euphononium

Plus..it's lighter

They marched baris in 07 and this year (12).

There's plenty of demand in their show, but I don't think they're achieving at the level of Spirit or Crossmen. To say that this hornline plays just as much as the others is a little silly IMHO. They have nowhere near the quality of sound that Spirit or Crossmen do, which might have something to do with that whole demand thing...but it doesn't matter how hard the show is if they can't perform it very well.

I'm also curious about the score...last night's lineup wasn't great, honestly. Did going on right after Spirit have something to do with the "anomaly" of a score? I don't know, I'm legitimately curious.

Me too... that field was a mess and I was only a couple corps before them. Just watching the DVD that year and seeing the field makes me angry.

I have said it elsewhere, and I will say it again, but remember that my opinion does not in anyway negate anything that Rennick has done for anybody. I am obviously a Phantom honk, but I am a bigger fan/participant of WGI. Rennick was one of my favorite instructors; the way he does things is very unique and I love it. I marched under him, I have attended several clinics, blah blah... I love what he and Sandy do for the front ensemble and always will. That being said... I am no longer enamored with his writing style. It was great up to 07/08, but to me it has been same ####, different day since then. I know people don't agree with me, but that is the honest truth, and I am sure there are those out there who could say the same for any percussion arranger, including Gwaltney. This has caused me to really enjoy what has happened the past two years. I also think that my favoring Gwaltney has a lot to do with a direct correlation of his abilities to the success of Music City Mystique. What he does there is very apparent. I think that Gwaltney brings a very wide range of things to the table, especially visually, conceptually; that is very apparent with the small additions and nuances we are seeing added on a daily basis. Does this mean that there is a trade off to be had? His formula is a proven one in WGI, but for DCI? Well, I just don't know... I can't imagine having two different horn arrangers in two years has helped the arranging situation. I like the electronics, (see above WGI comment) but I am in the minority on that one. loved Matt Jordan's writing last year, this year...meh. To say that Shane has nothing to do with the pit writing is a little silly, the two have worked together for years. I think that the music selection could not be the most ideal for pit nor battery. But I digress. I personally like what is happening and am excited for what the future holds. Just my $0.02. Flame away.

Seriously...this. I would pay an extra amount of money (to a certain point) on top of my subscription for this. Until I retire, I will never be at finals as a paying audience member.

Not in love with it, but wow, is it worlds better than what it was. Sounded a little rough, couldn't see the dirt because of the multicam but I assume it was there.

1. Buccaneers 90.40 2. Hurricanes 84.85 3. Fusion Core 79.70 4. Carolina Gold 76.80 5. Windsor Regiment 74.10 6. Sunrisers 65.85 Not a lot of chatter tonight, eh?

Thought there were quite a few tuba holes at the Alamodome...give one of them a call. Though that might not be great for a busted shoulder?

We just got off the phone with one of our students that was marching Forte this year. It appears that they incurred a lot of costs via some bus/transportation trouble, probably more than they were expecting. Thinking back on the post on Facebook the other day, it doesn't exactly scream or call out for help, they asked for all of their fans to donate $5. Which would have fed the corps for maybe a week. Once again, I think that a little more clear of a message would have prevented this situation. If they would have come out and said "hey, our buses keep breaking down, and we have no money" we probably would have scraped together $100 and sent it to them, instead of the $5 they were asking for. I applaud the administration to a certain point, they decided to pack up before they got too far from home. But at the same time, the kids had "spring training" for like 6 or 8 weeks, and performed 3 times. Could nobody see this coming?

I donated a large amount of money so that one of my students could march there. I am not happy right now. What a waste.

He used to write for a few DCA corps, not sure if he still does. 07 Regiment was some brilliant work, he was much ahead of his time, IMO.

I really love Jamey Thompson's work.

Good to know I'm not alone..I am expecting some flames thrown my way :) I really hope I don't see a kick out wedge in the next few weeks. Kick halt(s) might be in for Allentown but probably finals week?

MBI - very entertaining and recognizable, and well executed to boot.

Meh.. we have different opinions on what is musical. I happen to not be a huge fan of Rennick's writing with a few exceptions being parts of 03 and 07 Regiment. The past two years have been a refreshing change for me. As a very avid Puccini fan, I like the simplicity up front and I actually like what is going on electronically. But, what do I know? ...to each his own.

This...

Let the horn's weight rest mostly on your index finger as it is stretched out. Don't try to grip or tighten anything you are doing with your hand, the tension will only make it worse.

This...Devils are certainly not clean. I watched them for the first time today after hearing everybody rave and worship them for the last month. I was expecting it to be much cleaner than it is.

I hope so...but then again I don't. Company fronts are quite popular this year, with only 1 or 2 corps pulling it off well for only seconds at this point. The current form is clean and moves well together, but there to the end is screaming to be rewrite, which I am assuming we will see at Atlanta or Allentown.

It is a very specialized instrument...also there are how many corps with cymbal lines? Like 8 maybe? That's roughly 32 spots...good luck.

Hey I think that picture is from a different show?

Well, you scared me, haha. I am in complete agreement with you. Rebuilding a program after having the rug pulled out from under you is no easy task, and the hire of Gwaltney really thrilled me. The whole immediate reward thing just simply isn't going to happen the way people would like it to. In 2-3 years, things will be great, we just need to have a little faith in the system.