BWEAR

The product you want is Twinkle Silver Polish. It can be found on Amazon. It works better than any other product and doesn't put excessive wear on the silver plate.

Some will say this is nuts...BUT....I'm not nervous hitting the field and hydrate myself well days in advance. My solution has been to wrap a few Sour Gummi worms around my mouthpiece and when I get dry I simply lick the worm and the sour stuff makes me salivate. Works for me very well. I've also tried a shot of Tequila. Not as effective but it's a shot of Tequila!

I was a clarinet player in high school. I was brought to a drum corps rehearsal my senior year and given a soprano bugle. 31 years later I am playing trumpet professionally as a side job. I enjoyed band in high school but there was something about drum and BUGLE corps that made me feel like never before. I realize change is going to happen. But there is a reason it is called DRUM and BUGLE corps. Because the music is made by DRUMS and BUGLES. There are alot of older fans who were around during the VFW/Amer Legion days who don't like the fact that several groups picked up their toys and played somewhere else by forming DCI. If any of these groups want to play a #### clarinet, sax, flute, freakin' oboe or whatever on the field let them remove themselves from the summer tour and convince BOA to create a non-scholastic division. BTW, aside from my performances with a DCA corps at DCI shows, I have not attended a single DCI event in years by choice. I just don't get off on it anymore and the ticket is not worth it. I will occassionally hit the lot to hear some nice sounds in warm up. Maybe I'm old school, maybe I'm wrong, but I still don't buy the ticket because I don't like the product. That is a fact that DCI has got to look at. There are alot of us out there who don't attend for the same/similar reasons.

Thanks Tom, I knew there was a deadline. For some reason I though it was earlier. I'll be patient.

I know it has to be here somewhere, but I can't find it. I want to find out what corps are registered in Open or Class A for the 2010 season. Anyone?

The horse is rotting it's been beaten so much. Here's a new version. What trumpet do you like better? Cannonball Big Bell or B&S. Ready?......GO!!

Just as a matter of standards, King and Yamaha do appear to be the choice of those who are not bound by economics. Jupiter has done a lot of work to make their horns competitive both in quality and in price. As a director, I'm sure you would not sign a deal with a brand on price alone. The horns must play well. That being said, I feel the above 3 have all proven that the horns they are making this year all play very well. King offers a line developed solely for the field as does Jupiter. Yamaha's trumpets (to the best of my knowledge) are not field specific. They do however seem to have the favored mellophone among most players. I know this seems long and wordy so I'll get to my point. Find your price point, look ahead a few years at disposing/replacing your line, and value the judgement of the elite corps in their choices. In the end it is your staff's abilities to teach your members to make great music with the line you provide them. I cannot give any opinion on Dynasty Bb or Kanstul Bb's as I have not worked with them or had close contact to corps that have. Kanstul G's are way above the curve compared to Dyansty yet many hornlines sounded great on both. Good luck with your decision and my best to the corps when they get some new horns in their hands.

I would have to say (my opinion only) that 1987 was the worst for me. It may have been some people's favorite but just ho-hum for me. I'd lost several volumes of CD's from the late 80's and have yet to bother to replace the 87 set. Biggest let down for me was Suncoast Sound's My Fair Lady which was at most "fair" and far from the quality of '84-86" and Blue Devils. Cadets were the only corps that year that made it interesting but I love App Spring regardless. Again, just my opinion. Feel free to begin the "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING" responses.

IDK, are you? Close? Wait...you leave tonight. Good Luck.

####, I miss Suncoast Sound. What a great corps.

Hey Rick, I had an instructor who claimed to be the QB for that game. His name is Daryl Hernandez and I think he played baritone. Know anything about that?

No Kidding. Scooter is the Man. You can learn more about mellophone from Randomnoise, Scooter (sometimes....) and others at The Mello Cast Chris, you have got to learn to promote, promote, promote.

Certainly a good student horn. Camel Lips was right on about them being very popular. This horn was a step up horn from the standard beginner. Available in nickel or silver the horn has managed to hold up well over time. My suggestion....take it to a good repair shop and have it chem cleaned, new felts and corks and get a nice new mouthpiece (5C or Schilke 15), and a good teacher. I've said many times, it is the player and not the horn that makes great music.

Where else can we rib people without them hitting us in the face. It's all in good fun and really nothing personal.

I have this problem and have tried many different things. I have consumed volumes of water just before and even for a day or 2 before a show. Helps but doesn't sovle it. I have found that for myself, I like to take sour gummy worms and I wrap them around my mouthpiece shank. If I go dry I just take a lick and the sour taste does the job. I also suggest keeping a supply of jalapeno or pepperoncini peppers on hand. They seem to do very well before going out to play. Seriously.

Many times I've heard "FRACK-a-doo-doo-dah" Seriously though, can't you figure it out by pitch association based on your mello part. I'll give you hint....the first note is a minor third up from the soloist's first note, that is unless you scoop into it which would technically make it a different note that first comes out of the horn but since you played mellophone then it would be really close to the note that the CorpsVets mello section usually does a lip trill on although it is not written into the music we have but it sure does feel right when we do it so getting back to what the first five notes are.......5-6-5-b5-4 assuming I'm in the right key for whatever song we were talking about to begin with. Sorry...did I ramble?

I could be completely wrong or was smoking some really sweet stuff back when I heard this.. I believe Twyla Tharp may have done some work with Spirit of Atlanta back in the '80'S maybe? Regarding your discussion however, I think all genres get to a point where there is nothing new to add. Let's face it....After awhile each new sound in popular/rock music then becomes imitated, altered a bit, imitated even further and eventually it all sounds the same so it's off to find another "new" sound. All art follows this track and I'm sure Tharp is simply taking the normal, staunch classical artform which has no new work to offer, moving it in some perverse manner (perverse in this form is good) in order to expand the artform. Like it or not art needs change and not all change is good. As long as the observer (in D&B Corps circles the fan) makes it known what they desire, good art will never stray too far from center.

having recently listened to the DCI "Field Pass" podcast with "the voice of DCI" Brandt Crocker, I learned he doesn't use a script.

FWIW, Singers Unlimited are a must buy for drum corps fans of the late 70's and early 80's. They had a huge influence on many arrangements. Some of their tunes include Dindi, One More Time Chuck Corea, You are My Sunshine(w/ Rob McConnell) and many more.

BUMP

I guess it's pretty sad but, the corps I marched with (81-82 LA Southernaires)folded my age out year. Being a woodwind convert (even though I was a soloist) I didn't think I had what it took to be in a top 12 corps. A few years ago I joined CorpsVets and learned that several Spirit alum (including perennial soloist Hunter moss)remembered our hornline and remembered my solos. I still get sick to my stomach thinking...why didn't you guys say something back then about switching corps.

Bleu Raeders-DM LA. Southernaires Soprano Suncoast Sound- Support Staff Expressions- Brass Caption Head Nite Express- Brass Tech CorpsVets- Soprano/Mellophone/Brass-Visual Staff

Purely based on the personal pleasure I get when I hear these shows.... Suncoast Sound 1985 Madison Scouts 1980

Perhaps I should stand corrected on the later years suggested and call myself a n00b but the early years are correct.

It's my understanding that Academy is using Jupiter's Quantum line of brass this summer so the flugel would be out. I don't recall seeing a flugel on the Quantum Project website. Also, regarding this being a smart thing to do....several corps have scrapped nearly an entire program in April or May and come through very well in August. Come "move in" time they will accomplish plenty to prepare for the summer tour.