wvu80

Do we know what model that Bach is? Surely it's not a higher end model. I'm no expert, but that crack sure looks like a factory defect.

I know those two things are not synonymous, but In my world, you can't have the second thing without the first.

I think you hit on a dichotomy of opinion here, You and Mr. Boo and others think much of the emotional power of the song comes from the context of the 9/11 theme. I can't really disagree because I didn't see the show live, but from gauging the reaction here on DCP, I didn't hear anybody raving about the theme, but I DID hear many rave about the ending. I could be wrong, but that was my seat-of-the-pants reaction. Personally, I thought ESOM stood on it's own, but there really does seem to be two strong camps in this regard. And to be fair, I did like the overall theme later in the season, not so much early. In any case, I think we can all agree that the Scouts did a magnificent job selling the entire package come finals.

A FIFTY foot cord? Impressive! +++ I suspect we are more alike than we are different, Boo. I'll post a pic sometime. All I can say is when I see your pic, for me it's a lot like looking in a mirror. The real difference between you and me, is that you're a musician, while I'm just a dumb drummer. The Deg mello in my avitar reflects my passion for 2 valve bugles, not my playing ability.

I don't know you very well, but for about as far as I figure you can jog, I'm thinking a 15 foot extension cord oughta do the job...

I can't believe you don't know the answer to such a simple problem! Just Scotch Tape a penny to the end of the tone arm. It keeps it from bouncing up and down.

You are correct sir, no doubt about it, on both counts. But when SCV brought back not only the same tune but the same show, re-written and re-staged, did the audiences from 1989 support it or reject it? Boo, I bet you listen to it everyday on your iPod. ++ Not meaning to argue here, because I think there are well stated arguments on all sides (including Mr. "Who Cares?" ). It's a legitimate thread drift to note that this is not 1989 anymore, and these are different times. BITD a corps was not competitive if they did NOT bring back a popular tune from the year before. In this day and age, you probably are not competitive if you do. The results of the poll are overwhelming that folks do NOT want to see ESOM again on the field anytime soon, and that's OK with me. It's a good snapshot of the current sentiment of the drum corps state-of-the-art hard core fan base, and I accept it for what it is.

Scouts finished in 9th place in brass. I think there is some room for improvement. BTW, I though the mello intro into ESOM was fantastic, beautifully played. I also judged Carolina Crown brass by listening on Youtube. I thought they sounded pretty good. You wrote "Be careful, or you will torpedo your own credibility on all things musical." Not to worry, my devilish friend, my lack of credibility on all things musical speaks for itself.

If brought back, I would compare it to the Santa Clara Vanguard 1988 closer "Music of the Night," which was great, followed by a championship version in 1989. The tune was great both years, but at the same time performed slightly different. If not brought back, it will stand with another great closer, Blue Devil's wildly popular "when a man loves a woman." An encore piece with the Blue Devils, but never put back on the DCI field again. No that it matters, but I also agree ESOM will make a terrific encore piece. Unfortunately, the Scouts do not do the encore at every show. But please understand, this is purely selfish desire on my part to see it on the field. I would drive the extra couple of hours to a local show just to see it.

LOL! Oh well, I tried... +++ I think there were some technical flaws with it that has a huge upside to bringing it back I watched most of the Youtube recordings, and forgive me Scouts fans, but the corps overblew the tune to the point that sometimes the quality of the sound was almost obscene. I know they can play it better than that. I also think the drill could be upgraded. Plus, surely by then the Scouts could obtain the proper licensing, since a lot of fans will not get it on the DCI recordings this year. I'm not usually a fan of bringing back recently played tunes, but I didn't get to see Scouts play it live, so for that reason alone, I'd like them to play it again. I bet they would bring a LOT of fans into the stands if they knew the Scouts were coming to town with Empire State of Mind!

* Note: I deliberately made the poll a forced choice Yes/No so we can eliminate the meaningless responses of "who cares" some posters feel a need to express. +++ Back in the good 'ol days, corps routinely brought back their best song from the year before, but today that is unheard of. The Scouts 2011 production of Empire State of Mind has gained the kind of rabid crowd reaction not seen in a long time. Assuming the copyrights could be obtained, should the Scouts be innovators and play this one again next year? Please tell us why, or why not?

I wonder which model cracked? You make a valid point, it's great that a 50 year-old horn has a great reputation, but how are the current models holding up? I think if I had Bachs that were cracking up, I might look elsewhere as well. But just like everything else, most of the time you get what you pay for. I wonder if they could buy used drum corps brass? Many schools won't pay for second hand, so that might not be an option. The Cadets Yamaha Xeno I bought was in great shape, and was obviously well taken care of, and the price ($1250) was well below the internet price of around $1900 from that time for a new one. BTW, I didn't vote for any brand. I don't know anything except for the very few trumpets I have experience with. I'd ask a band director, to get a better opinion than mine!

