Howdy

Why be in wc? Again because wc corps receive money from DCI (I think including a $50,000.00 bonus each year ), while open class corps do not.

Re: Please, whoever you are (Jeffrey??) , call me Mikey or Michael. Pio changed a lot of their staff (many of the new staff I am not very familiar with) this year, and so far they have dropped in numbers, and in scoring about 10 points. Only time will tell if on the field Pioneer will continue with this 10 point spread from their scores from last year. I wish Pioneer well.

Because wc corps make more money. ___ "because if they have a plan now...it isn't working" Re: I tried to tell Roman this several times in 2008. Roman wasn't listening...Roman thinks that his ideas ARE working. They are not working. Although I love Roman like a father, I think it is time that Roman allow his son to be in charge of the competitive side of the drumcorps. The kids do NOT like the "nazi hats". In my opinion Roman has hired the wrong staff. In my opinion Pioneer travels too many miles, and their buses and semi trucks and trailers are not properly maintained. In my opinion Roman has spent Pio money on things that he should not have (example an expensive gravemarker for former Pio unis). ___ Claiming to be "better every day" is not the same thing as actually being better every day. To become a winning corps, Pioneer will have to stop doing what clearly is not working , and start doing the things that winning wc drumcorps do. ___ Pretending that show sponsors are wanting to PAY wc show fees to a drumcorps with 16-20 horns is nieve. ___ "Magic had a small hornline in 96 that packed a punch" Re: Magic had 36 horns who were all strong players. Pio in 2011 has 16-20 horns ( a friend who went to their first show told me they had 16 on the field) , but even if Pio has 20 horns of average strength players, comparing them to Magic 's 1996 hornline in my opinion would not make Pioneer look very favorable.

Re: Again, I am just wondering if its true, but the numbers that I heard for Pioneer last night were 16 horns, 12 guard and 18 drums (battery) + 6 in the pit, or for a total of 52. Does anyone know if these numbers are real?

That might be true, but when oc corps go to wc judges and sheets, their #'s tend to go down not up.

Steve: So true, apples to oranges.

Last night Pioneer scored a 50.90 , and at a different show Music City scored a 47.60. I am just wondering if its true, but the numbers that I heard for Pioneer last night were 16 horns, 12 guard and 18 drums. Does anyone know if these numbers are real? So much for bigger = better scores.

In DCI being larger does not guarantee a corps greater scores. Many times larger corps have been beaten by smaller corps. As a matter of fact, if memory serves me right, Magic of Orlando once even made finals with just 35 horns. I am not saying that Pio won't be beaten by any open class corps this summer , but to say that Pio will be beaten by an oc corps with no history of ever beating a wc corps before just because they are larger, is perhaps a bit of a streach.(not saying it could not happen).

I agree Kanstul Contras are fantastic.

Those Ultratone p/r baritones are sweet, with one of the finest core sound of any baritone. I love the Ultratone p/r mellophones as well.

Be careful when cleaning and buffing some of those DEG contas. One time (1993) when I was cleaning some of Spirit's Deg contras I had to take great care not to rub off their silver finish.

Smith had some really nice baritones, and some not so great contras.

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Please refrain from these personal attacks. These personal attacks are clearly against the DCP forum rules.

It does take students some time to ajust to the g bugles, usually about 10 minutes. I am glad to see G bugles back, and Kanstuls are great horns (I play one).

OT: Ouch they really beat us up tonight.

That is what I was wondering. Adam, why not 8 snares, 2 tenors, 5 bass and 8 cymbals? I am not a drummer, I am only married to one, but this set up seems more "normal". Good luck Pio!

I really miss the DCI marching french horns. Back in the day many corps had different parts for the mellos and marching f horns. Listen to vintage (78-82) Spirit of Atlanta french horns. Simply amazing.

Here are some great helps: Buy an Arbans or similar (Williams) book and practice from it regularly. Learn all of your scales, major , minor, chromatic. Warm up (and down) each day, warm up slow, low, soft and gentle and build up volume and range gradually. Warm down daily gradually playing lower, softer, gentler. Do lip slurs daily. Use a metranome when you practice. Never stop and re-start a piece when you practice, push thru the piece of music no matter what, and if needed, practice the song over and over until you master it. Practice sightreading, advance carefully. Solid ear training is a must. Learn music theory. Practice right, no goofing off. Practice 5-6 days a week if you can at least an hr a day. Get a good private instructor. Learn to play the piano well. Perform, perform, perform as much as you can. Record yourself and listen, improve. Get the right equipment. For your first pro Bb trumpet imho a safe bet is a .460 step bore Lawler c7 or a Lawler.460 straight bore with a 1a leadpipe(the legit trumpet that I use). A Calicchio 1s7 (Chuck Mangiones fav tmpt)is also a very wise pick for a trumpet. If you must, get a pro Bach strad. For you legit types the Yamaha Xeno Chicago Symphony is superb, as is the Lawler model T. If you are rich and want a legit trumpet, get a Blackburn. For those of you who want a large bore pro trumpet, I love and use the Calicchio 3/9 lb and the Flip Oakes Wild Thing. If you want a great trumpet but are poor, look for a good used vintage King Master or King Super 20(make sure the valves are not too warn). For mp in DCI for 2nds and 3rds a safe bet is a Bach 3c mouthpiece. ______ Be realistic. If you play something like 2nd or 3rd trumpet in your hs ,are an ave player for your age, and are 15 or so years old with one or two years marching experience, trying out for a top 12 DCI corps might be very unwise. Why not get a few years experience with an open class corps or with a 20th place or lower wc drumcorps first.

