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Madbass4

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  • Your Drum Corps Experience
    Madison Scouts - 2002, 2003 Phantom Regiment - 2004, 2005
  • Your Favorite Corps
    Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, Madison Scouts, Blue Devils (pre-2005)
  • Your Favorite All Time Corps Performance (Any)
    '89 SCV, '08 PR, '95 Madison
  • Your Favorite Drum Corps Season
    1995, 2000, 2002 (My rookie year), 2003
  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Waterloo, IA
  • Interests
    Writing

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  1. I don't want to be the one to say this, but I think people are entitled to answers as to why J.J. CONSISTENTLY judges Paul Rennick INCONSISTENTLY from other judges (or is just too harsh on him in general). These answers will never come out publicly, of course, but I for one certainly hope that SOMEBODY takes him aside and simply asks him what's going through his head every time he judges Paul.
  2. Vanguard over Cadets in 7 of 20 subcaptions (8 of 20 on Thursday), so that is maybe a more plausible move. The outcome there probably has a lot to do with percussion, as the THur/Fri judges saw that matchup very differently. Those who know the story behind "Judge X" would call this the biggest understatement in the history of DCI. lol
  3. There's no way you're wrong either. ;) Well put.
  4. Well, I'm a former student of Rennick, and I've played in three of his lines. What I learned when at the Univ. of North Texas is that what separated Rennick from the rest of the pack (in other words - made him WIN) was that his writing employed incredible dynamics - and of course Paul made sure his members effectively executed them. Aside from that, his writing tends to be a middle ground between "flashy" and "musical" (usually more on the musical side) in the sense of using classical influences, traditional rudiments, and demand from both a musical and ensemble-difficulty standpoint to get his point across. Keeping this in mind, the cherry on top that solidifies Paul's product is his complete and sacrosanct marriage to clean drumming, to the point where the beginning of the summer is no excuse for dirt. There was a kid on youtube who posted something from Scott Johnson (from a Blue Devil clinic) about how he said that if your drumline is playing clean early in the season, then your book is too easy (incidentally, the Blue Devils this summer are playing a very ambitious book, which was not very clean early in the summer). Anyone from North Texas or Rennick's lines will tell you that this philosophy is simply not acceptable. Usually all of Rennick's lines have started out drumming cleaner than the majority of others every June (even the ones who have not won, meaning all but three). It's just a standard that not all drumlines value. Some value difficulty in the sense of extremely visible showmanship (in other words predominantly "flashy") with dirt allowed because it's June - to the point where they wait for it to get cleaner as they get more comfortable with it to the point of finally having a product worthy of "Finals" (while ignoring the rest of us who can't attend it). Others just keep their standards, respectively. Bottom line is that Paul is what you call a "director" in the very best sense of the word - he knows what he wants, and he elicits that response better than many others... and that is to play clean and play musically. When a lot of us veterans watched the 2011 Phantom Regiment Drumline in the lot, one of the most distracting things we heard (other than early summer dirt, which we weren't used to hearing so exposed), was a rock backbeat in the pit during a ballad. Knowing full well what the corps' repertoire was, we were just shaking our heads (granted, they scrapped that backbeat, after a heated debate I'm sure). STYLE issues are also something that you won't really find issue with in Paul's writing. Politically, you can also bet that Paul's status and reputation is not something to be toyed with (as compared to other caption heads who are doing their jobs for the first time), but that's not something I'll really go into. ;)
  5. As a drummer, me and a lot of former drum corps drummer veterans like to argue that one of the reasons Phantom was able to surpass the very clean Blue Devils and fan favorite Cavaliers show in 2008 was because of the Regiment Drumline. We always like to cite 2008 as a year where a drumline was the "deciding factor" in who was to win that year in 2008. Whether you truly believe that or not (you'd have to calculate all the points yourself in doing the math), Regiment did have the powerhouse drumline that summer, while Blue Devils finished in 5th. This year, although Regiment has quite the show, the drumline is consistently finishing in 7th or lower. Now, it's not that they're drumming terribly (I think they're doing a fine job personally), but the judges simply believe that six other drumlines are more impressive on the competitive scale (with Phantom's former percussion caption head, as well as former members, leading the pack at the Santa Clara Vanguard). Bottom line, it's going to be tough for Phantom to do what they did in 2008 considering they don't have the Rennick percussion package that the judges and percussion fans love so much. They MIGHT not be able to repeat 2008, but they still have nothing to be ashamed of. Their show of "Turandot" will still be remembered as a great show!
  6. Bit of a Strawman comparison, don't you think?
  7. When I marched 2002 Madison Scouts, we had some of the most talented veteran members, most of whom started marching in the 20th century ('97-'99, lol)! In 2003, we hired a new visual and design team, as well as management and colorguard staff. Another change this year, the musical talent dropped definitely, with the loss of an incredible group of ageouts the year before, and the incoming group of kids weren't exactly as talented as the average talent pool that came to Madison. The average member age in '03 was 17 1/2. 2002 - Semifinals placement of 14th. Did not make Finals. 2003 - 8th place Finals. Something to think about when it comes to the power behind the design of a show.
