Everyfan
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Posts posted by Everyfan
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On July 9, 2017 at 9:23 PM, Chief Guns said:
BD from last night.
Just watched this again. There is so much to love. The nod to the origins with the "off the line." The fact the the historical horn quotes from yesteryear are played not sampled. The guard ensemble work with the rifles in the opener and the flags in the ballad. The screamers. The high brass feature when all the middle horns pick up trumpets to play. The drum solo (ignore the Rhianna audio and listen to what the drumline is doing). This show is incredible and the historical quotes bring tears to the eyes. To those who say they don't March....huh? Did you see that. Maybe it is time to bring back the 86/87 spats. Wow.
Whoever has the "hype overload" gif, please post it now...I am DEFINITELY in hype overload mode. I can't wait to see what they do with this by finals.
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28 minutes ago, Everyfan said:
Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.
For more info, I just checked the Blue Devils' calendar. They had nineteen days of rehearsal prior to Memorial Day. Four of those were the Friday of camps, so those were shortened music rehearsals (3-4 hours). Three days were musician all days prior to Memorial Day, which would typically be less than a full corps due to school schedules. This is FAR less than the 80's and 90's.
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12 hours ago, Everyfan said:
Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.
For reference, I joined a top corps in the 80's at 15 years old (turned 16 on tour). I was a good trumpet player and had a big two years of marching in a mediocre high school band. I filled a hole in the late Spring by playing two scales and being told to "go in there and act like you know what you are doing." I learned a TON and won a championship that year. How often does that happen today? Talent levels going in are huge today at the top compared to "my day." They DO make a huge difference.
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On July 10, 2017 at 7:11 AM, Mello Dude said:
You don't, let me amend it.
1) Better term would be "indoctrinate". They do this very well and have a for a LONG time. Smart and a quite an advantage (among others).
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indoctrinate
2) Let me clarify, talent makes less difference than instruction or show design. The level of talent these days is very good. You don't need "god-like" talent to teach a running 16th or 32nd note lick. If you can't teach them to be very good you aren't teaching. Today they show up being able to play all this.
I understand precisely how much they practice and they do a LOT more today than when I marched and that was a metric ton and we played a lot more music with less talent overall.
Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.
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Just now, Stu said:
I stand corrected on June, but there is no denying that far less local shows means far less show attendance.
How many is far less. Where are you getting your numbers?
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13 minutes ago, Mello Dude said:
This. I think it has more to do with influence and I dare say politics than anything else. The fact you can basically "tell" judges what is good and isn't OR tell them what is more "demand" and they go with it rather than making informed decision NOT based on what they are told but what they "KNOW". I know this won't be a popular response but you have to hand it to BD in the off season and the "training" they give to the judging community. Not to say BD isn't good or doesn't attract the some of best talent but that really means so little if instructors are doing their jobs. Frankly the amount of rehearsal over so little ensemble and brass playing anymore..you should be able to teach or instruct people to play VERY well with so much time IMHO. Off soapbox.
If I understand your post correctly:
1) BD "trains" judges during the off season.
2) Talent doesn't matter. Anyone can be trained to be at the top level of DCI.
Wow. Also, I don't think you understand how little corps practice together before move in happens in May.
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3 hours ago, Stu said:
DCI has been, and still is, an inbred circular organization. Let’s walk through this:
A) DCI is not a separate entity apart from the voting corps; DCI actually ‘is’ (David Gibbs, George Hopkins, David Glasgow, Chris Lugo, and all of the other Member Corps Directors with voting privileges). Heck, even Dan Acheson can only manage what those Corps Directors tell him to manage.
B) DCI, as in these Voting Members, get together periodically to adjust and set the rules 'to their own collective pleasure', define the adjudicating criteria 'according to their own collective pleasure', and also dictate how the judging sheets will be interpreted by the adjudicators.
C) Then the Directors like Gibbs of BD, Glasgow of Coats, etc… go to their respective Corps and have their own corps design teams construct shows designed to match the artistic direction criteria 'in which they themselves just set as the standard to achieve'. Directors who do not follow this path of show design construction do so at their own peril, or they just flat do not care about the competitive aspects of the institution (see Jersey Surf and Pioneer).
