mn trumpter guy

This will be quick, but I should nail all my faves 2002 Cavies: Very catchy music and melodies. Really good for rocking out in the fight club section. 2003 Phantom: First drum corps show I heard without visual companion (friend's iPod), and show that made me want to march. 2006 Cavies: Sweet drill. Not a huge fan of the music, but the overall show was freakin awesome. 2006 Phantom: First show that I saw (on a bus returning from a BOA event) and the show that made me a fan of drum corps. 2007 Phantom: Awesome music and visuals 2007 Carolina: Really high quality production. I didn't want to like it, because the theme struck me as cheesy, but they performed it so well that I had no choice. 2007 Cadets: Talking aside, a really solid show. I would prefer it without narration, but the playing and marching was really well done. 2007 Blue Stars: First show I marched. 2007 Blue Coats: Most entertaining show I've ever seen. wow. Great Job, BC.

Sorry to go off the topic (which, ironically enough, will actually be a jump back "on" topic ) I head that the Mandarins used to only allow members who were of Mandarin Descent untill someone sued them and won- is this true? If so, what would prevent this from happening to these two green teams? Sorry again- I know this has to have been hashed over, but I don't know if anyone has brought up the mandarins.

gillespie

I don't know about the tradition part, but I do know that silver and brass colored horns DO tend to give different tone qualities (I would argue that a player should be able to control tone quality, and only use equipment to enhance that). 'Better' is a subjective term- I know that brass tends to give a more mellow tone, whereas silver tends to be brighter (or at least that's true in my experience). Which one is 'Better' is up to the listener.

well, knowing Frank Sullivan, and looking at the style of the Blue Stars compared to Crown, I'm going to say that they will be fairly different. I think that most staff members knows no one wants to hear the same thing by two corps. This is actually reminiscent I had last year when I heard that both us Blue Stars and Phantom (and BD, for that matter) were playing the Firebird. Fear not Drum Corps fans, both shows shalt be goodeth. and stuff [/badjoke]

both. at once. one on a computer, one on a tv. and drum corps on the radio.

There is an argument to be made for keeping something that is historically associated with a corps. I, for one, always love it when a corps' personality comes out in it's appearance and performance. And, my guess is, that the snare height will become more uniform as the season progresses- the look will become less dirty.

A super short drummer in one of the top 12 groups in an activity that is the equivilent of running a few marathons while lugging around a drum beating your brain off, and doing that multiple times. That's a supervet. And Cat is one of my favorite drummers in DCI, even though I've never met her. which is kinda creepy, but she is too BA to not be a fan of.

I love what you guys are saying about variety. huge huge fan of it. I think the question then becomes, when discussing things like amps, electronic instruments, etc, will the situation, as far as judging, remain in a state such that any corps could do as well as another corps; if a corps uses mics and amps to balance their sound, then (in my opinion) they should not score as high as a corps that plays with a balanced sound without anything extra. thoughts?

I'm diggin the guy in the Minnesota sweatshirt- go Gophers! lovin the tilt, too. BA. very BA

what do you think this is, pleasantville?

I'm with you here- I am in the trumpet studio at my university, and I get a lot of crap for marching corps. What I don't understand is why this is the view; it is more common than I would have thought. Any thoughts on this, anyone? Why does drum corps have such a bad rep amongst "real" musicians? I don't know about trombone, but in the trumpet world there are vastly different styles of playing even in the proffessional world, most of which are paralleled in the Drum Corps world. So by that reasoning, most drum corps are pursuing a sound concept as demonstrated by a professional. I think one of the things taht makes DC special is taking that sound concept and making it stretch to the limits of acceptability by making it louder. It used to be, as BozzlBy stated, that louder was better. Today, I think that has modulated (music joke, anyone?) to 'louder with a good sound is better'.

I don't really understand where you are coming from; I made a point to state that I don't think a corps is good or bad simply because of a win-loss record; The fact that the patriots lost the superbowl doesn't mean that they were probably the greatest team overall in history: whether or not you like them doesn't change that. Your thought would make sense, but then it tilts the scales in the other direction. What would be a better compromise would be to keep the judges on the field, which are subjective, and have part of the score somehow relate to crowd response. The problem there being that when a corps like the Cadets comes on the field, they would get screwed in the category. Awarding points for getting people excited would, however, generate more popularity, which I could see leading to more people coming to shows, which would lead to more money for people who sponsor those events- it would make lots of money. Any thoughts on some incorporation of crowd response into judging? It would still be subjective, but it would add a different aspect to the activity, and force already talented corps to make sure their shows are entertaining. Being loud would only be one way to do that.

right on. I like how because people dont' enjoy something, it's obviously incorrect. Narration, for example? (don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of it either, but that doesn't make it stupid or bad, just not enjoyable to me) back on topic, I don't see anything wrong with using logo bass heads... is this jealousy?

Agree- there are some endings that I really enjoy. See below comments on variety. I would agree with you- and I don't think it should- it is part of what makes them who they are. I love the variety of approaches. (not defensive) Overall, I just prefer the approach of some other groups. as I was reading this, I was like what the!? nice ending.

oh thank you for giving me this good news. (and I love the bird whistle). apocalypse averted (ooh, alliteratioin!)

