BG984

There have been many discussions about the incredible feat that the 1977 Oakland Crusaders did.........winning high percussion in a romp at DCI prelims, but the corps did not make finals....15th............... However, not too many people know about ehe 1979 Offensive Lions drumline. They were quite good, and routinely beat DCI finalists in drums. It actually started in 1978. A respectable 18th overall at DCI prelims. However, they were 11th in drums, and 9th in GE. They continued to be strong in percussion in 1979. At the DCI Canada prelims, they won high drums, beating Phantom, Bayonne, Guardsmen, Cavaliers, and 27th in the caption. The corps would come in 15th at DCI prelims, but again finished as a top 12 drumline (12th). Sadly, the 1980 season they slipped competitively, and that was it. We competed against them in 1979, and I remember being fascinated when I saw them, as I believe they had 8 bass drums.....maybe the largest bass line ever.........

I think that the Troopers, after some cleaning, will be in solid..........in fact, I think there is a decent chance that Cavaliers will drop a few spots to 11th. I think the battle for the 12th spot will be fierce, and will be between Madison, Blue Knights, and Crossmen. At this point, my money is on Madison. I don't think anyone below (Pacific Crest, Spirit, Academy) will threaten.

Way back in 1978, my 2nd year marching in the Crossmen, we had very long red capes, white inside......they were made for each individual, so literally touched the top of your shoes, just high enough to not trip, and not drag on the ground. (I re-joined the corps after the season started in 1978....replacing someone....he was slightly taller than me, and I tripped but did not go down a few times during the season). When the corps moved backfield, the effect was fantastic, as it looked as if the corps was "floating/hovering" on the field. But the field visual judges hated them, and openly complained. They got theit way, and when the corps came out the next year, the capes had been shortened....still good looking, but not the same.

a Houston review........... I didn't make it home in time to see the Guardians, so no review there....sorry..... General: I felt that EVERYONE was better than the last time I heard/saw them, and they are putting in work. Some things that were barely readable and also very sloppy musically just 2 weeks ago are now significantly better....I enjoyed this show much more than last night. Blue Stars: This show is well-written. Brass demand is up from last year. Musically, I felt that the corps was pretty solid tonight....visual worked fine for me as well (though I confess it is not what I focus on....I am a music guy)...I did like the lock into the star at the end. Colts: also solid tonight. although they still struggle at times getting to the ends of phrases, they are getting there on that. I felt that it was a solid musical performance overall, with an enjoyable book. Cavaliers. They have improved, taking some of the solos/lead trumpet notes out. They need to continue to analyze that, especially the quartet, and trombone glissandos on big impacts....for me, very unmusical. That said, they do have moments where the brass ensemble sounds decent and has improved..but they are still inconsistent....it was evident that Stars and Colts were significantly better here....the score/numbers are a mystery.....if I were to look at the crowd, I would say that they were 7th in audience engagement tonight(which is on the GE sheet), yet they finished 5th in the caption. Unless they make some serious fixes to elevate musical performance (and time is running out), I feel the possibility of them slipping behind several corps is a very real possibility Mandarins...........the show is enjoyable, and has grown on me a bit.............they have huge impacts...the first one, with the doors swinging down, is great...........for their ending, it may be cool to do what they are doing, but move the props to the front....just a thought..........I don't feel that they have the musical book or performance level in brass and percussion to get to where they want to.......still, this show will go over well............ Bluecoats.........I am in the minority, but for me, the show is built around "gimmicks"....the isolated repeated chord at the beginning........and the reprise of said chord at the end.......I guess it works for some, but not me..............they have some brass demand, but not anywhere close to that of Crown or Devils........there is a nice full brass hit on a chord that spans the full 100 yds...............the drumline is good, and exposed, but not nearly as good as the number given.......I think DCI has already called them as champions, no matter what anyone else does between now and Indy.....or in Indy........ Crown.....................the brass line is phenomenal........and how they are not winning that caption...solidly.....is a huge mystery.........even with superior demand, they are tighter than anyone, yet are not being credited....sad. Percussion has a ways to go......they do have the necessary demand there, and plenty of room to clean.........the ending sounds "abrupt/makeshift", which I believe is...........so there is growth in effect to be had....the current end just leaves the crowd wanting a resolution that doesn't happen.......however, if they have something grand to put on there, I don't know if I would wait too long................they (the brass) play with great quality of sound....I do think that they have the horses to "open it up" in places, and I think they will. Personally, they are the biggest variable.........if they tag on a special ending, and they nail it in all captions (especially needing the percussion to get there), they could be dangerous in Indy, as nobody is close in brass and overall musical package, IMO. Blue Devils.............drumline is super exposed. That said, I felt that there was alot of dirt (especially snares....tenors were pretty solid for now.....bass drum feature right off the bat isn't good (and hasn't been)........the dirt mentioned didn't show in the score.....I would take out the opening bass drum feature and just let the brass hit be the true first note...unexpected, and more effective. I felt that they had a solid brass sound which they maintain pretty well throughout the show......they are great with impact, and some fine lead trumpets which really helps them max out. I had them 2nd in brass, to Crown. They have some strange transitions...example, they have a well-played 3/8 section that goes over well....one phrase....then it's almost as if they "make fun of themselves", with a piccolo trumpet (who plays decently) but over some very raspy Tuba work..........I know it's "intentional", but I don't get why..........The ending of the show just sits there and doesn't really make it, for me, or the audience..........they have the horses and the time to make a change there.......they will perform in Indy, but can they tweak the show to totally sell it, especially the end?? Time will tell..... My scores (and I'm sorry, but the numbers given by the judges are way too high in relation to the performance given, 3 weeks and a day before finals.......... Cavs 77.2 Colts 80.0 Blue Stars 80.7 Mandarins 82.0 Bluecoats 84.6 Crown 85.2 Blue Devils 86.2 Tomorrow will be the first showdown with everyone there, so it will be interesting........I don't like domes/indoor stadiums for drum corps (fine for visual, awful for sound) , and it will be interesting, seeing that it will be the first time inside for everyone as well.

