G-horns

errrrr.....B U M P !! First rehearsal, Sunday, Sept. 15th, High Noon. Has Heights VFW....bring your axe and a stand if you have 'em.

BUMP with a comment.... The show is gonna be kick-###.

Best news....NO HURRICANES (of the meteorological variety) OR TROPICAL STORMS. Remember when Annapolis was announced as the location and all the posts about hurricane season?

Getting back to the original thread.... One would expect that DCA takes the proposed I&E/Mini-Corps venue into consideration when evaluating bids for the weekend. Just sayin'.

A number of Sky Alumni will be in town from Thursday evening on thru Sunday noonish. If you're in the neighborhood of the BW Annapolis, we'll be in the pool or the back lot. Bring a chair and some beverages to consume/share. (MBI, you're across the lot and we don't bite - except when asked.)

Charlie King. You can locate him through the CT Hurricanes. He's a drum corps guy and does excellent work.

You know? I haven't been on this site for quite a while and what pops up? Discussion on G vs. Bb. So for the benefit of those who haven't seen it before, here's my take... I started playing a single piston G-D bugle when I was 7 years old. It was a piece of crap but I didn't know any better. You either left the valve out or pushed it in. Easy. Then I picked up trumpet in school. All of a sudden I was faced with "What buttons do I press?" and the panic that ensued if you pushed the wrong valve or combination. Later, I played a piston/slide G-D, piston/rotor G-F, 2V and 3V. All had their good points and bad points. I still think the Olds Ultratone was the balls for sopranos, followed closely by the King 2V. All these are G bugles. FWIW, I also blew a King Super 20 medium bore trumpet at the same time, so I'm familiar with the whole "pitch matching" issue. For me, if you are a good musician, it doesn't matter what key the instrument is in. You will adjust for things like intonation, tone quality and the limitations of the beast. Just ask any mellophone player - regardless of the key. If the music doesn't sound bright, it isn't just because it's being played on Bb or F horns. More likely, the mouthpiece, bore of the horn (bigger bore usually means darker sound) and the key selected by the arranger have contributed to the lack of brightness. Listen to the top big bands and tell me trumpet 1 and 2 are not bright enough on the best charts. Good arranging has more to do with it than most imagine or admit.

I guess the exhibition acts don't count anymore.

I was there. I'm appreciative that someone wrote a review of the show. There are numerous alumni corps that would jump at the chance to perform. So many, in fact, that I believe DCA has had to limit the number of corps to 10 for time and logistics reasons.

As a preliminary, I have been involved with drum corps since the days of 1 valve and NO slip-slide (1958). The change from G-D to G-F was welcome and no big deal. Changing to 2 valves (G-F's were actually 2 valve horns, just the mechanism for #2 was different) was no big deal. What happened with the change to 3 valves was that arrangers didn't need as much "missing note" experience in order to get the job done. The best arrangers of the single and two valve era knew that key selection was critical to success. They also knew what notes (A-flat above the staff!!) were intonation nightmares to be avoided unless your players were experienced. And, if your corps was taught by one of the more astute instructional staffs, you would dread the rehearsal where the Conn Strobotuner (aka "the strobe") came out of the closet. Tuning was as important then as it is now, perhaps even more important given that most corps didn't have the luxury of a full set of like model brass. To answer Jim's initial "I wonder what would happen".....some would love it, some would hate it, and most wouldn't care. Just like huge pits, electronics and saxophones. BTW, if you haven't read Frank's latest piece, do it now.

Special kudos to the Mayor, who made an executive decision to waive the curfew ordinance. Some politicians wouldn't have the intestinal fortitude to do such a thing.

My comment wasn't intended as a slam. Obviously, Glen had to sleep sometime. However, the Spectacular participants fill hotel rooms, restaurants and the stands for prelims and finals, with people who might otherwise not attend the festivities. Not to mention contribute to the I&E/Mini-corps event. It would have been nice if it was mentioned in a DCA Administration post. That's all.

I guess Glen slept through the Alumni Spectacular.

I wholeheartedly agree that some of our alumni brothers and sisters go a little long. That's why I said "reasonable" length of show.

Safe travels. If you get a chance to check out the alumni corps, do it! You will not be disappointed.