Orpheus

Yah ... convertable over-the-shoulder euphs are evil. Shame on Yamaha for even making them! I'm sure that since King has been developing a new line of marching horns in concert with PR, they probably will have a nice bell-fromt euphonium. Let's Yamaha begins making one, too.

Anyone else read Chris Hollenback's new column on DCI.org? Opinions? I know I'm gonna keep reading. - B) - Good stuff. My only issue ... The Cadets people are getting a bit above themselves on the issue of the step boxes - - Scouts used similar boxes that same year, although in a rather different way, and BD had those dice in '92. For that matter, I remember seeing any number of HS bands putting their majorettes and/or flag corps up on boxes (for one reason or another) quite a few years before that. It's a minor point, but I don't think that by '95, putting guard members on boxes to dance was exactly an innovation. I did find it absolutely fascinating that Scott Chandler named Busby Berkeley as an inspiration. I guess it makes sense when you think about it, though.

Just out of curiosity, when was the last time an all-female guard took home the High Guard trophy at DCI?

Exactly. That's why it drove me crazy that the Cavaliers won High Brass. I mean, where was the meat in their horn book compared with the rest of the top corps? Yeah, they had a great "mature symphonic" sound, as has been repeatedly said in these forums, but it's certainly a lot easier to achieve such a sound when your not really challenging your horn players. I'm sure the Cavaliers horn lins could have handled some really tough stuff, but this year's music wasn't it. <sigh> ... and people complained that Star's horns had too much tacet time in '93. Next year, I want both the Cavies and the Glassmen to prove to me that they can play a real friggin' loud "fff". We know they can play really good at "mf," but as Chris says, how about some contrast? I voted for "quality" over "volume," but this is still drum corps, after all.

Nope ... it's just a trend. It's easier to play controlled and in tune if you never play louder than forte. I thought the Blue Devils, Cadets, 'Coats, and Crossmen were plenty loud. These days, tho, some of the corps who are shooting for a more symphonic style prefer to take a more measured approach to their music. Look at how many people praised the Cavaliers' "mature" sound but had little else to say about their brass.

Ah. I see ... I didn't realize you were in the UK. Given the conditions you describe, would it be possible to get your hands on some brass band music and have someone transcribe/transpose it for you? I don't know how readily available that sort of thing is over there. (What key are your horns in -- G or Bb?)

Some arrangers are willing to sell their work to high school and college bands, as evidenced by all the terrible rip-offs I heard of Magic '94 over next year or two. You'll have to contact the arranger and/or the corps directly if you want to get ahold of their stuff. And they're likely to charge you just as much as it would cost to hire someone to do original arrangements. Other than that, there are some pretty decent "off the shelf" charts. Hie on down to "Ye Olde Band Shoppe" and do some browsing. And hiring an arranger doesn't need to be super expensive. Just contact the school of music at your local university. I'm sure there will be at least a handful of talented music students who would kill to hear their arrangements played by a real live drum corps ... and all for the price of a few cases of Bud. For that matter, a lot of colleges have pretty extensive music libraries. Just try not to violate any copyright laws.

Is it true that the Cavaliers don't march euphoniums? (I guess I didn't look closely enuff when I saw them this summer.) What about other Bb corps? I can't imagine Phantom without euphs. :(

How about the euphonium solo at the beginning of "Bacchanale" ... or any other euph solo you can think of. B)

I agree wholeheartedly with those who say that loud is not automatically good. I'd much rather hear a high-quality Div. 3 line than a full-sized line that sounds like snot. Yes, volume is great - I've mentioned several times how I'm frustrated by the Glassmen's apparent inability to play above mf - but you've got to have the tone quality and intonation first. Star '93 is one of my favorite horn lines ever, by the way, precisely because they were so darn good ... and don't be fooled - they had plenty of volume when they needed it.

hehe ... yeah, there probably is that perception among some corps. But it's not like Cadets, Cavaliers, and Blue Devils were exactly terrible before they made the switch. And PR did have a top-5 horn line this past season with G horns ... although they're switching for '03. Like I said, I doubt that switching to Bb/F made the corps better, it's just that the most competitively successful corps were the first to switch.

Well -- the all-time biggest (for a field show) had to be the 27th Lancers reunion corps in '94. But the largest used in competition ... yeah, '86 Star used 18 during "Close Encounters," but that was basically a special effect. However, Star did march 16 contras for the entire show in 1993.

I don't buy the argument that you have to play Bb/F horns to be competitive. What I think is that the corps that were already on top got big-time sponsorship from the manufacturers to make the switch, if they so desired.

The term "bugle" has never been defined by the key of the horn.

Not really. What are you trying to say? (I've noticed that the Bb/F lines usually have better intonation, actually ...)

