shorty

Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!

Game on! Bring it!

Why don't all of you dinosaurs just get over yourselves? The people who are actually PARTICIPATING in the activity rather than just posting on DCP want this. The change will correct and adjust itself for utilization. Most baritone players are trombonists by nature. Oh, how awful it would be to have a section of them show us what they could REALLY do! Same with French Horn players who switch to mellophone. Oh no! We might actually hear what these talented individuals can give us on their NATURAL instruments? Puh-lease! We are a niche activity with niche fan base that changes very little over time. And if you claim that THIS will keep you away, you are not fans in the first place. Be a fan of the kids. It is not about the instruments, the rules, the judging system, the electronics, or anything else. It has always been and always will be about the kids!

I marched in the Garfield Cadets, have taught The Cadets, Troopers, Star of Indiana, Crossmen, and Jersey Surf. But my favorite drum corps of all time is the 1978 Bridgemen! Just the essence of what drum corps should be, not about score, not about placement, all about laying it out there and sharing the love of what they did with the audience! Yes... I am getting old!

I love this thread!

If you only knew how much Donnie HATES all of this kind of attention....

Ok everyone, I have responded to this before but here we go again. "Breathe-Dah" is the stepping off point for the Van Doren school of brass playing and all of its off shoots, not the engine that drives it. It is the fundamental start of the musical phrase that enables easy troubleshooting of breathing, timing, articulation and a number of aspects playing in the drum corps setting. It is as fundamental as a football team moving together at the snap of the ball but that is not the only thing that occurs in a football play. It simply enables everyone to start on the same page. I think that the reason that Donnie and this "breathe-dah" thingy have become so inextricably linked is that those who have played in the lines with whom Donnie has worked have that phrase etched on the inside of their eyelids and eardrums because he is absolutely RELENTLESS about attention to detail regarding the fundamentals. While it is true that I could probably retire were I to have received a dollar for every time I heard it or said "breathe-dah" during my time as a performer or instructor for Donnie, to reduced his methodology and approach to that catch phrase is to really miss the point of what he and his charges were attempting to accomplish. I am reasonably sure that anyone who played with the Garfield Cadets, Star of Indiana, or Carolina Crown would agree that a lot more went into securing their brass championships than "breathe-dah". Stay thirsty my friends, Shorty

Wow! Ignorance on display. I cannot even think of an appropriate response to this kind of elitist BS.

Well said, old friend!

I love the fact that after all these years there is a significant amount of respect being exchanged over two GREAT brass sections. Too often the posts on DCP become contentious and petty over who beat whom. I have been involved in drum corps for over thirty years now and I am constantly amazed at the quality of so many groups that achieve excellence year in and year out. Perhaps it would do us all well to take a step back and say "Man the corps were good this year!" Yes, it is a competitive activity, but if we put that all aside and just marvel at the achievements of the young people who carry on the tradition of the corps we marched in so many years ago, we should just stand and applaud in awe in response to the performances that they share with us each August. Maybe I am just an old fart but I really enjoyed my experience in Indy this year.

How do you figure that one? Garfield had won brass in 83 and were defending champions. What? Garfield tied BD because they went on second from the end? (Just poking you a bit. That was a great battle!)

Bentley, you are asking for trouble! I have personally seen the effects of invoking the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing on MANY occasions.

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Nothing but positive thoughts for you Primo! You inspire all of us by fighting the fight that no one should ever have to. But you do so with class and graciousness and never a hint of bitterness. Would that I could do the same if faced with what you have to deal with. Shorty

Legend? Wow. I am honored. I am just a guy who has fun teaching kids to do things they did not know the could do.

(How many "Shortys" do you know that MIGHT have their interest piqued by this subject? ) Actually, just as a point of historical and technical perspective, what is now referred to as "Breathe-Dah" technique was originally simply a means by which we could get 64 brass players from disparate backgrounds and schools of thought to have a common point from which to begin. Yes, the technique is simple in concept but once mastered it provides invaluable as a "trouble shooting" tool for any manner of error or inconsistency especially with regard to timing or articulation. And yes, it IS especially useful in teaching young or inexperienced ensembles to play well but that should not preclude its use or application to more mature or more talented ensembles. My experience with all levels of brass ensembles tells me that sometimes, the seemingly simplest approach will provide the best results.

I find this discussion to be tremendously funny.