ntflanni

I have read numerous threads concerning the "old" and "new" drum corps and whether or not a certain era of drum corps is good or bad. Her are my general thoughts on the matter, most of which were brought to my attention by BOTH old and young drum corps members. We all know that drum corps is an art form, as with any musical idiom. According to Webster's Dictionary, art is "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance". I would also like to state that art is CONSTANTLY a constantly changing thing. All one must do to see this is look at the changes in the works of Pablo Picasso. In 1906 he created "Portrait of Gertrude Stein". This work, for all intensive purposes, looks like a person. Found Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GertrudeStein.JPG Later, in 1910, he created "Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler". Found Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Picasso_...weiler_1910.jpg Honestly, I can't tell what the hell it is, but I still know it's art. I can still admire it for it's beauty. Now let's talk about a craft. A craft is "an occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity". A craft is something that would be done repeatedly, like carpentry or pottery. An action that takes initial knowledge and doesn't change over time. Now to my point. I think many of the older generation of drum corps want to see the activity stay the way it was, making it a craft, when it is not. Drum corps is an art form, and must constantly evolve in order to stay true to the definition of art. Take a look at Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". When it was debuted in Paris, it cause a riot both inside the concert hall and on the street. The older generation despised the sounds and displays of "vulgarity" which were being portrayed in the ballet, because as the older generation saw it, it was not ballet. The older generation is correct in that The Rite was not Swan Lake style ballet. We now see The Rite of Spring as being one of the most influential works of the 20th century. It enlightened many Modern composers such as Arnold Shoenburg, Phillip Glass, and Steve Reich. We MUST allow drum and bugle corps to evolve to some extent in order for the younger generations engaged and excited about the activity. I think we should all realize that drum corps is a dying art form and it is not a viable choice to try and keep things as they are. By allowing younger generations to help mold drum corps into something new, at least drum corps will stick around. NOTE: Drum corps (i.e. percussion and horns) should NEVER allow woodwinds, in my opinion. That would take it from Art Form to Crap

Tell that marimbist to take his gloves off of his hands. You'll never build a callus with those on. You'll appreciate building them up now as opposed to during the summer.

I am POSITIVE that BD went to Promark, not the other way around. I highly suggest taking another look at Promark, if you have not in a while. They have actively strived to improve and perfect their mallet and drumstick lines. I hope you will consider the Best option when searching for a new implement.

I am truly suprised with the latest comments about promark sticks. While I understand that Promark is seen as the "little guy" they are quite the operation in Houston. I have used Promark for nearly four years, mainly for marimba, vibe, and timpani mallets, but have also come to know their marching percussion line quite well. In the few years I was a member of Southwind, Promark staff members Stacy Waites (Stokes) and Don Glick visited far more often than was needed. Yes, they were interested in HOW we played, but more importantly, they question their company's quality. Were they doing EVERYTHING possible to supply a Div. 1 corps with the best equipment possible. My answer to them was a resounding YES! They even went so far as to custom-make mallets for me. I am very excited about the new Blue Devils/ Promark ties. I feel they will both benefit from this new deal and Promark can become the leading company which I know they are.

this is a very sad day for all of the southwind family, but as in the past when southwind re-evaluated itself, it returned more powerful. I know that Mike and all of the other staff members know what is best for Southwind. This summer, the ghost of southwind will still be on the field. Please support southwind by attending Drums Across the Bluegrass this summer. thank you Mike and Adrien Loeffelholz, for all you have done for this great corps.

I have mixed feelings about amp. 1. If you want to be louder, use harder mallets and play with more velocity. YES IT WORKS. I think it was BD 2000 with the accelerando in the mallet run. 2. Don't overmike; i.e. Cavaliers 04 bongos during the latin groove 3. BD's instruments were way too heavy. All the equipment added nearly 25 extra pounds to already heavy instruments. 4. Bluecoats did an amazing job with their log drums. not so much on the vocals. just my opinion SW 04, 05, 06...