Jump to content

nukeme70

Members
  • Posts

    370
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Your Drum Corps Experience
    86-89 Black Knights, 90-91 Expressions, 92 Bluecoats, 1995-01 Bayou City Blues, 01-Present Gulf Coast Sound
  • Your Favorite All Time Corps Performance (Any)
    1991 Bluecoats
  • Your Favorite Drum Corps Season
    1990
  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    College Station, TX

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://
  • ICQ
    0

nukeme70's Achievements

DCP Veteran

DCP Veteran (2/3)

25

Reputation

  1. Too bad their tone quality is horrible, tone colors are missing, and they're severely limited in what they can play. (end sarcasm)
  2. IMO 1991 had the most entertaining shows, all the way through the 20+ place corps. 1990 was pretty much the same level of entertainment, but not quite as matured as 91.
  3. This is how we started Gulf Coast Sound drum and bugle corps back in 2002 - we teamed up with the University of Houston's winter guard and competed in the Texas Color Guard Circuit Independent World class. At the time, there was nothing that said your musical accompaniment had to be recorded. They changed that rule after 2003. Here's our show from 2002 - the performance starts around 1:20. I actually like our 2003 show better - that is on the same page. http://www.gulfcoastsound.org/video2002.html
  4. Not sure about how iPhones handle mp3s, but I've used the free program audacity ( http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ ) to chop out sections of songs that I then use as ring tones.
  5. Our arranger would just put the music in what we called Texas Clef...the notes were correct for the ensemble, but on the page they were written so we just read the notes with Bb fingerings. (not exactly clear... the written notes on the page would be, for example, Bb, F, Bb and were all played open, but the notes coming out the bell were C, G, C) Most arrangers will probably be using Finale or some similar program and should be able to give you a copy of music in whatever way makes your brain happy.
  6. Why can't there be an actual active link in the original post? Why does the link that is listed then require a second link to show the information? This seems soooo much more helpful: DCA Schedule - http://www.dcacorps.org/?p=4339
  7. Greetings! Just wanted to share the video from the first DCM All-Stars. This was recorded off the air broadcast of the Cotton Bowl Parade on New Year's Day, 1988. The group was put together from all the DCM member corps - each corps could send 10% of their membership to participate. Have fun picking out which corps are which...somewhere I have a picture where we placed each corps' headgear on the bleachers (including Roman's hat in the middle). Enjoy, and Happy New Year! http://youtu.be/2mO9vhjAQjI
  8. There was a small corps called Northwind that played The Wall, in 1990. They stayed with us for the Grand Haven, MI show. Their entire color guard dyed their hair jet black, and wore some pretty heavy make-up for the show. Didn't get to see the show, but watching them warm-up was pretty odd. (5..6..5-6-7-8 "HEY! TEACHER! Leave those kids alone!" Again! 5..6..5-6-7-8.....)
  9. If you are referring to Texas Encorps, they are in no way affiliated with GCS. GCS still exists in a suspended state, with all of our instrumentation, uniforms, and equipment.
  10. In the late '80s, I had a shirt from a Canadian corps that simply said "I play contra". When I wore it, people from the general public gave me the thumbs up, and tell me that they did too...it usually wasn't worth it to try to explain. (For you youngsters out there, Contra was also a video game popular at the time, and the game that popularized the Konami code).
  11. Bluecoats sold the one I know of - late 80's through early 90's. I broke out mine and was sad to see that many of the listed items no longer apply, as many of the drum corps distinctions have been lost.
  12. During the transition to Bb, many hornlines held on to their G contras due to cost, and the fact that there really weren't any decent marching tubas on the market for quite a while. Since most scores are written with something like Finale, it's no big deal to print out parts in whatever key you'd like. Not exactly the same as on field, but I've played Bb tuba in concert band while sitting next to a guy on a CC tuba and we sounded just fine. Most British brass bands will have Bb and Eb tubas, C and Bb cornets/trumpets, etc. and they get along peachy.
  13. Here's some random thoughts leaking out of my brain in response to many of the arguments mentioned. First thing - and I'm just making up numbers for sake of argument - way back when, lets say there were 10,000 kids marching, and you had 2500 that sounded great on G bugles. Today you have those 2500 kids playing Bb, and nobody else marching. Suddenly, everyone in DCI sounds great! One of the things that drew me to drum corps, and kept me around for over 25 years, was the uniqueness of the instrument. Learning to master a horn that was similar, but fundamentally different from my bandmates in school was a matter of pride. Making the traditional instruments blend with each other had a unique challenge that went beyond that of marching band. It made me and the line better players, as we each had to listen and adjust to each other and know the restrictions and advantages of our instruments. Good, or even adequate players should have no problem switching from one key to another, or different fingerings. How many times have we heard about the kid that plays clarinet but taught themself to play brass so they could march corps? As a tuba player, I've played gigs in the morning on an Eb horn, went to corps practice with my G contra, then did a performance later on a Bb tuba. Don't forget the tuba options in C and F. Watch big bands...a lot of time the sax and flute player are the same person. Don't some trumpet mutes change the key and tone and flow characteristics of the horn? The economic issue is a non-argument as well. Kanstul bugles are cheaper than their corresponding Bb/F equivalents, they just don't make deals with hornlines. BITD, hornlines kept their equipment for years (I believe Star ended their tenure with the same horns they started with). I still have my contra that was built probably 1984 - had a lot of hard years before it became my parade horn. Still shiny (gotta love chrome), and still all in one piece. I might have missed it, but how many corps are using band instruments from local schools? I also wonder what happens to all the horns once the corps sell them off...I live in TX, that hotbed of marching, and have gone to many band competitions, and rarely do I see any schools using shoulder carried tubas, or matching lines of silver horns. I guess to answer the OP's question - I think we all know that no top corps is going to switch to G for the season. But, I think we can all agree that nobody is going to listen to the Commandant's Own and think that their intonation is crap.
  14. http://dynastyband.com/products/Marching-Brass/Bugles
  15. The one you are most comfortable with. I prefer the old standby of the full-size Helleberg...served me well for a couple decades now. Quite a few people I played with were happy with the Loud MPs: http://www.loudmouthpieces.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1820
×
×
  • Create New...