Good point, winning the approval of a relatively small number of people is the ONLY measure of success and quality I'm not saying anything bad about corps that win a lot, but I think saying that just because someone/some corps didn't win means they are 'bad'. It is entirely possible that they are about entertaining the crowd, or pushing limits, being creative, etc. (no, I'm not a madison horner either- love the scouts, love tacco, but not a fanatic) I think that the cavies in general have great drill, awesome guard, and usually very good perc, but I haven't been wowed by their horns in a while. I think that the cavies, to wow me, need to change their brass program. They are entertaining, but I feel other corps sound better. However, obviously they are appealing to the judges- they do what they do very well, the problem isn't in their execution, I prefer a different approach to the horns. AGAIN the problem isn't in their execution, I prefer a different approach to the horns. there, I've covered myself. TWICE. no need to get offended.

Is there any limitation on the 'water elements'? Is a corps going to come out flying around with water-spraying jetpacks!? (joke) seriously, though, what is this going to do to the field? In tupelo, Mississippi last year, the field was already soaked to the point of sinking in about an inch at halts, with water being sprayed around now, how is any corps going to have a fair chance after the "Fire Departments of America" show is performed? (that was a joke- as far as I know, no fire dept. show is planned at this point )

Just going on last year: Trumpets: Phantom Mellos: Carolina/Blue Stars Euphs/Baris: Phantom Tubas: Bluecoats I know they didn't make finals (and I'm biased) but the Blue Stars mellos had Donnie Van Doren runs, which I love, and they could play them well. just for fun, I will add perc and guard Pit: Phantom Battery: Blue Devils Guard: Cavaliers

I suppose both of you are at least partly right- I definitely agree about the smaller horn section, kadune. Euphonitone- Now that I read this post, I think I understand what you mean better- I thought you meant that playing louder inherently made your intonation and in-tune-ation. You are definitely correct that you have to work on some things more than others. I would think that, with some careful writing of exercises and focused rehearsals every once in a while, you could improve all three things. I haven't marched long enough to know which will advance fastest, but based on what experience with the trumpet I do have, I would think that the order would be volume, tuning, tone. Even if I am living in a dream world though, it sure would be sweet to hear a perfectly in tune hit at the end of a show. (and yes, I have indeed had those nightmares *shivers*)

I would beg to differ- it is very possible to play RFL and RFInTune- it just takes more effort and control. Find a copy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing Mahler's 8th, and listen to about the last 4 minutes. They are blowing their balls off, and still it is phenomenally in tune. It is not the same as drum corps, but it proves that it can be done. Furthermore, if you play RFL AND RFInTune, it will sound RFL-er. that is why a corps should bother practicing something that 'doesn't matter to the score'. because A: It does, and B: it makes the show more enjoyable to watch, which produces better results, and creates more fans, which will cause more people to support the corps with money by buying souvies. Good things all around. I don't have the most experience in the world, but I know a guy who has been playing on King marching horns for years, and he says they are the best he's ever used. I prefer my Bach, yes, but that is because I have been using it for five years. Durability is more an issue of care than quality of the horn, I would say. Consistency, maybe, but that, again, is a pretty large issue with most trumpet companies I've run across- my first student horn was a bach and it was terrible. I rented a different horn of the same model, and it was much better. I have never noticed an issue with tuning- that is more aof a player thing, at least on the trumpet (although it is possible to play out of tune because of the horn, of course ) funny Word. Double word.

I would agree with this, but this can be provided by either system; all that is required for a pyramid-line to do this is that the bass learn to play louder than the upper brass. I think you may be referring to me- I didn't say that BD's low brass was bad- far from it- I just think that their orchestration and hornline make-up make it so you don't notice them unless they have a feature of some sort; I feel that they are weighted toward the upper brass, which is only bad or good based on your opinion. I prefer a pyramid sound, so I would rather listen to crown most of the time, but BD has a great hornline- it's just a different system. sorry if I offended anyone with this misunderstanding!

Firstly, I have to say that if you are truly 'offended' by the fact that they use King horns, then I am kind of surprised that you can stand to listen to a\n entire drum corps show, since a large number of corps use them today. What do you have against King? out of curiosity. Secondly, I would rank Crown, PR, Cadets, BC, BK at the top of my list of consistently best overall brass sounds. Obviously BD and the Cadets have some of the best high brass, but I would go with BC, BK, and Crown with the low brass. As far as balance, I'm going to go with BC, Phantom, and Crown, because I prefer a good amount of low brass, and I don't feel that some of the corps with a super high brass sound have as strong of a low brass balance; BD for instance, has a great high brass section as far as uniformity and consistency, but I think that they show this off by sacrificing their numbers in the low brass, which leads to a deficiency in their balance. Balance, I think, definitely depends on what your idea of 'good balance' is- many people prefer lots of bass, many others don't. The same goes for technique; to put it in terms of classical trumpet (I'm a trumpet major, so it's what I know) Many people prefer the technique and style of Bud Herseth- big, fat sound that pops out of the ensemble when it needs to. Many others don't- they think the trumpet should blend in to the point where you only notice it when it is really important. It's all a matter of personal choice.

I would say that the best idea is to send an email to the corps director, and let him know what is up. He (she?) probably won't mind- no such thing as bad publicity! As for videotaping, I know that we tell people that it is strictly for their personal use. It hasn't been an issue so far, as far as I know, but that is over here in Wisconsin. Cali might be different. Good luck!

Show announcement has been made: http://www.bluestars.org/story.php?story_id=468 Sounds awesome to me. I'm excited.