Most DCI trumpet techs are looking (some even require) for trumpet players who can play on a 3C. If you can afford one, a Flip Oakes Wild Thing # 3 is about as good of a 3c trumpet mouthpiece as there is. It is in my opinion just a little bit tougher to play on than a Bach 3c or a CKB 3c. The Flip Oakes # 3 will imho give you a deeper, richer, warmer sound than the Bach 3c. If the 3c is just too large for you to handle, try to see if you can get away with using a 5c or FOWT # 5. For lead trumpet players, the requirements of the horn book varies greatly from corps to corps. I have seen top 12 DCI wc corps who rarely if at all play above a g, and other DCI top 12 wc corps who have players who regularly play super c's. What trumpet mp leads can use will also vary from corps to corps, so by all means be sure to ASK your trumpet tech and brass cap head what you are allowed to play on before you make a potential $125.00 or more mistake. Some leads love mps like the Schilke 13a4a or 14a4a. Others like mps like a Bach 10 1/2 c or the Allen Vizzutti or Severinsen med cup jet tone mp. You really need to first ask to find out what you are allowed to play, and then thru trial and error find out what works best for you. Jim Ott once said that a good wall is the best brass teacher. Jim was talking about listening to yourself play. I highly recommend once you know what you are allowed to play that you use your corps horn to record yourself and listen to how each mouthpiece sounds. You will be asked to play a lot, for hours and hours at a time, almost all days on tour. Thus if you have a trumpet mp that is too large your endurance will be poor. Focus on comfort and tone. Beware of crappy cheater mouthpieces that will make your trumpet tech pull his hair out when he/she hears you play. Hope this helps.

These comments are directed twards newer horns that are being used in DCI. King has the very best sounding contras/marching tubas, but they are very difficult to carry, especially for some younger students. Yamaha by far has the best mellos, with Kanstul in second. I do not have a whole lot of experience with baris but the best seems to be Yamaha and Kanstul. I have experience with King Ult baris and they are in my opinion nice but just a tad stuffy. The best trumpet out there for DCI in my opinion, but to my knowledge are not being used, are the Flip Oakes Wild Thing Bb trumpets made by Kanstul. These FOWT trumpets are, in my opinion a million times better in every way than the trumpets corps are currently using. In my opinion King Ultimate trumpets are great for 2nds and thirds, but way to stuffy for lead.

The Madison Scout's hornlines sound awesome, 10 , 20, 30 years ago, and today. Great news! I just saw today that Scott Steward (Nashville) will be on the Madison Scout's Brass Staff (trumpet tech). If you are an exceptional lead trumpet player and are looking for a fantastic place to march this summer, Madison is a great place for you. I highly recommend them

The Legends one piece Dr. Michael E. Schmidt Signature Model Heavyweight Trumpet Mouthpieces are now in stock. They are $125.00 each. These are the very best trumpet mouthpieces that have ever been made. They are extremely efficient. You can play all day on them without ever getting tired chops, and your trumpet tone is superb , nice and full. High notes are a dream and low notes are fat. These trumpet mouthpieces were specially designed by former brass player of the Spirit of Atlanta and North Star drum and bugle corps for D.C.I. lead trumpet players. Disclaimer. I am not selling these mouthpieces to make money, I have not made any money from selling Legends one piece trumpet mouthpieces or trumpet tops. I designed these trumpet mouthpieces because as a former D.C.I. brass tech I saw too many D.C.I. lead trumpet players using cheater trumpet mouthpieces that in my opinion were all wrong, that were in my opinion (and the opinion of many D.C.I. judges that I spoke to in critique) were causing the trumpet player to play with poor tone. As a former member of three different D.C.I. drum and bugle corps I know how demanding a lead trumpet book can be. I also know that D.C.I. horn players often play longer hours in a day than just about any other horn players. This can be very tough on your chops. The larger the trumpet mouthpiece that you play on, the harder it is to play for a long time, and the harder it is to play high notes. The smaller a trumpet mouthpiece is the better a trumpet players range and endurance, but the harder it is to play with great tone. This leaves DCI lead trumpeter in a tough spot, because they need to have extreme range and volume , but they also have to have great tone, all while playing and running. This trumpet mouthpiece will be easy on your chops. It will be comfortable, even when you only have fractions of a second to properly place to your lips. Like any trumpet mouthpiece, there is no one size fits all trumpet mouthpiece out there. This trumpet mouthpiece is not for everyone, but I know that for many this is the comfortable mp that will give you great range, projection all with a trumpet tone to impress your techs, brass caps, fans and judges. Legends One Piece - Legends Mouthpieces http://www.legendsmpc.com Dr. Michael E. Schmidt is a USSBA marching band judge. Michael is a former brass tech for Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps where he taught for bugler hall of famer and popular brass arranger Donny Allen.

You have that right Michael, Dave Bryan is one superb, kind, caring, wise and awesome individual.