I would look at a couple of things, not just "what brand." The first thing I'd look for is "what price range?" Yeah a Bach Strad is a super horn, but do you want beginning band students on $2,000 horns? I wouldn't. Start with a price range. The second thing I'd ask is "who is giving you local support?" You can go on the internet and get horns a few dollars cheaper, but if you have a relationship with a music dealer and he carries a good brand name horn, I would BY FAR give that the most consideration. He will take care of you, and provide the expertise you need especially when a horn needs parts, or fixed. That being said, I'm out of touch with all the models of all the brands, but since you already have Bachs, I can say the Bach TR-200 is a SUPER horn. It has great sound, just slightly down from a Bach Strad IMO and much less expensive. I will qualify that by saying the "word" on the Bach TR-200 is that some horns sound great, and some are inconsistent from horn-to-horn. I'm not knowledgeable in that area, but I'm passing along some comments when I researched my son's first trumpet. The Bach TR-200 took him from 5th grade to 12th grade, and he played in a good HS band and used the Bach to achieve first chair in jazz band and symphonic band in high school. I bought him a Yamaha Xeno from Cadets the one with the reverse lead pipe YTR-8345RGS but he preferred the Bach better and went back to it. It has a very open sound with great tone. BTW, does anyone want to buy a Yamaha Xeno, lightly used?

The 83 to 84 Garfield Cadets was what I was going for Jeff, so ding ding ding! On the 76 Scouts show, I knew they scrapped most of their show and brought back 75, but I didn't realize the 75 champs had started 76 with a clean sheet of paper! That certainly would qualify as innovative, especially for that era where EVERYBODY played their best song from the year before and only added a couple of new tunes. As a champion showing innovation, the Scouts were waaay ahead of their time.

I'll give you an even better trivia question; what was the first world champion corps to completely abandon every tune in its winning show and play a completely new show the next year?<br><br>That is commonplace today, but unheard of back in the early days of DCI.

That's a good example of "the judging staff should never outnumber the drum corps." I did see many with less than 25, and people today don't understand, those small corps although admirable, were painful to sit through. I never saw that particular group, but they sure sound like the answer to the "smallest ever" drum corps. So what did you judges do, circle the corps for 15 minutes looking for ticks? What did you say on the critique tape?

Meehaphone bugles - a custom built bugle which was a cross between the sound of a goose honking and snoring, but without the range. Was I close? A Kanstul Meehaphone, s/n 1036 utilized by the Concord Blue Devils from 1987 through 1991. This instrument was outfitted with a custom Terry Warburton mouthpiece (similar to a flugelhorn cup). Edit: Whoops, the Middle Horn Leader website said 1987-91, so I guess I guessed wrong, I guess.

If it weren't for Cadets taking their first title, the first for an east coast corps (hey, another trivia answer!) there is no doubt Suncoast would have been all the talk. They were talked about anyway, but it's unfortunate they broke in when an even bigger part of history was being born. +++ How are things for you on the left coast, my favorite fencing friend?

I thought that was very brave of you, coming out and declaring yourself a republican... (THAT WAS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT, IT WAS A JOKE! A JOKE I TELL YOU)

I know I'm probably reading this wrong, but California had BD, SCV, Freelancers, and (not sure about this one) VK all in one year? Edit: I posted my reply before I saw Boo's post directly upstream, with all the corps listed by state. So I was right, the most corps in one finals were all from the left coast, at 4? 1985 and 1992 +++ What is the highest placement ever for a first year corps? Other than the first year, what is the highest placement for a corps making finals the first time? I first thought the same corps was the answer to both, but it's not.

OK. Does this mean we can go back to discussing religion?

Very cool, actually. +++ And ummm, for the record, I think he was just kidding. Have a sense of humor, willya?

I'm not sure about this either, but wasn't Bridgmen the only corps to win a caption (drums) and not make finals? Has that ever happened before in drums or any other caption? +++ The most used corps name, Cadets? I bet there are a bunch of them. The real trivia question would be what name is used the second most?

What was the smallest corps ever to march DCI? For the record I don't know the answer, but in the early 80's I seem to remember some really small corps, like the Marion Cadets from north of Columbus who maybe marched 12 one year. Related, what was the smallest corps to ever make finals? I don't know that either, but Dutch Boy might be a good guess with around 100 one year, back when the max was 128.

"Mos Eisley RAMD spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." You can quote me.