leadsop04
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Posts posted by leadsop04
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38 minutes ago, HbRJgdZHsbc said:
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This is going to be an underrated year for open class! So many good corps!
If I was a betting man I'd place a bet on Guardians to upset some people this week. Since San Antonio they've improved 13 points and are now in the hunt for the 25th Semi Finalist spot. They have momentum while a lot of corps in their pack have stagnated.
It's going to be down to the wire!
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Here's a question to semi get us back on topic:
Why are so many drum corps trying to get "a big name" instead of some young fresh talent that are hungry to climb the ranks?
Look at Mandarins going from 17th to 10th in two years with a relatively unknown design team on the visual side. I mean that in absolutely no disrespect to these people!! They did amazing work!!! My point being if Mandarins had went with "big names" while not getting their 100% attention would they even be in the place they are in competivitely?
I could see the desirability of getting these big names but some drum corps have nothing else to lose. Why not double down and try to win the jackpot like Mandarins? Good design is good design regardless of the name attached to it.
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Guardians only a point front Louisiana Stars with no closer, no show flags, and no props. ####.
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6 hours ago, RetiredMusTeach said:
Wow! Just finished watching Blue Springs, MO band. My first time to see them. Fantastic musically and visually - can't believe it was just high school kids, the level of musicality and excellence was so high.
Well they have 3 Blue Devils staff members working with them so it's to be expected lol
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6 hours ago, Midwest said:
I have been following drum corp for a very long time and truly don't understand some of the scoring this year. BD wining Visual and GE is a bit confusing. Their Park and Bark show has little to no GE and/or Visual. Their brass is very good and deserves to score well. Their color guard is also very good. If GE and Visual have become strictly an extension of color guard and pretty colors, prepare for little to no marching in the future. My advice to corps moving forward, stand still while playing, only march while playing slow tempo music, and play really loud. Also make sure the synth is turned up to 11. Don't forget to include pretty colors. If you truly want to impress the judges, throw in some singing that has the effect of finger nails scratching against an old fashion chalk board. SCV and BC should be leading the pack this year. While being progressive in their show designs, they continue to utilize those things that have always separated drum corps from bands. PS.....I don't hate BD as many of you might accuse me. I have always been a big BD fan. They have had great shows over the years. This year is not one of those. Members are great, staff and judging is where my disappointment originates.
Most people that say these comments tend to be (but not always) brass players that base the level of difficulty of a show by how physically demanding the drill is. (Noticed I said physically demanding because there is a difference between difficult drill and physically demanding drill) The words "marching while playing" are no where on the sheets by the way. Marching is but one way to move around the field. Marching is but one skill set in the visual performance caption. The Blue Devils just tend to pick higher levels of difficulty for their members than these basic high school level skillsets. If you truly watch the show with an open mind you'll see that the entire corps is doing really advanced movement throughout the entire production.
There is more than one way to generate effect. The hornline is but one section of the drum corps. The Blue Devils have the 2 most successful visual designers of all time on their staff. Maybe we should all start asking ourselves why Jay Murphy and Scott Chandler made their decisions on that part of the show.
Why are the brass "standing" (while doing choreography) in pods during flight of the bumble bee? Was it to generate a visual call and response? Was it to create negative space for the rifles for their killer feature?
Why are the brass just walking to a "park and bark" (while doing choreography) for the ballad? Is it to let the flag add on feature be the focus? Is it to let the music drive the effect at this moment? Is it to give the older drum corps fans what they've been begging for? (Just play a full melody and blow my face off)
There designers are brilliant. I'm beyond ecstatic for what this show Is, what it can be, the boundaries of design thst it's pushing, and that it's being rewarded by the judges. I hope this trend continues for the rest of the season.
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31 minutes ago, Chief Guns said:
Simple. 17 titles to 1. When you have won as much as BD has, it doesn't matter what you do. We are at a point where BD is a victim of their own success. 3-4 years ago BD was getting murdered on DCP for chopping up music. Now they are playing full music and still they aren't liked. Visual huh? Guarantee you when BD does a show going 225 bpm the whole show people still won't like it. BD has won too many times and people outside of BD Nation are sick of it.
Like 2013? Most physically demanding show of all time. Almost the whole show (minus the ballad) was at 210 bpm.
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Just now, NCWVUFAN said:
I think BD clearly fields the most talented corp every year, but the content and design are less appealling than the next 3 to 4 corps below them.
There are atleast 2 other drum corps that are more talented. This staff just knows how to get more out of less talented people.
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1 hour ago, brassdude6171 said:
In my humble uneducated opinion, the spreads should be flipped. SCV should be .7-1 pointing BD. BD's show does NOT do it for me during 90% of their show while SCV DOES it 100% of the time.
Can you please show me where "doing it for someone" is on the sheets?
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On 3/7/2017 at 8:07 AM, Fran Haring said:
I think that happens at some shows now.
A corps DM always seems to be first up, last to sleep. LOL.
Nah the visual staff is the last to sleep and first to rise ;) lol
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Except blue devils.
I mentioned this in another thread, but one of the things many corps are trying to do is have a rotation staff because committing to a full tour every summer is getting harder. The vast majority of drum corps instructional staff members have jobs outside of drum corps, plus families for some and even college/grad school for others. The more people they have, the less strain it puts on people who can't afford to be on the road for long periods of time.