I believe that others have attacked you here regarding your statements, but there is one point that you make which is true..............the length of time that the brass ensembles are playing is quite low compared to the past, and this number has continued to dwindle over the years. Is it "endurance"? No, I don't think so. I believe that the "style" of presentations these days, emphasizing guard work, visual, etc. comes from folks heavily influenced by WGI.....both guard and percussion. In my opinion, this has caused problems with musical development. There are times today when you have a soloist or a few horns play for nearly a minute or more, and the only accompaniment is pit. Percussion sections are playing VERY long segments with the hornline taceting. Also, when they are playing, it is not unusual for them to hold the closing chord of a phrase for an inordinate (and musically unnecessary) amount of time. If I travel back some decades, in a 13.5 minute show, maybe you had maybe a one-minute percussion features/solo, and perhaps a few solo "breaks" within pieces. When you had a horn solo, perhaps another segment of the hornline was playing chodal support behind them; it was rare that they were alone, or with just keyboard percussion. Now, it's the norm. So, the average brass playing (10 or more horns) was usually at least 9 to 11.5 minutes. There are many major corps who now play for half of that time..........IMO, not enough time for great musical development. Way back in the day, there was a "minimum time in motion", and it was timed, and you would be penalized if you were not in motion the minimum required time. I don't know if the corps care anymore, but a minimum time for ensemble brass playing (wording this would be tricky, because it would have to worded in a fair way for all size hornlines) could be considered....it could easily be done by an intern in the stands or on the track....my guess is that current trends continue, and brass lines will play for even less time than they are now.

