Rochester New York

Agreed, agreed, agreed. I've been saying this for years, though with [name of different corps] inserted. HOWEVER, it's worth remembering that it was the Cadets/Hopkins, more than anyone else, that made amplification such a dominant force in this activity--thus ensuring that design would ultimately prove more important than musicianship. Live by the sword, die by the sword. (Maybe that can be their theme next year...)

Years since 1988 when BD either slipped in placement from QF to SF, or when the gap between BD and the next highest corps decreased by more than .15 from QF to SF: 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 It ain't over yet, folks. After Semifinals, it probably WILL be over, since the SF winner has only lost twice in the last 30 years.

In my opinion the use of synths evacuates the music caption scores of any legitimacy. The fact that judges are assigning music "achievement" scores to brass lines whose sound cannot be distinguished from a synthesizer--or, as is clear from many of the posts here, who cannot be heard clearly because of a synth--is truly astounding to me.

"...what I freakin’ hate is how you can’t tell when you hear bass anymore how much of that bass is coming from the low brass and how much from the speakers… I’m thinking it may not be wise to put any more than 12 contras on the field anymore… put more guard members out there for the visual… the subs can easily make up the difference…" And this is why, in my opinion, this activity has completely lost any legitimacy as a music competition.

Are you serious? According to whom? I heard from one of the corps' board of directors that this may have been the lowest attendance at finals in several years, if not decades. Thus it's unlikely that DCI will publicize the number of ticket sales. This seems corroborated by the photos of the stands (see the pictures posted on the Finals thread). I have never seen so many empty seats in between the 45s--even in the bottom section of the stadium. I've gone to several Finals in the 90s and 00s, and the seats between the 40s (much less the 45s) were always completely full on Finals night.

No, there was a difference. As someone who went to championships every year from 1997 to 2006, the difference was very palpable. A good example, which addresses your concern about appropriate comparisons, is Cavaliers 2000 vs. Cavaliers 2001. The opening chords in 2000 were, by general consensus, HAIR-SPLITTING. Seriously, I still remember that sound resonating in my chest. In 2001, Cavaliers played a similar sequence of chord punches (about a minute into their show), but it simply didn't have the same projection. Not close at all. And yes, Cadets 2000 opening hit was loud, but it was very very "blatty." Horrible example of tone spreading, which is what often happens when the Bb horns are pushed beyond a certain volume level.

Um, did you read Brasso's posts? His original post said nothing about talent/recruiting parity. In fact, he explicitly said that design is the biggest factor in "the placement of the people actually competing on the field."

Hopkins Fact #1. Drum corps audiences are primarily band kids and family members of corps members. Lifelong fans and patrons are an inconvenient minority who only care about acoustic music, loud playing, and shows without narration. Hopkins Fact #2. The G7 corps draw in the most ardent, highest-paying fans, who have followed the corps for years, regardless of whether they personally know someone in the corps. Hopkins Fact #3. If any two facts contradict each other, see Fact #4. Hopkins Fact #4. Woodwinds will solve everything.

Folly? That's rather harsh. Consider that designers are PAID by the corps, and that a significant portion of the score (including the ensemble captions, which one would reasonably expect to based solely on the effort of the "unpaid" members) is explicitly and directly tied to design quality.

Great research, brasso. There is also the fact that MLB pulls from a much, much bigger of pool of potential, serious players. In other words, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of good players who would kill to play in ANY major league team. Conversely, a corps like Glassmen or Troopers probably only cuts a few dozen good players each season. And, if we're talking about specific sections, Madison has often had trouble merely filling out their guard. I believe the change to 150-member corps only exacerbated the lack of parity, though that would pale in comparison to the effect of the G-7 proposal if implemented.

Um, it was a different guy. Boy, you must really be scratching your head over Cadets' 2005 show. lol

Ok, so let me sum up what seems to be the one thing everyone, including DCI, agrees on: DCI is consciously transforming drum corps from a unique musical activity with audiences and patrons who stick around for decades.... ...into the country's most expensive band camp.

You're being too kind, given that many of these changes appear to have DECREASED interest, judging by shrinking audience numbers and more lukewarm audience responses. Yes, claims that "the sky is falling" are as old as drum corps itself. Yes, claims that one change or another would "kill drum corps" have been made every decade. BUT, it's worth remembering that, in the "Boy Who Cried Wolf," there WAS a real wolf, and he ate the boy just as quickly, not caring that the boy had cried wolf a dozen times before. My fear is that, this time, we really are looking the wolf in the face.

Ok, but whose fault is that? *DCI* has created a system where certain types of shows are rewarded by the judges, and *DCI* has created a system where corps placement is directly tied to the amount of support from DCI. So OF COURSE there has been a proliferation of "wannabe" shows. How could there not be? The absurdity of the G7 proposal is that it would further encourage this "wannabe" culture. I thought your post as a whole was smart and thoughtful. But I think the pressure to "try something really new, really fresh" ALL THE TIME has not helped these "lower" corps bring in more fans. Not a whit.

So, you're essentially saying that two wrongs will make a right?