mosaic in the background is another few thousand performers with cards.... even more mind boggling. essentially a massive human jumbotron, probably the biggest in the world

Edited April 24, 2007 by karl E. Hungus

[PhantomR]

that was awesome.

~>conner

[Michael Boo]

I wrote an article about the drum corps circuit in Japan a few years ago after being over there. School vacation schedules don't align between America and Japan, so it will be difficult to make things happen the way some might wish. Also, their national championship in is January.