Land_Surfer

Regiment ‘91 DCI Finals.

Surely someone has figured out how to eliminate brass and percussion as a means to reduce the activity’s cost burden. After all, they are only playing backup.

Drum major consultant???

Don’t tell PR that. It was the power of nostalgia that largely made them DCI champs.

Me too! Electronic amplification just ruins the authenticity and quality. If you can keep a secret, I learned from physics that amplification often doesn’t really amplify. Don’t let that secret out. It would destroy some millennials.

When the season doesn’t go quite the way you wanted it to, just perform your heart out! That’s exactly what SCV did at DCI finals in ‘92. They traded their props for passion and let it fly. Possibly the largest crowd ever at DCI and by the time the show was finished everyone was an SCV fan, and on their feet long before the show was over. Powerful, precision and passion! Truly, a “real” gridiron spectacle. https://vimeo.com/196951050

PR needs to continue to embrace its long running classical style. That's what makes them unique, interesting and popular. There is no value in all corps using the same or similar musical & visual style(s). Immagine how mono-tone (boring) it would be if all corps performed a variation of a common style. We are already getting a similar effect with the use of electronic instruments and amplification. The sound quality they produce is so unnatural off-tone compared to the pure and natural sounds of brass and percussion, which is the primary attribute (main draw) to drum corps.

The only thing to rally the alumni, as of late is the SPARTACUS rally cry. To rally the Phans and fans it has to be done in true Phantom Regiment style: Classical elegance performed by legendary brass power. It takes what PR is good at to win. SPARTACUS proved that!

Why does amplification need to be used anyway? Is today’s DCI crowd that hard of hearing compared to just 8-10 years ago? I remember a time, not so long ago, when hearing the hornline from anywhere in a stadium wasn’t a problem. If you couldn’t, that was a sign of a weak hornline and they deserved a low score as a result. But, I guess I’m old school, when playing brass was cool and very very demanding and we didn’t need amplifiers or played backup to synthesizers.

That's fine.

You make me laugh.

Calling electronics a "lazy crutch" is far too kind.

Why would a drum corps want to be like a marching band?

1. No electronic instruments 2. No electronic sound systems 3. Limit the size and quantity of props to only what can be carried in by the members themselves Its time for DCI and its corps to be drum and bugle corps again and stop trying to be something they aren't. The last 5 or so years have really taken their toll on the activity. BLAST is not drum corp and vice versa, and drum and bugle corps are not marching bands. As I sat and watched finals it became even more obvious that it is truly an activity of the "haves" and "have nots" (those who can afford high-end premium electronics and props vs. those who can't) and the "have nots" out weigh those that "have." It wasn't so long ago that a premium instructional staff was one of the greatest expenses next to food and transport. Brass and percussion instruments can always be used a couple more years, especially with the right instructional staff. Not today! The focus today is to be all things to all people. Drum corps is not for everyone, staff included, that's what made it so unique and intriguing and captured so much attention and following. It truly caused young people to have to be great in order to be able to be a member, and when they left they were even better. It was often lead by passionate expert instructors, some of whom you'd never guess we're musicians by their day job, that were specialized in and focused on drum and bugle corps. It truly was special. There was so much more done with so less, not long ago, that made it so pure! Today, it reminds me of a highschool band competition. I, and every other member, not too long ago, joined drum corps to go beyond marching band and DCI was it. If we lose the "have nots" we lose drum and bugle corps.

Ranked 12th! Helmets aren't the only thing they need to go back to. Pitiful.

Do explain why.

Maybe it's time to bring him and a few others back. Until PR gets back to their true identity, we will have to settle for just ordinary.

This what I dream of. They definitely wouldn't be ranked down at 10th performing in this style:

Style on a score sheet will be jazz, classical, etc., they won't be realism, abstract, etc. which were the creative styles I was referring to.

I think too many show designers believe they need to push the limits of creativity in order to appeal to the judging staff. Judges don't care about what style a show is or the musical selection, they care about technique. Abstract is often the default style when trying to push the limits because it's so unique... " a bad artist can be a great abstract artist when there are no defined guidelines or technique.". Realism is preferred by the general public, which is the majority of DCI spectators and patrons: parents, relatives, friends, past members, etc. who just want to see and hear something they can relate too, which is what makes a show(s) memorable and willing to pay to hear more like it. Realism is defined by guidelines. It takes much greater skill and training to arrange a musical score to fit brass and percussion and keep it sounding true to the original score than it is to arrange it in a more abstract style where it can become watered down with odd (abstract) voicing and phrasing. Rarely do you hear today's corps play the complexity they did 15+ years ago. Hornlines use to perform highly technical string arpeggios to remain true to the string parts of a composition. Today electronic keyboards are used in lieu of highly technical horn parts. Are today's performers and designers not as well trained as they once were? Phantom once simulated a pipe organ (playing full ranks) so authentic it made everyone imagine they were in a cathedral. Won't have that today. Hornlines were once able to play at such record volume levels on demand and with unbelievable control. Today, volume is at the mercy of the sound system. I don't think players have the chops anymore and staff has little interest or training to build chops. I would love to hear today's crowds respond to PR's 1989 New World show played back to back with their show today. It's easy to know which would get the crowd appeal. "Win the heart of people and you win the war."

Obviously, peripheral vision (lack of) wasn't being considered when making the hoodie decision. Can't march a show without PV and do it safely and reliably.

Surely not.

It probably won't take as long if they remain focused on their core competency (acoustical classical music).

It could be done as long as it's the original score and uses real Broadway stars / singers. The public should never again be tortured with the likes of another Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis movie remake with their awful Hollywood / pop cast of performers. No matter how much money the creators of thes two musicals made, I lost a lot of respect for them for what they allowed to happen to their musicals. Absolutely atrocious.

I don’t necessarily consider late ‘80’s - early ‘90’s as “old school” and not because I marched then. Those were the years when corps were really pushing the limits as far as musical complexity, tempo and volume. They were exciting times. The creative staff’s really new how to get creative and optimize to create some of the most exciting and memorable shows ever. If today’s corps “could” create to the quality of that era crowds would go crazy! But, I don’t think they can. Today’s creative staffs are blinded so much by technology and diversification that they are losing touch with what drum corps really is.