Jump to content

SpenceriEuph

Members
  • Posts

    26
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by SpenceriEuph

  1. I would suggest using last year's placements as a rough guide to the intensity of training involved. I have heard directors of lower corps brag, in a way, about how the level of training is right-sized in their corps, and even that the top corps are too much for the kids. Granted, this was many years ago and always had a sour grapes ring to it, and also invited the unasked question, "How would you know?". (It was good that I had the ability not to verbalize everything that came into my head).

    Also, the lower corps generally contain younger kids who aren't being pushed as hard for that reason.

    I assure you, at least where I come from, people don't get in this drum corps business to "not push as hard" as the top corps
    • Like 1
  2. We should define "Theme" right off. As far as an underlying musical and/or visual idea which holds the show together, there hasn't been a drum corps show without a theme since the 70s. I don't think shows need "stories" by any means, but even shows like Harmonic Journey have coherency between the movements.

    If we're talking about "theme" by a strict definition of shared qualities between the pieces or a plot of some kind, these shows seem to be a minority.

    I personally tend to think of "theme" as the former.

  3. Ahead of their time? Absolutely! Innovative? Of course. Influential? I think that's an interesting term people try to apply to star 93 when they want to dismiss it as modern and intellectual. No one has to this day even attempted to design a show "like" star 93. The entire show was a single coherent stream of a single musical idea (or journey if you prefer). I don't think they even got near forte until about 6 or 7 minutes in, yet there is such build and such intensity in that harmonically rich and rhythmically thick first half. I could count the number of shows that have even played snippets of that type of music on my right hand, and I have yet to see anyone tackle the art of drum corps in that way since.

    I grant, Star was absolutely influential insofar as their staff and the musicians who learned under them, and definitely visually, but I would argue star's 93 show was not particularly influential in the direction of modern design as a whole. The show stands on it's own merit as *opinion time* probably the most dramatic and musical experience set to the field. And on the most basic level, it continues to excite me and physically draw me to my feet in a way that few other shows still can. After all, isn't that why we continue to go back?

  4. I'm old school, so I'd start with the Arban's Method. It comes for trumpet or trombone/baritone and is still available most anywhere. I'm sure there will be other more modern suggestions.

    Hah! Don't worry. Arban is precisely as relevant today as he was a century ago (if not moreso).

    Pidget, The books to which I was referring were the corps' exercise books, which are generally consistent year to year (assuming the brass staff stick around) and can be found with a little digging on their website. Though I totally agree, if you want an exercise book that will help you be a brass player, Arban is the way to go.

    • Like 4
  5. Breathe. Lip slurs. Practice literally every day. Don't worry too much, you are by no means the first nor the last person to do this. Just practice literally every day, use your air, and do a crap ton of lip slurs.

    If you can get in some ensemble(s) on trumpet I'd do it. More playing=more better. Also more breathing, more air, practicing every day (literally) and lip slurs=better. Did I mention to relax?

    Also get the corps brass book as soon as it comes out, work it to perfection, and impress the crap out of your vis techs with your killer marching (make that happen).

    Lastly, move more air, do lip slurs, practice every day, and relax. From one woodwind in drum corps to another, good luck in your venture! You'll be glad you made this decision.

    • Like 2
  6. There are a number of Lauridsen charts that would be perfect for the field. Dirait-on and Sure on this Lux Aeterna come to mind right away for me. Ultimately, a good arranger can make a good show out of just about anything.

    I would pay good money to see (or play) O Magnum Mysterium on the field.

  7. I don't understand why Cadets score so high? I mean I have respect for the corps and any corps to be honest but I just don't understand their placement? Anyone care to explain why they are so successful scoring wise?

    I'm no judge, but I imagine it has something to do with how they march, spin and play better than nearly everyone in the activity.

    • Like 3
  8. I was in a similar situation last year. The reality I faced was that at some point, you have to put all your eggs in one basket. With audition camps happening on the same weekends, if you're going out for multiple corps, you're probably going to have to decide where you're marching this summer by December or January at the latest. I was fortunate enough to, after the first camp, realize I really didn't like the atmosphere, from members to staff, of corps B, while corps A ended up being everything I wanted out of drum corps and so much more.
    As for actual advice, from the sounds of it, you're a good contender in either pool of auditionees. Your effort in the off-season won't go unnoticed. It sounds like, provided you put in the requisite effort, you could make either corps. If I were in your shoes I would consider my experiences from the past camps and decide which corps I wanted to be in the most. Which has the best member atmosphere? Which staff did you learn more from? Which one fits like a glove? I would cross the Rubicon with one or the other.

    ***Disclaimer: I'm a soulless voice from the internet. I do not know you. My advice is worth as close to nothing as any advice from the internet can get.***

  9. Totally reasonable. In fact, in the hornline I marched in this year, ten of our 24 baritone players (including myself) started as woodwind or string players. In fact, only one was a baritone by trade, and even she started as a woodwind. The others came from a trombone or tuba background.

    Outright skill and experience on an instrument is always second to the ability to apply information quickly in this activity.

  10. As long as they're not on the same weekend, you can audition for as many corps as you want/can afford. Personally I'd encourage auditioning at multiple places if you can make it work. It gives you a good sense of what different corps are like so you can choose, not simply based on where you end up, but where you fit the best.

×
×
  • Create New...