  8. This thread is difficult for me - a Madison Scouts AND Phantom Regiment alum.
  9. "The drumline of SCV gets used to Paul Rennick and takes top percussion next year" ????? I didn't know they weren't used to him already, considering the majority of the line were from Phantom (or the minority of the line were SCV vets from 2010 and before).
  10. My point exactly (the point that was attacked by SCV_Chuck). Philharmonic orchestras, or any musical group that performs on the stage - it's an activity where competition (that is...COMPETITION BETWEEN MUSICAL GROUPS THAT ARE JUDGED ON A POINT SYSTEM THAT LEADS TO AN ULTIMATE WINNER) does not exist. The performers participate because they love music and love to perform, they get paid to do it, people pay to watch them perform, and they even travel the world performing (exhibitions, if you will). So here's the question - - IS THE DRUM CORPS ACTIVITY RELIANT ON THE COMPETITION ASPECT TO REMAIN ALIVE? And the question for you the reader - - IF IT WERE AN ACTIVITY LIKE OTHER "EXHIBITION GROUPS", WOULD YOU ENJOY IT AS MUCH? Would one sit at the most amazingly performed drum corps show going "This is boring...there's no one here to compete against them!"? Maybe a more interesting question would be that if Drum Corps were to become so popular with the world that it became an activity that made profit, and performers were paid like professional musicians in the working world - would COMPETITION STILL BE NECESSARY? I apologize if I'm getting off topic on the subject of this thread - but it's obviously evolved into other issues. And again - - DISCLAIMER: I'm not taking sides. I think the educational aspect and competitive aspect of the activity are both important. And...um...VANGUARD! (to keep with the thread)
  11. Well I didn't say the competitive aspect of the activity is NOT the reason to march, Mr. Defensive! GOSH! lol I suppose in a heated thread such as this one, I should have included a disclaimer about what I felt on every aspect of the drum corps activity, including life itself, why God invented drum corps, and why Santa Clara Vanguard rocks the hizzouse! But since you're bringing up adding competition to all aspects of life, I'll retort. I AGREE with you on that. But what do you say to the person that argues, "That competitive aspect is PART OF THE EDUCATIONAL aspect of the activity." Do you say, "No, the debate is over whether which part is more important!", or "Okay, the educational aspect is a bigger picture of the competitive part." Or do you say, "You don't know what you're talking about." ? With the attitude I'm sensing from a lot of defensive people on this thread, I just want to express that I'm not taking any sides on this matter - and that maybe we all should just embrace the fact that experience is experience, and that the competition in DCI is what fuels performers to strive for excellence, and that the education you get from it is also extremely valuable to life itself. I for one switched drum corps for that very reason (competition) - because I wanted to be in the most talented drumline at the time. And I loved my first drum corps for the experience it gave me, but I wanted to be a "player" in the activity. Phew! Wow.
  12. There seems to be a lot of hate on this thread, and an issue now about what's more important - the competitive aspect or the educational aspect. Well, I would definitely choose the educational aspect (when Joe Blow Snuffy was lucky enough to make the Imaginary Brassmen from Podunk, AnyState, he left that Summer and returned home as the smartest guy his town had ever seen!!!) In talks with my fiancee over DCI, we mentioned the scenario of the competitive aspect of the activity being completely done away with. The world of symphonies would have their New York and Chicago Phil's, and the world of marching arts would have their Cavaliers and Spirits of Atlanta, etc. There would be no competition, but there would be high-class organizations of music and field pageantry. A good question is - will any of us in the world who think it's not about "winning" be comfortable with a world of drum & bugle corps with no Drum Corps International League or competition to add to the activity? DISCLAIMER: In my four years marching, I'd never won a DCI championship. So no, I don't know how it feels. Oh well... And to those who just CAN'T STAND people who are only about winning, here's a little joke (an old one) that might lighten your mood. This joke is based on a true story: There once was a young man who wanted a DCI Championship more than anything. It was the year 1992, and the Cavaliers were the DCI World Champions! The young man decided to go there and get his ring. Unfortunately for him, The Cadets of Bergen County ended up beating them to the top. So....he went to the Cadets in 1994. Unfortunately for him....again....the Cadets did not win, as the Blue Devils beat them for the win. So - it's his ageout. He's gotta make it count! He goes to Concord and marches for the Blue Devils. And yes...unfortunately for him...they did not win. They were beat by the young man's very first corps he marched for...ye olde Cavaliers. If he only stuck it out...but hopefully his educational experience overpowered his competitive thirst. And the moral of the story? Well...that's up to you." ;)
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