Tapper7

thank you all for the kind words about my dear friend and teacher. a v0 obit is ready for release ... it contains an artistic discussion, some anecdotes and a touch of magic. the featured image is a portrait I scanned in and retouched about a year ago...He's in profile, reviewing 97's Finals Retreat. It was the happiest I ever saw him, I entitled the portrait "Satisfaction on Saturday Night." It was also the happiest night of my life thus far ... largely thanks to him. Enjoy. http://tapper7.com/rip-myron-rosander/ im compiling a special memorial page for him - it will be [mysite]/LoveForMyron - the above article contains instructions on how you can contribute to this page - the only requirement to participate is that you share in the love so many of carry for perhaps the greatest drill designer and viz caption head to ever grace the field of honor. love to all and happy holidays, -tap

Thx for the info - back at ya' ----when he was just 15 yrs old, Scott Steward was The Freelancer's Featured Soprano Soloist - ez to find on YT - check it out. *edit* --10/15 I know for a fact that Steward marched 1990 Freelancers, 1993 & 95 Concord and That he played Mellophone in The Magic Kingdom Korps in 1996. After figuring out the one-letter spelling error to his name (D not T!!!) - I was able to connect w/ him on FB. I told him I was huge fan - like all those guys, he is ever humble, ever gracious and loves to rap about drum corps. The bari soloist (I'm fairly certain) in 94 is Jim Rogers. He is one of the few to be a solo sop & solo Bari in the same jr. corps. A classy dude and equally as chill to have a cold one with (and humble and beyond talented....) It EZ for me to verify but I'm in ultimate lazy mode - Jim marched lead sop/solo 93 and lead Big Bore/soloist 1994, and I think he came up thru the Concord sop line (~1991). As for "who does that?" -- I found that even in drum corps the Big Bores get shorted on solo/small ensemble parts, even sustained melodic lines, though your avg. B1/Up Ld/Solo part is going to beat any MB arr for tbn, euph, or barry and most Jazz tbn. parts. Sometimes that's the best way to get a solo or a slot in a small ens. Figure out what you plan to play, just break off from the drill and play it. In jr. corp you are risking getting your head chopped off, but if you go up their with cojones and p0wn a solo, the staff may just say, "hmmm...I like that. "Ok - baritone solo is in at letter X." woohoo!

Here are some of the answers I located (over time) on my own: 1. The BD Baritone soloist whose name I was seeking is Jim Rogers. He is one of the few to've been a Soprano AND Baritone soloist for Concord. I had the privilege of meeting him this past summer. 2. The multi-talented, multi-corps-marched, multi-bugles-played horn tech I spoke of is Bill Varju. He is one of the few men to "march the West Coast Cycle" that is, he marched VK, Freelancers, BD AND SCV (Notable - he played a diff bugle in all of these corps!) also notable in a related and equally rare category is Tim Meehan. No one else is known to have run a three-corps-west-coast-soprano-solo-cycle .... that is, he marched VK/SCV/BD....and was utilized as an upper ld/soloist in ALL THREE CORPS. 3. The BD Soprano Soloist from 93 & 95 was difficult for me to find because I spelled his name wrong. "Scott Steward" <----with a D. 4. The gentleman Soprano Soloist who began at VK, moved up to Freelancers, BD, then chose to age-out where he started ... with VK in 1996... his name is Marty JoBasset.

I stand pseudo-corrected (since I qualified my post "they should still be in G"). If you're gonna switch to Bb, Yamaha is pretty good choice. I look fwd to seeing what the Govies have done with it. thx for the update McLovin,..so sweet!

The Governaires should still be in G. I've never marched in a Bb line...but I did gank a sweet King 3v in Bb for senior year of HS....1st yr of college I had a huge halftime feature so I used my old student-grade holton tbn. for improv on "What is Hip" ...in Bb I have to admit there is more room for style AND volume on a tbn. We proved that in 2014.

Miss my big bro and Large Bore dueling partner....thx for posting; listen to Doug "Pooh Bear" Kenyon's outstanding solo work on the 81 Concord Finals recording....or pretty much any DCA year - field and/or I & E solo. if you don't own the "Through the Years" recordings you can download the 81 show for a small donation at bluedevils.org/mediabox. 9yrs old or 99 I promise you will dig this classic show and it's legendary Barry soloist.

Contact Kanstul Musical Instruments, Inc. Fullerton, CA. They probably have what you need lying on a table somewhere.

If you play tpt: Bach CG3 If you play Mellophone: Bach 1 1/2 the idea is to move to a darker, deeper mouthpiece than say the 1C ...this trains your chops to project volume and access the upper register, w/o blowing sharp or popping out of the ensemble sound. The one I listed above + whatever the Yamaha equivalent is of those two & yer all good. I prefer gold-coating if you can afford it or have a generous sponsor who will get you one, other that I don't use any bells & whistles like weird materials or long "supertone" cups or shallow cups....they will handicap you in the long run. This is personal preference but I don't care much for Marcinkoweicz. King, Jupiter, Getzen & Kanstul also make equivalent/acceptable sizes for a 17 yr old wanting to step up his game. (I'm not sure the size #s' though).

