ApocalypseTissue

not really fold but Star of Indiana

John Williams is quite picky with his material these days. From 2005-2006, surf's transition looks like it's parting from the silly just plain fun entertainment to a more I don't know "serious" image, while still being incredibly entertaining again.

Anyone wanna share any good EQ settings that maximizes low brass?

Right on the money

The criteria is always a guide, the number and the criteria are never exact, if they are it's a coincidence. It is always ALWAYS relative. A judge doesn't really think "I'll give them a 16.70 because thier performance shows a 16.70" Instead they think, are told to think, and are most logical to think, "I'm giving them a 16.70 because they show 1.50 points better in musicality than the last corps"

I'm talking high school kids, sorry for being vague. I'm saying nontone deaf people. People have a tendency to like particularily Phantom Regiment's hornline.

I'm just saying they are pleasant to hear and their books bring out a great hornline. I guarantee you that no one in finals night could be sure of the Jim Ott winner without the aid of a recap sheet. Anyway I'm just completely baffled that some of you can look down on other hornlines and say that they're not even trying to get a balanced sound. THEY ARE ALL TRYING, there are only a handful that actually can satisfy that pickiness. You cannot just shut down other groups and accuse them that they've got an immature approach to playing in the corps.

There is no immature approach to playing in finalist division 1 corps. These brass captionheads are teaching their valid approach to playing in the ensemble. Some groups do it better, but I promise you there is no drum corps that "completely disregards" "tone color and ensemble clarity". This is drum corps. We don't disregard tone or ensemble clarity, it's just hard to perform well on the move. Let me add, that the majority of the audience, as soon as they pass Crown on the finals lineup cannot hear differences in quality of playing very well. The top 10 virtually all sound great from the seats, no one is focused on the sound as keenly as a highly trained and experienced judge. Take a group people who aren't tone deaf and have them go only to the 03-06 finals shows. Without knowing captions like us DCP nerds, the majority of that group will most likely drool over Phantom Regiment and Carolina Crown. Why? You know why.

I don't think a lot of you understand. Book and The Actual Ensemble's Playing are two related but very different things.

the loudest hornline for me would go to 2003 cadets.... whew for Bb, facing ripping

Aren't most of Surf's staff buccaneer alumni?

hey it's uniform tone texture, if everyone is approaching it at the same way at the exact same time it works

all the execution captions stress is uniformity. we could all march limped like pirates, but if we're getting the hit crosses down, it's box five

Blue Devils this year was something else though. So simple but so hard to pull off.

2005 Cadets, great great technical hornline. They have that really bright sound that comes out of Gino's hornline. It doesn't sound the nicest, but can't argue about their technical precision, it's pretty impressive. They scored high because every brass member played in uniform bright and crass all the time. It's different, just because of the quality of sound. Your ear wants to fool you to think that they're not in tune. The uniformity in breathing and playing without fatigue at blistering tempos is also a really good score upper.

I love 2001 Cadets, I really wonder why they were placed so low while leading in brass before finals for quite some time. Oh well, scores don't matter much anyway. It's probably my favorite "styling" to any hornline I've heard ever. That line sounds very different from the other Gino Cipriani hornlines This is off topic but anyway since I began it on topic so mind as well. I'm not saying 2002 Cavaliers wasn't hard, I'm just saying it wasn't as hard as their other years like 2004 and 2005 that come to mind. I'm pretty sure almost all of you who've marched recently can agree that the music, while standing still come finals week is not hard anymore. It's just natural, you're fingers, oral area, body, diaphragm have absorbed 3 months of muscle memory, that playing it is second hand nature. But remember it's Drum Corps, you move and play. The true difficulty comes when the music is played on the move. 2002 Cavaliers, great hornline, great intonation, balance, and blend, but safe. Compare that hornline with the visual and musical responsibilities of 1993 Cadets, the monster of moving and playing ridiculous books.

One of my three favorite shows, they were smoking. I love the return to the neo-Vanguard style like the shows between 99-03, that modern feel amazing amazing design

Trust me I don't argue, it's just a fair discussion of different views. Agree to disagree :). I seperate the book and the talent of the members because they are very distinct and seperate entities. The quality of intonation and articulation has very little to do with the book, what is actually written for the members to perform. That just depends on the members training. In my opinion intonation and articulation was deservingly well represented in the Cavaliers 2002 program.

I'm a Cavalier fan, I just hear the book in 2002 to be their most simple. 3 aspects that are most noted by a judge, and you will probably hear the most comment on these on almost all tapes 1) Long sustains at fast tempos (Why? Legs are burning calories at rapid paces, a true test of who can conquer stagger breathing during high stress moments) 2) Fast tempo with fast runs, however, without the aid of battery (Why? Since the end of complete symmetrical drill and the percussion out of the 50 area behind the hornline, a brass player's nightmare is to find a fast tempo without phasing or slowing down without the aid of a drumline behind them, a brass ensemble that can play unison runs together without the aid of a drumline directly behind them gets incredible kudos from a brass and music ensemble judge. Gotta get those feet in time by looking at the major!) 3) Slow tempos but with moving lines. (Why? It's very very challenging, particularily in a ballad, to play moving lines at a tempo say 60-100. Moving lines while others are sustaining requires utmost precision in subdivision so that members in the hornlines don't phase while pressing down valves. Entrances and releases are no problem, but what ever goes on in the middle must happen in unison so that phasing in note changes do not happen.) My judgement of a hornline's true capability is when they're on the move, 2002 just doesn't do it for me. Great sound, but then again a lot of other drum corps can play well with no or minimal movement in the hard parts. I'm not saying they didn't move, god no. But the parts that sound most difficult, they seemed to be most safe with.

I love the Cavaliers hornline and sound but I don't really seem to care for 2002. Yeah they had great sound and everything but the book was so simple. I'm much more impressed with a hornline that plays difficult parts well while on the move, because that is what, for me, defines the true capabilities. Brass Captionheads all over the nation will say, "you sound great standing still, but on the move is where you falter" Every time I watch The Cavaliers for their "well known intonation" areas, they don't move much or are parked in a hold. Where did Blue Devils 2003 go?

I'm pretty certain that most Drum Corps require a 6.5 for Baritones And the the tubas/contras have a 23-25

The Final Fantasy soundtracks over the years have been, in my book, the best quality soundtrack for any movie and game ever. These are not your tetris game filler background music. Each piece is richly detailed in rhythmn and harmonies. Excellent materials for drum corps if I might add. Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross are pretty much known for their gorgeous music. Chrono Cross Soundtrack http://www.ffextreme.com/file.php?s=p&...dc&a=cd1/03 (Final Fantasy VII - Dirge of Cerberus) Good Opener Material needs to be remixed to add some extra moving lines but it's a good basis nonetheless

On topic: 2005 Cadets, to me, has scared me in terms of execution of such a difficult program. It wasn't just the hornline, the guard, the percussion, the visuals, the effects or the music. That show was a monster from 360 degrees.

Going along with that... Blue Devils from 2003-to the present have redefined the seperation of the top half and bottom half of the body. All of a sudden these devs are marching and jazz running at blazing tempos while their top is completely still. It's like they're running around the field with a cup of coffee