BDCorno

Agree. BD have the best "closers" in the business. I'm just hoping for everyone's sake that judges will go into Indy with an open mind and without preconceived notions/placement. That's what this whole cockamamie secret recap and influx of new, inexperienced judges was supposed to accomplish.

I think the reality is (and this was even the case last year) that there are a ton of really, really good lines. It's not like BD has a bunch of new people...they return seven snares from last year's Sanford-winning line. I think issues have been two-fold...BD take a 'stage-->refine-->formalize-->clean' approach visually. From my perspective, the percussion ended up buried near midfield and behind the horn line for almost the entire show. In contrast, many of the other lines were right there up front and accessible. With the ensemble percussion sheet, being able to evaluate both the front ensemble and battery is important. This is where they were getting beaten up the worst. Field percussion-wise, it created accessibility problems. Secondly, they've been scoring very high in content, and low in execution. Some really ridiculous stuff being put out there, but you have to do it out on the field as cleanly as you do in the lot...and I see they're already working through those issues. There has been much talk about the carbon fiber drums as well. I've heard a few drummers I know remark that they couldn't hear the battery (save the bass drums) from the stands. Maybe less "ring" compared with traditional drums? Hard to say, but from what I'm hearing, they project just fine when they have a little bit of room to get the sound out. I already see that restaging with both the percussion and the horns around them has occurred (refine-->formalize). Of course, we can't see the detailed recaps but my understanding from (non-BD) sources is that they were very close in drums on Friday. It wouldn't shock me to see them repeat a drum title, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them place lower...it's just that strong at the top.

PM'ed you.

It's close to DC.

Wait until you see the addition to the beginning!

Here is a handy seating chart with locations on the single ticket for the two rounds. Prelims is 139-20-2 (purple); Semis is 139-23-4 (green). Great "Blast Zone" seats in the upper part of the 100's. Best sound in the house, and up high enough to see into the drill.

Yes, Mr. Snare Extraordinaire... Hope you're joining us at Indy. Gonna be a big alumni party after semis. Be there.

Two seats together are sold. Still have a single for rounds 1-2.

...

If marching with you for three years won't give you sense of humor, I don't know what will...

Update: Have buyer for the two together, but not confirmed yet. Still have the single set available.

The crowning touch (pun intended) will be the appearance of "Claraban" at Indy. Can't wait!

Have three fantastic "blast zone" seats for prelims and semis for sale. Two are together and one single. All seats are in the 139-140-141 area and "up". Will not break the two rounds, so would be sold together. $150 a set, which is what i paid for them. PM me if interested.

Yes, agree. I think the biggest issue preventing an "adjustment" is the quest for that highest score ever. With only .35 left for future expansion, it's going to be increasingly difficult to continue a "relative since forever" barometer on the activity's scoring. Personally, I'd like to see a big adjustment made so that judges can make decisions, instead of "stacking the tenths" ranking-wise in their individual captions. I'd also like GE to be reined back in as a major scoring emphasis. One of the things that has been lost in the activity is a high sense of precision and execution. Sure, kids these days do a tremendous job of handling some very difficult demands, but too often I feel that drum corps has "lost its way" and allows way too much dirt. I'm not one to dismiss that desire, simply by pointing out all they're doing...but what does it mean if you do really hard and impressive stuff, not all that well? The base competency/ensemble talent levels are far higher than in years past, so why not bring back some of the "old time" focus on technical discipline? You see how close all the groups at the top are, they're all so good at first glance. I just like to watch for past that first layer of execution and go to the individual detailing as it relates to the ensemble, then look at the uniformity of performance quality, and all of a sudden you start seeing some separation. I'm sure many judges see these things, but are handcuffed, especially in the non-GE areas. End result, you have groups unnecessarily packed together, where there should be some gap. Oh well, doubt they'll fix it but you can hope...

Another effect that you can't discount is the "box" system. For many years (and correct me if I'm wrong, but it's still the same I think) they've used the box 1-2-3-4-5 approach. Box 1, 0-10; Box 2. 11-30; Box 3, 31-70; Box 4, 71-90; Box 5, 91-100. The thought at the time is that statistically, there would be a larger pool of groups in the mid-range, so more room for them. They apply criteria to each box as a guide for the judge. Meet all the criteria, you automatically fall into the range scoring-wise, then ranked and rated within that realm. Well, as we've all seen, the bottom box is non-existent, box 2 is rarely used, and that leaves us with a 70 point system. In my opinion, the "curve" nature of the system is broken, and with the high quality at the top, there really is a lack of room for a judge to work with. This subsequently pushes the scores even higher, and you will see *maximum* scores given out as a function of the system, rather than to reflect a "perfect" performance. Last year, you had seven finalists IN BOX 5 OVERALL, and you had groups as low as ninth place scoring in box 5 on individual sheets. Some revamping would be nice IMHO, not sure it will happen...seeing a large shift of 5-7 downward might be too tough for the "everyone gets a ribbon" crowd today. In the final analysis (Don Ellis reference intended), what really matters is ranking. Scores are simply a vehicle for doing that.

Tarp is back, and it has a visitor with it.

Blue Devils have a very heavy emphasis on visual and movement capabilities. I've seen soloists from other corps, and very talented musicians who don't make the line due to deficiencies in their visual performance. Can't speak to the other three and how they audition or what their emphases are (if any). If you're serious about trying for Blue Devils, try to get out to a show and see the visual warmups they do. If you have current marching BD members in your area, they'd probably be able to give you assistance in learning the type of things that you'll need to know. Best thing to do is ask, get prepared well ahead of time, and pick the corp(s) that best fit your talent and personality...no matter who you consider.

Not even the right color. It's not really a tarp, it's a much lighter material.

It was indeed stolen, and it was spotted at the NightBeat show. This ought to be interesting, seeing them get this back.

Go back to forums, pick DCP Marketplace

Good luck! Tix are gonna be tough this year, with a three way battle at the top. I don't think we'll see any separation happening by Indy, either.

Good luck. Your best bet would be to buy all three rounds.

You might entertain the possibility that the SA score was the outlier...