TheMusicLives

BD may have won 3 of the last 4, but every one of those winning years, Crown won Spirit of Disney/Fan Favorite. Just saying. "30,000 hearts beats a ring any day." - JD Shaw

I agree. I cannot BELIEVE that Crown isn't winning brass (again). On the top of inconsistenies, I don't understand how a corps can score relatively low in percussion and still win music ensemble. Clearly there are inconsistencies between the field and box judges.

Being exposed isn't about how many people are in front of you. It's about the specific drill form. You'll notice that the tubas are right up front for Crown's ballad too (sitting down, playing with one hand, I might add). The Bluecoats play in a lot of so called "power forms," with the brass reasonably close to each other. Crown's show: Opening Mahler segment, Bb minor - spread literally endzone to endzone, coordinating 16th and 32nd notes with no pulse from the drumline (while doing body). First Mahler impact - STILL spread endzone to endzone. Tuba actually winds up on the 50. Descending quarter note triplets beginning on high F, culminating in low C resolving to Bb minor. Triplet runs - hornline spread out (30 to 30 I believe) with no drumline pulse. Tuba runs beginning on E in the staff, descending triplets at 192 bpm. Next Khachaturian impact - virtually crown's only "power set." End of Khachaturian - hornline spread out to the side 2 15 yard line. Tubas jazz running right up front. Danzon No. 2 - tubas begin far away from the front and behind the drumline, leaving no audible pulse. Danzon impact - again, hornline spread 25 to 25. Tubas walk an amazing tango bass line spanning an octave and a fourth, from A below the staff to middle D. Again, more body. Nimrod - the most exposed moment in dci this season. A capella brass. Tuba right up front, brass judge there every time, sitting and playing with one hand. Bass line again spans an octave and a fourth, from low C to high F. Nimrod impact - tubas kneeling right up front. Nimrod, last chord - hornline spread endzone to endzone, front sideline to back sideline, in a hugely exposed X, giving judges the chance to sample any player they want. Mahler reprise - tubas playing a segment of the Mahler bass line, feet in double time, taking large strides as far out as the 15. Reprise impact - company front spanning 10 to 10. Tubas far away from drumline pulse. After the company front, the tubas jazz run at 208 bpm playing high Fs, coming in for sixteenth note pickups with no pulse. Promise of Living - another company front, tubas streched from 45 to 5. Mahler chorale before ends on low F, triplets during the turnaround end on high F, meaning a two octave turnaround in four counts. THAT'S exposure. All that Mr. Bruckner (great choice of name, by the way) pointed out is how the Bluecoats tuba book is written.

Trumpets: Crown. Beginning of Nimrod won me over. Mellos: Cavaliers. Consistent and unified, even if they sometimes lack projection. Baris: Bluecoats. Excellent facility and projection. Euphs: Crown. Just for their cohesion between baris and tubas. Tubas: Crown. Unreal presence and musicality, even if they're not the best featured tuba section.

I would actually say Crown's staging IS poor, and it's costing them competitively. All of their impact moments are in large, spread out forms that leave individual members of the brassline very exposed. Because of this, judges are able to nitpick about individual inconsistencies much easier than a corps who hides its errors in compact drill forms. I really respect the risks Crown takes in doing this. Very few - if any - corps attempt what Crown does, and it's nice to see that. But they have to realize that taking those risks without being absolutely perfect will cost them in terms of the numbers.

If you look at the first post in the thread, you'll see that my vote went to Crown. I'm not a Bluecoats fan per se, just a drum corps fan. The Bluecoats tuba line does sound very good - I don't mean to take anything away from them - but their tuba feature takes place in a line on the 50 yard line. Crown's Mahler intro takes place spread literally endzone to endzone. The timing responsibilities are so much greater, and anyone who's marched before knows how hard that makes it. THAT'S exposure. Not drill that largely stays within the 30s. If the topic was "Who has the best featured tuba section?" the answer would be Bluecoats, hands down. If the topic was "Who has the best utilized tuba section?" I'd again say Crown.

If each of the 16 tubas tried to create a musical line out of the music, it would sound terrible and individualistic. There actually is a lot of musicality to Crown's hornline - but like all good drum corps, it's established as an ensemble. I think a lot of it is lost simply because it was recorded right next to the bell.

I'm not saying they don't sound great, but my beef with devs and coats is that their books aren't that challenging. listening to that, with the knowledge that the crown tuba section is spread endzone to endzone, just blows my mind

After seeing the Allentown show, my vote is for Carolina Crown. Their Mahler intro alone makes thier tuba book one of the best ever, in my opinion. Super clear tuba section, very in tune, and above all, LOUD!