The "best" (as in the most technically proficient) has to be Star '93. Personally, I enjoy the show very much, even though I'd hardly list it as my all-time favorite. Others were more entertaining, but none were ever as well trained and no corps ever had a more well-written horn book. Jim Prime was the most talented arranger to ever work in drum corps, IMHO. Fun fact about Star '93: 18 sops, 18 mellos, 20 baris & euphs, 16 contras (all two-valve Kings)

As far as I'm concerned, that's nothing more than a myth, and I've never seen any credible evidence to support the claim. Did you have a problem with the Cadets or Devils this summer? LOL

Well ... the G bugles are pitched a third lower than their Bb counterparts, right? In the days of two-valve bugles, one way you could get used to playing a G horn was to tape down the third valve on your Bb instrument. (That essentially did the job, although intonation was terrible, of course.) The main benefits of Bb horns over G horns are more in the area of cost, availability, and quality of the instruments. Intonation tends to be better from a line using Bb and F horns, as well. That said, whereas the G mellos, baris, euphs, and contras are almost exactly identical to their Bb and F counterparts, except for a few inches of tubing ... there are some differences between a soprano bugle and a trumpet. Namely, a sop has a larger and more conical bore. (I think.) I play euph, myself, but from what I understand, a soprano bugle in G is actually closer to a cornet than a trumpet.

That's for sure. I think almost every corps has finally caught on to the fact that even in this era of drum & bugle corps, you can be both entertaining and competitive at the same time. It's an awesome year for drum corps. Performance levels are up almost across the board. I know none of them will see this, but I'd just like to say "thanks" to every performer who was out on that field (in that heat) Saturday night. It was one of the best competitions I've ever had the pleasure to witness.

Great review. I agree with pretty much all your comments. Just to add a few of my own observations: Crossmen -- I've come to the conclusion that they had a very "off" night in Murfreesboro. I saw them again last nite in Centerville, OH, and the show came across much, much better. My buds who went to both shows with me agreed ... the show really rocked last nite, much moreso than in Murf. Love the guard work ... rifles and sabres are fantastic. Even drummers with no sense of what a good guard looks like noticed. Best use of color I've seen all season. Glassmen -- Well, not as boring as last season, anyhow. My biggest complaint with this corps is volume. The horn line needs to just open up and let it fly at least once or twice during the show. They play a mean mezzo-forte, but I'd like to hear some RFL (real f###in' loud). I know they've got the brass to do it. Percussion is definately the highlight of this corps. Those bass drum impacts just about stopped my heart. Bluecoats -- I hate to say it, but I really don't remember many specifics about their show after just one viewing. I know the brass line sounded really good. Great tone quality and intonation, and a really nice ensemble sound. Perhaps better than any Bluecoats brass line ever? There were some solid visual moments, too. I'll have to see/hear this show another time or two before I can really comment. SCV -- <yawn> I'm sorry, but I really didn't find much to get excited about. They perform well, sure ... but that's about all I can say. The horn book is nice, the guard is nice, the visuals are nice, but nothing really grabbed me. The shiny boxes are just dumb. Unlike Cavies, Cadets, BD, Phantom, etc., there's nothing you can latch onto musically. The Glasspersons were less boring. Phantom Regiment -- Good stuff. Sean pretty much speaks for me on this one. First 2/3 of the show are very nice but the closer doesn't quite seem to work. Yucky guard unis, IMO, and like Sean said, the big white thing on the back sideline is totally pointless. Are they going to do more with it later on? Overall, the show needs to be more passionate. Kids aren't quite "selling" it, yet ... almost, but not yet. Cavies -- Like Glassmen, horn line is almost too controlled. Other than that, a great package all around. They are performing at a slightly higher technical level than the Cadets or BD, but they're show sure isn't as crowd-friendly. Love the color guard but hate the uniforms. Cadets -- Loved most of the show, but found some bits of it a little too much over the top. I didn't care for the insertion of the pledge ... yes, it did strike me as pandering. Saw BAC last nite in Centerville and I thought they were a lot classier and less jingoistic. BD -- Awesome! I loved almost every aspect of this show. This was my first viewing and I couldn't understand what so many people were complaining about until I heard that they had changed some major sections of the first two numbers. Well, the "Ragtime" opener is perfect now, in my opinion. Guard is incredible. (Neat unis, too.) Their equipment work might not be quite as good as Cavaliers, but they've definately got the most style and class of any cg I've seen this season. Wow! Nice dynamics from the horn line. (Who says Bb horns aren't loud?) Soloists are hot. And I'm not a drummer but those guys kicked my a##. Would still prefer a more straight-ahead treatment of "Channel One," but what the heck? It's still awesome, anyway.