CymbalMaster

SOOOO sorry Mike. I am embareassed. MAH SPELL CHECKR WAZ WORKIN TO GUD BEFOR I TURNSED IT OFF !

Soccerguy315 said it better than in my original OP. I LOVE the plate lines. Cymbals add wonderful visual effect (so does guard) and GREAT accent hits (total 5 seconds / 13 minute program) but it is a competitive disadvantage to carry the line. We don't carry a piccolo line for the same reasons. Cymbals will always be part of Open Class Corps. Great for training and filling ranks.

It is official. Amplified front ensembles have made cymbal lines obsolete. OVERWHELMINGLY, people in the crowd at Bloomington finals told me that they could hear our (Vanguard) front-line cymbals but NOT the cymbal line! Of the top 5 corps -> 0 Cymbal Lines Of the next 6 corps -> 1 Cymbal Line Of the next 6 corps -> 5 Cymbal Lines Music directors like Carolina Crown have figured out that they can replace 5 cymbals with 5 contras/bases for a much deeper sound! I AM SAD... we have gone the way of the glockenspiel and the dodo. The BASE LINE is next. A nice amplified tympani set can make pretty sweet music. My comrades in Scouts, Crossmen, Colts, Spirit and P.Crest don't want to hear this, but sometimes, after the rah rah of the season fades away, the truth must be dealt with.