ccieboy

Oops...sorry, I wasn't trying to be a flame-baiter...that wasn't my intent. You are right, Drums Corps is a young mans game. Each generation gives it a stamp. When I was young we liked to hear the melodic low frequencies of the bass drums along with the occasional show of force. It just sounded good. And it felt good. That's the sound that drew me in also. Kids today have a different ear and they want something that suites their taste. Just keep in mind that every drum has to ring otherwise the human ear won't detect it. Any good high school physics class covers the concept of resonant frequencies. Bass drums come in different sizes. If you tune them all up outside of their natural resonance they won't ring (as much) and thus they won't be as loud. With regards to volume (loudness)...it's not taste...it's physics. (kinda' like math...six-times-four equals 24).

Sorry...but I have to throw in my two-cents from the perspective of someone who survived the '70's (no, i never took lsd). Drums today are tuned way too high in general. And bass drums in particular. The term "battery" is from the military...big guns...low and loud. Everything goes in cycles. Currently, we are in this crank-until-it-sounds-like-a-table-top mode. The problem is that drums sound choked and just don't resonate (you can't hear them). I can't really even hear them when I'm in the parking lot and standing 20 feet away...they sound like cardboard boxes. Listen to some old '70's drum corps recordings and you'll see what I mean. Low frequencies are omni-directional...it shouldn't matter where you sit. Someday we will return to the days when drums resonated and you heard nice low-tones from the bass drum section. Okay, already...everyone can play 24th note runs...I'm impressed...but, how about a little musicality? I'm just sayin'....I don't think you are ignorant...quite the contrary...I think your gut is trying to tell you something...you are very insightful.

Yes, matched-grip does make good sense. I'm glad you enjoyed what Seattle was doing back-in-the-day. Those were fun days and much simpler that is for sure. Virtually everyone was local. It was a year-round activity with winter practice and the summer tours. Everything we used we carried with us. All we had to do was show-up and make rehearsals and we could find a spot somewhere. No audition pressure. It seemed a little more "blue-collar" back then. If I were a 14-year-old today I'd probably be blown-out-of-the-water by all the competition and have to find something else to do? Plus, I probably couldn't get involved since there just aren't any Drum Corps around here anymore (there used to be many). Kinda' sad.

Hello, Don't forget to add the 1976 Argonauts from Salem, Oregon, the 1977-78 Boston Crusaders, and the 1979-82 Seattle Imperials to your list. I marched with the Seattle Imperials in 1979 and 80 and we used matched-grip. We implemented a snare/tenor combination that absolutely demanded matched-grip. It wasn't a frivolous decision. There simply was no other option given the drum set-up. I think the discussion of standard-versus-matched being simply a visual issue is a gross over-simplification. I haven't heard anyone mention the professional community nowadays which is almost exclusively matched-grip. The mechanical advantage of matched-grip makes standard-grip an anachronism. My observations are that Drum Corps has become strangely conformist over the past 30 years. The 1970's were a very progressive era for the activity. This universal regression into the use of standard-grip is perhaps a symptom of that? Anyway, it's something to think about. If things ever get interesting like they were in the 70's then the choice of grip might become an issue again? Just my two cents.