I watched (FLO) everyone except Cavaliers......high quality system with Sony Headphones.............I felt that the brass and analysis judging was laughable.........Crown's brass??? NOBODY CLOSE.......better blend, better intonation, tighter articulations, better technique, better tone quality....every aspect. On analysis, the percussion still needs to refine their performance, but percussion also fits the brass very well for the most part. I agree that the corps is not "selling" the product as well as it needs to be....yet......(and thus the effect score) .but they have dominated the brass caption for a long time now..........probably have won the caption around 95% of all contests for many years now.........9 first places in brass at finals....but only one DCI title.........yet I won't be surprised at all if we have a corps that is 4th or even 5th in overall music win the title......and that's sad.......... Some other reflections.............BD's show seems super choppy to me, and the show is not selling. Percussion has more dirt than what is showing on the sheets..........especially snares........the hornline has a full sound, though I think they lose pitch and quality at times with some overblowing............... Boston's battery played well, thus I get the percussion win. Still, it seems like too much is "on them", and I find the writing to be just too many notes and thus not musical in many sections (ditto with the pit, and the pit isn't all that accurate because of it....however, that is rarely discredited). They are still struggling with some of their exposed brass passages, though I will say it is demanding. Sounds like they did some significant changes musically in the last minute or so......it's better, but I don't know..........not sure if they will be able to play well enough next month, and the music doesn't take it over the top........... Sorry, but Bluecoats show comes across as one big "gimmick" to me....the isolated same chords at the beginning, complete with ending reprise.........seems "trivial" to me, though it looks like judges and many fans dig it. Many isolated brass articulation/timing issues tonight, but it didn't show up at all on the score sheets. It is very obvious that the judging community is completely enamored with this show, and unless they lay an egg, will win the championship as a result. Phantom: they have improved much since the start of the season. For me, the jazz-rock production number is quite a highlight, and the two soloists smoke.....that will bring the house down in Indy. Also, they sold the ending tonight big time, and the crowd ate it up. I am not arguing their placement, but I think that they should be just on the verge of being in the game with the others in front of them, and especially in GE. Mandarins..........they have big impacts.....for me, the opening with the doors opening for the brass is actually the highlight of their show.........they do not play (brass and percussion) at the same level as those in front of them, and I do think that will haunt them a bit next month.........I enjoy some of it, but find a fairly big lull in the middle........ GE wiith few exceptions, will call the complete order of finish in all of the big shows............yet is certainly the most subjective caption..........

Returning members is nearly always a good thing. However, attracting talent is just as important. Also, with the costs to march anywhere now being quite high, there are going to be many who only march one season, some who march 2, far fewer who march 3, and 4 or more years will be an extremely small group of individuals.........

Agreed about the piccolo trumpet.............when the player struggles, or it is not in tune, you have a problem (though as long as that is not reflected in the score, they will continue to overuse them.........

In regards to your tuner comment..............Until a hornline gets from wherever they assembled/warmed up to being on the field ready to play the first note is usually between 30-60 minutes. Professional performers check their tuning just before performing....sometimes right on stage.....also, in drum corps, temperatures will cause challenging tuning issues........when they are in Texas, they may warmup in temps well over 100 degrees....then march into a 75 degree dome.......however, the horn itself may still be quite warm........I remember not many years ago, and the intonation at one of the big Texas regionals with everyone there, was HORRIBLE. I will say in recent years it has been better. My second year marching, on championship night in Denver, it had been in the mid 90's during the afternoon rehearsal. When we kicked off at Mile High Stadium, it was 54 degrees out. Our brass instructor did not re-tune the brass line. Not good, and it was probably their worst brass sound/performance of the tour (which showed up on the score sheets, too). In Montreal in 1982, there was a huge temp drop that night.......I individually re-tuned all 64 horns of our corps.....it paid off..........I'm not opposed to trombones being used, but the approach to the way many performers use the slide I find to be very unmusical.....but I know that some like it..............

Some years ago, a major corps (that I will leave nameless) added a sort of "encore tag" to their prelim show in order to somehow "save" it and get points.......I was on the 50 yard line.....before they started, a recent alum of that corps took the seat next to me (that he didn't have a ticket for), and when this group came on, he yelled and screamed for everything, rather obnoxiously. I was planning a food/pit stop immediately after this corps. Right when they broke into their "tag", I got up to quickly head for the exit, and had to go by him. He looks at me, disturbed, and says, "they're not done yet", I smirk at him and say, "yes they are"................and proceed to the exit...........he was gone when I came back........