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Louisiana stars really took a step back in the show design department this year.
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Meh. It's not a very good show. Rwally inopportune staging and missed effect moments. They will be okay but they could have been better with their old team.
Have to remember they've only been together as a corps for 2 weeks. I expect they'll improve very quickly after the video I saw of them.
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So for anyone doubting the Blue Devils design team here is a post after 2015 BD family day http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/index.php/topic/162342-blue-devils-preview-at-family-day-2015/#entry3523405
This is the best design and instructional team EVER assembled! I've learned to trust them until the finals scores are announced. Period.
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Gonna start a conspiracy theory just for fun
Judges commentary stopped in 2008 because Phantom Regiment won. PR won by the margin of .025 (I think thats what it was), partial due to an abnormally low percussion score from the Blue Devils.
There was no wrong doing by the percussion judge...he wrote down a fair number.....and being that as a marching member he spent one year with Phantom Regiment and one year with Blue Devils he had no allegiance to either corps.
By the "powers that be", BD's percussion scores were changed from the original numbers written down by the on field judge. If the percussion judges commentary was available on the dvd, the general public would have been made aware that the judges commentary and "published score" did not match up. Thus confirming that the 2008 championship was stolen from the Blue Devils. The only way to make sure this didn't happen was to not put the judges commentary on the dvd's.......general public did not know that judges commentaries were no longer going to be on the dvd's until after the purchases were already made.
Well to be fair Phantom won not because of Bd''s percussion being below par. Phantom won because they gained 1.1 points in "feet" in 3 days.... 1.1 points in a subcaption?.... in 3 days?.... come on.
Not to mention their leg shape, control, and foot timing were atrocious.
But back on topic, I can't wait to order the blue rays!
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While I can't speak for music (although I do think it's partly the same?) there is only so much information that the judge can take from the sidelines. The only way to really see how the members are truly performing, both individually, and person to person is to jump in there and get your hands dirty.
This is as good of an idea as expecting all NFL referees to be on the sideline. This will make the judges opinions even more subjective to go in the way of certain corps....
Are DCI judges really that distracting to people? I feel like I barely notice them because I'm concentrating on the show/members.
Let me preface my comments by saying that I never marched.
As a spectator I always wondered why you needed to have judges running around the field.
To me it seems the distraction/interfearance on the part of the judges,outweighs any judging benefit.
My wife and I discussed this once with a DCI Judge.
She really coudn't come up with any reasons why you have judges on the field.
So for me,yes to #7.
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Lol. No one could do BD style shows. It's too unique to them. Everyone else has such a similar way of constructing and teaching shows. BD is in another league.
I'd love to see BD15 march/play Cadets15 and vice versa. That would be interesting!
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Hardest show ever? It wasn't even the hardest show of 2015...m
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LD bell High School lol
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Instructional staff.
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BD was spectacular, as always! Just got done with that periscope. They march well, stage well, and integrate the guard well, and really play well (perc and brass). Sometimes this particular show is cluttered, but most of the time I find it another display of how well BD can show so many visual concepts in one show. That's the key with them. It's a variety of visual displays mixed with music. They've got it down to a science.
I love that they are parking for a lot of the show. Some hate it or think it's easy. But they setup these beautifully staged hit points in the show, some completely standing still, others only with slight motion, and they let the brass wail as they deliver high GE. It somewhat reminds me of the old concert number days from the 70s and early 80s. We used to love them. BD 84 for example. Those were often the best moments of the show. Now days we make fun of it, call it easy, but there is nothing easy about playing the way they do. So when they showcase their brass like that (or percussion), in stand-still or slight-motion, they exhibit some of the best sounds, articulations, and musical impacts in the business. That definitely generates GE.
Those that compare them to a corps that moves more must be objective enough to ask the question "yes, my favorite corps might move more and play just as much, but does it sound as good?" Perhaps with a corps like Cadets this year it comes darn close and at times sounds as good (Cadets have been up there in brass all summer). But then again, the Cadets and Crown are right in there with BD for a shot at the title. Bluecoats too. But the bigger point is that the Blue Devils make some things so obvious, like my example above, that we knock it for visual or for lacking simultaneous demand, but what we should be doing is listening. When the music gets to that level, judges don't care about simultaneous demand. That is overblown for sure. Most of the other corps couldn't stand still and play that good, and when they try to move faster and end up playing sloppy and average, what's the point?
Great stuff BD. :)
This. Thank you.
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Consistency of the corps is much better than getting in new talent and cutting vets.
No matter what the corps, it always amazes me that vets presume that they will have a spot (based on loyalty) rather than imagining that the corps might get even better with talent that is beyond theirs. I guess it's a case of ego, youthful inexperience, and lack of reflection.
I am of the understanding that even the Conductors and caption leaders at PR go through some sort of annual "audition" and that nothing is automatic.
However, the poster is also a bit realistic for the experiences of many corps that out of area vets tend not to show at first camps but communicate and clear that with caption heads and corps admin. Conflicts with school obligations, costs of travel, and familiarity with corps ambiance tends to permit this in deference to not skipping later camps when actual show material is being learned. These policies differ corps to corps, sometimes sections to sections.
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That is definitely not true.
When the average age of your group is 19.5-20.5, that's the case every year, not just this year.
Staff Merry-go-round
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
The Visual Caption Head did not write the drill.