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Lance

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Posts posted by Lance

  1. Just now, Richard Lesher said:

    Of the things that are horribly worse watching on-line verses live, Drum Corps is near the top of that list. The only thing else that comes to mind that might be worse is an Air Show.

    I don't even both watching anything Drum Corps on-line for anything other than reminiscing.

    Must be nice to live in California.  Lots of us don't live near drum corps Meccas, and literally the only access we have is through flo.   

    If you're lucky enough to live near lots of live shows or a regional, I recommend dealing with the extra $$ y'all are griping about for tix.  You're lucky, period.  Add another $500+ in travel costs onto it for the rest of us who aren't so lucky.  

    • Like 1
  2. 29 minutes ago, KVG_DC said:

    oh hmm.  That would lend itself to the whole 'articulation tonguing technical passage' that seen seems to be a compulsory element in arranging.  

    I don't think of Mozart as being that kind of throwaway garbage.  A more or less straight arrangement is what I'm talking about.  It's a fantastic piece of music, but dismiss it however you want if that's how you have fun.  

    What you're talking about is some orchestrator/arranger playing with a motif and adding arpeggios and double/triple tonguing where it was never meant to be.  That can literally be done with any piece of music, not just the one I put up.  And no, I wouldn't want that done to anything Mozart wrote.  His music doesn't need embellishment for the sake of embellishment.  

     

  3. On 2/22/2024 at 4:52 PM, karuna said:

     seen on the interwebs :ninja: 

    Mackey will write the closer after seeing (hearing?) the rest of the show.  Now THAT'S interesting as it provides the opportunity to both tie together concepts and recapitulate motifs from throughout the program.  So it's not just a Mackey piece commissioned by Crown -- it's a Mackey piece written specifically for this show and these other pieces.  

    That is fantastic.  WOW!  

  4. On 2/18/2024 at 10:39 AM, ironlips said:

    Still, he's a pro and I'd much prefer to hear music from folks like J.A. than the sophomoric attempts of many of the lesser-gifted and inexperienced who dare to write "original" music for Drum Corps, just because they have a degree from West Jock Strap College of (Mostly) Fine Arts.

    Well put, and most "original" music in DCI falls here, let's be honest, even if the writer has a degree from a more prestigious institution.  Sometimes these people are great at taking motifs from truly great pieces and fiddling with them to do something "original" sounding.  That gets into your orchestration comment...

    Quote

    In the hands of a top "Drum Corps" arranger (read, "orchestrator") this source material could serve well as a show segment.

    Yep.  And that skill that requires a great ear for it to end up sounding good on the field.  It's what separates somebody like Klesch doing "Nimrod" from people who don't have a good ear.  That piece is so weak both melodically and harmonically it's almost impossible to arrange for something like DCI, but Klesch did great with it and so many other ballad-type pieces over the years.  I equate that with what you said about Adams....not a whole lot to work with from an orchestration standpoint outside of percussion most of the time, but that doesn't get in the way for the greats in our activity.  Same with Downey and what he did with all those jazz charts by Sebesky and Ellis  in 1991 and 1993.  I can always tell when somebody has done their work using protools or whatever without giving much thought to how particular instruments actually sound together.  

     

     

    • Like 1
  5. 19 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

    Lost the tape (or maybe it destroyed itself from shame), 1976 Hershey show retreat the corps were supposed to play something patriotic for bicentennial. Maybe same Stars and Stripes. Anyway think whoever started it gave 1,2,3 and 3 corps came in on 4. 3 corps came in a beat later (on 1). And one corps (7 corps show) came in another beat later.

    Kind of like playing the song in a round. 😱

    lol, that actually wouldn't sound half bad compared to some legit modern and postmodern pieces, imo.  

    • Haha 1
  6. The point of a microphone is to not have to yell, actually.  And of course you have to raise your voice when talking to a large group spread out over a large space without amplification.  

    Good instructors have it built in to where you automatically stfu (with your voice or your instrument) when they start talking.   Yelling/screaming to get attention of your students or to drive a point home means you're a bad instructor, period.

    The boot camp thing I brought up earlier is a different discussion.  They're loud and scary to prepare you to immediately pay attention to your superiors and obey their instructions during the chaos of combat, or else you literally die.   

    • Thanks 2
  7. I've found that with the best instructors I've ever had, it's when they start talking quietly that they're at their most intense.  You REALLY listen to what they have to say then.  That was true for me even at boot camp which is mostly just screaming all the time.  When DI's got quiet...those were the most "oh s###" moments, lol.   

    • Like 1
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  8. 9 minutes ago, Cadet Guardy said:

    We are all aware of your abuse - it's as if you bring it up weekly on this forum and I am sorry that happened to you. I am simply stating that there is a line and I simply do not believe if an instructor shouts a few times that it constitutes as emotional abuse. I also stand by my opinion that some people, not all, are simply too soft in present times. If I were shouted at for completely running the wrong drill set, I would take that as a "lets get your head in the game and focus" rather a "he shouted at me and I'm going to go file a complaint to get the instructor removed". There is a line.

    Who defines that line?  I'm all for exploring nuance, but given the way you've presented yourself, I think most of us would hope nobody like you would ever be the one to define it for any student anywhere.  

    • Like 1
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  9. I've noticed that whenever I feel inclined to raise my voice with my students, it's usually about something internal not external... almost always insecurity or unpreparedness on my part.

    The same is true of students acting up 99.99% of the time.  Not necessarily insecurity on their part, but definitely something that has nothing to do with me or my instruction.  

    Took me a bit to figure both of those things out, but it sure made me a better teacher.  

    Also, being good at something doesn't make you good at teaching it, unfortunately.  

    • Like 1
  10. On 1/29/2024 at 1:37 PM, An_drew said:

    All I want from Bloo24 is for them to REALLY go outside the box with their music selections. I just wanna see Thrower/Rarick go absolutely CRAZY in 2024, ya know?

    I can't say I've ever imagined a Talking Heads drum corps show before, but I'm picturing it now, and it's spectacular. There's even so many ideas for unique choreography and visuals based on some of the dances they do in their music videos. I would be 100% down for this.

    Same.  Have you seen them perform live bitd?  The whole production they'd do felt almost operatic.  There's so much rhythm built into their work and so much melodic ostinato, I think it would lend itself well to today's DCI.

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