It kind of reminds me of a "new chef". The chef is assigned to make "soup". They decide that they are going to make the most outrageous soup ever produced. It takes them 2 hours to just lay out the 125 ingredients they are placing into the soup. They even write down, in detail, every ingredient used, and how much. The ingredients are carefully placed in the large pan, and the soup is heated and prepared, stirred carefully. The older chef walks in, and will also be preparing soup, as a "standard" choice. The chef carefully puts in the 6 exact ingredients, (after briefly checking their quality), makes sure he uses just the right amount of each, then heats and stirs the soup. The soups are served. The first chef gives a "created name" for his "masterpiece", and it is placed on the menu. The second chef's soup is listed on the menu the same as it has been for the last 20 years. Some customers are visibly upset over the taste of soup A....sending it back, or asking for the "second soup". Not one customer has complemented the soup.....some just took a spoonful or two, and then pushed it to the side. Nobody returned the second soup, there were some compliments, and some were overheard to say, "always good"........ The new chef is told that this particular soup will never be made or served in that restaurant again, and to clear anything new by management first in the future.

The first item listed for consideration on the top of the GE sheet is "audience engagement". However, you would be correct that there are those judging who consider that just a little, or even not at all. "Same pieces regurgitated".....there is tons of great material that hasn't been played....not even once..........I know you hate it, but melody is an element of music, the last time that I checked........

"That's all been done" ????? You also state, "no artist wants to repeat what other people have done"...........yet that is exactly what is happening now in drum corps........copying "runs", visual moves, etc.........almost like it is some sort of "check list"..........there's nothing even remotely "original" about that, and the "artistic" aspect is questionable as well. There is a contending corps....that very well might even win........that opens their show with a single isolated, "punched" major chord......it is repeated....then repeated..........it also happens at the end of their show............maybe compare that to this piece by Tchaikovsky, which has never been attempted by a drum corps........compare it to that "major chord" show.....I'll wait..............if you prefer the "major chord" repeated over and over again, to each his own..........

To say that melody is "lost" as a means of musical expression is ridiculous (yeah, I know, I only have my MM...not my doctorate, plus I am a "dinosaur" that actually appreciates melody, brilliantly composed one's especially, with perfect harmonic structure underneath). Stravinsky used 5 notes to write the melody to the Firebird Finale, and I think he did a pretty good job.....I guess it bores others now??? Interesting. In contrast to what you are saying.......Symphony Orchestras around the world.......are they playing mainly "world premieres" of experimental "20th century" music, or are they playing Tchaikovsky and Beethoven a bit more than that?? If they were playing what you are promoting, they would all be bankrupt due to the empty seats. I am not saying that there is not room for the "promising ways forward' that you emphasize, to imply that they are the "big, popular thing" is questionable. I agree that well-crafted melodies have become pretty absent from popular music, movies, and other genres. However, I also believe it is one of the reasons that much of this music will be largely forgotten in the future. I wasn't around during my parent's generation, but I appreciate the many well-crafted songs of their era, and enjoy discovering them, playing them and exploring them to this day. Yeah, there is personal taste involved, but I don't really enjoy trying to play the piano works of Alexander Scriabin, but I know that there are folks that do, and that's ok.......also, I took Advanced Composition in my graduate program, and I was not restricted on what I could write........and my professor was very much into just about every experimental style imaginable)......he appreciated my "boring" style of work enough that I aced it, and he was not one to just hand out rewards............

Me, too.............I think I would bet a C note right now that a corps that isn't even in their league musically beats them.....I think SCV should put a 2' x 2' x 2' box, placed by one adult, in the rear left corner of the field....wait until prelims to do this, though......just inbounds......as the corps unleashes in a furious manner in the last minute of the show, suddenly a lone trumpet runs out of form and starts running for that corner, jumps on the box, and after the corps releases their big note and the crowd is on their feet, the "soloist" plays one single note, miked, and salutes the crowd........he could also push a lever which releases a small banner on the front of the box that says....."see.....prop.....here." The crowd would go nuts............