D) The DCI trained adjudicators (as in trained to the directives of the Member Corps Directors standards and who themselves are mostly former DCI corps performers and staff members), are to fairly assess the performances each season based on that year's sheet definitions prescribed by DCI (the voting Corps Directors); it matters not the final ranking so long as the judges fairly evaluated each performance according to the sheet and design standards set forth by DCI (the voting Corps Directors).
E) Thus while the Directors in DCI do not collectively design specific individual corps shows, DCI ‘is’ the voting Directors like Gibbs, etc…, and DCI certainly does dictate the direction of what design philosophy will progress forward in scoring within DCI.
Therein is the inbred circular situation concerning the direction of show designs being under the control of DCI.
Much as with your "facts" about attendance levels, you may want to look up who the director/CEO of the Blue Devils is. Hint: It is no longer Dave Gibbs.
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2 minutes ago, Precious Roy said:
I know you (probably) don't mean it this way, but this comes across as saying "if the corps I'm marching in turns out to not be in contention for a medal, then the talent around me is not worth my extra effort."
I would hope all marching members are putting in the same effort, for themselves and for the corpsmates, regardless of the likelihood of medalling.
Not meant that way at all. Just saying that I would choose to be challenged by the best out there (best I could qualify for at least). As noted in my original comment, it isn't really about the medal. Some might prefer to be top dog in a lower placing corps. I would rather be challenged and learn from the best. If "the best" took fourth that year, I would have still learned a ton.
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Medal. Not actually FOR the medal, but to be challenged by working for and with the best talent out there. I would take that experience over winning a popularity contest any day.
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20 hours ago, jjeffeory said:
I thought BD '92 would tickle your fancy. There are a bunch of lower placing shows during those years that sound great as well as the shows you've mentioned.
PR any time sounds great. Star always sounded good, even in their non-championship years. Bluecoats have always seemed to have good brass.
So, the lines today are incredible; the lines of yesterday were great too, especially after 1983.
...and the Blue Devils are a big reason why all corps sound so good these days; their rise to the top of DCI made everyone else follow them on quality of sound. It took a while for the instruments to catch up, but BD were pushing that forward as well. They played some interesting alto voiced instruments in the '80s.
I'm not a BD expert, though, but I know that much about them.
You'll find a lot of BD alumni on these other corps brass staffs.
Also, the alto horn in the late 80's was a custom made horn designed by Jack Meehan and Zig Kanstul.
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1 minute ago, Standing O said:
What it it going to take for you to rank them above?
They need to be better. Duh...
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1 minute ago, JohnD said:
Sadly, no.
posted from the DrumScorps app
Maybe just "not yet"
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Speaking of uniforms, "off the line" and Metamorph, how many people would lose their minds if BD came out in classic uniforms (guard in boots and skirts) for the opening set?
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21 hours ago, jjeffeory said:
My initial assessment is:
OMG, percussion intro is way too long.
The long drum intro makes sense when you see the visual.
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Saw the Blue Devils on Memorial Day...wow...just wow...
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The new grass is beautiful. Timing is simply the fact that they haven't rehearsed as a group that much until this weekend. It will be remarkable in a week or two of rehearsal.
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Saw the first four minutes of the show today on the field...holy hell...This corps is already incredible and Bumblebee is insane. Timing is still a little off, but that will get better quickly. If the rest of the show is half as good, it will be tough to beat. I hope to see the full show in a few more weeks.
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Yes, Blue Devils B just placed 16th.
At least 16th...
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I like they way they did most regionals the last few years. They randomize groups of three throughout the current "order." This keep the corps close together based on previous placement but does not "slot" them for performance order.
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So is the Blue Devils design staff incapable or unwilling to do anything subtile and finessed? Seems like we get beast mode only from them these days.
Huh? You're not being serious here, right? Sarcasm doesn't come across well in forums.
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I think it's so funny that people are all worried because of the scores. How anyone could not "assume" BD is out front right now is beyond me. In this day and age, they are just too good (across the board) to not be in the running, much less in the lead.
Wishful thinking by some.
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BD is hauling a$$ this year.
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Did Mandarins buy the Blue Devils poles from Re-Write of Spring?
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It is times like these that I am glad the Blue Devils wait until May to announce. Why? Because drum corps season is only a month away. Can you imagine seeing this announcement in February and having to wait FOREVER to actually see/hear it?
Need help with BD Chop and Paste, Walk and Stand approach to design
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
Feel free to go to blue devils.org and look at their rehearsal schedule this year. It will be very educating.