The fingerings are identical if you are playing "Bb treble" or "Concert C Bass Clef" it's your EAR that's prob. messing you up. An old 2v deg is gonna be in G, so you need to learn to think a minor 3rd DOWN. That is-- an "open C" a concert Bb on a "concert" Euphonium comes out a concert G, so if you're thinking of a Bb and playing a G? --you'll frack everytime. Also being w/o a 3rd valve means ---> You can't play Gb (concert F) --- 3rd & 6th partial. nor can you play Db, C, B on the 2nd partial or anything below a G (1 & 2) on the 1st & pedal. Don't bother with the false partial between the 5th & 6th it is WAY SHARP. That bugle doesn't have the "tune any note" kicker which I use to tune the 4th partial (tendency : flat) and 5th (tendency : sharp) so just tune as best you can on "open C/Bb." You only need to know 4 fingerings - open, 2, 1, 1&2 - your horn is best-suited to play a 2 or 3 octave concert C scale starting on middle C (Eb for you, "1", 2nd partial) ...also D, F and G - for your horn (in bass clef) that's written as an F, Ab and Bb - mid to upper-register octaves.

I have a wide range of exercises written by hand that I have yet to xfer to a digital format. I've been using the open-source MuseScore for this as an alternative to adobe audition. you can check out my Mixed Ensemble, Brass....I&E-type arrangements ....they let me post 5 at a time at no cost - here is "Salvation" for Sop1, 2, Middlehorn 1, 2, Bar 1, B2/Euph and Contra 1,2. ---->This arr. is optimized for playback so note that I didn't transpose anything - these are all for "voices in concert C" I'm working on a comprehensive warmup that includes everything ...long tones, slurs, articulation, Clarke studies (in F, G, A, B & C + all articulation inversions), some traditional Jazz etudes, a 16th note exercise that works intervals & fingers, octaves, arpeggios, pedals, "Close Encounters" - "Mars" "MI" 9er2, Ctuning, "F" tuning, the "shotgun" chord progression, "ha's" bends (up & dn), chorales .....basically the whole she-bang....if you marched on the West Coast you'll recognize all. If not there will be plenty of reh. marks for learning purposes. It should be done soon ....and I will post it for free on my site & MuseScore - this info was given to me gratis and therefore should be given to all students of all levels @same cost. EDIT - v0 DRAFT of "Extended Hornline Warmup" with plenty of solos to dig into is live. Ill try to knock out several more classic warmups in v1 of this....mainly octave and arpeggio jumps, Clarkes, the 16th note etude, a std. Jazz etude and whatevr else is stuck in my head. If you check out trumpetherald.com you will find lots of greedy spammers who will try to sell you this same thing. I posted [on that forum] that my intention was to combine & develop knowledge from school, private lessons, college, drum corps and my many gracious hornline caption heads & teachers into one method book - and that I would publish it online for free. This got me banned from that forum. heh..... I'll try to get those exercises and etudes up ASAP. BUY Arban's and Rochut's if you haven't. I'll post plenty o' modern stuff....which I assure you, you needn't pay for. I take requests for solo transcriptions and arrangements. In the meantime focus on more AIR less tongue repeat ad infinitum.

All the groups that have rings minus Crown.

Top 6 all switch to Bb w/ rule change by 2001. Most div1 corps upgrade to Bb by the time 1st-gen Bb "matched-sets" get sold off to make way for gen2's, 3's etc. By 2006 most of the SemiFinalist-level div I corps in Bb, w/ 1 traditional style hold-out - Pioneer. If memory serves - Pioneer was the last to mob it in G. 2008 or 2009. I miss G. Bb is theoretically 'more musical' but the gain in musicality doesn't outweigh the loss in LOUD. Wish students today could hear a Star, Rockford, Cadets, Crossmen, SCV or BD victory arc in G - 80s/90s style. Recordings can never do that sound justice.

".....girls rock ya' boys we get wild wild wild...." queue gtr. solo. Quiet Riot. Is that old? ####-- it was like 30 years ago...that should be in the rotation on the local rock station and MTV, oh wait those things gone too.... OnT: Tomorrow = AUGUST DRUM CORPS. CMON Canton, get some! get yer money! I'd not want to perform AFTER this ensemble if they don't headline Game Night; 'cuz no question BC does it up "Jerry Lee Lewis" style - this corps will leave the stadium ablaze..."Follow that!" Los Angeles drum corps hacks are nearly unanimous....The 2015 Canton BlueCoats Drum & Bugle Corps are poised to present the greatest show since the Bb switch in ~2000. If anycorps can REALLY sell the post-modern 3rd millenia-style corps to the children of the 70s/80s/90s....it is THIS CORPS. I mean $-on-the-table-no-need-to-finance-just-give-me-the-####-papers.... Sell me 'B-flat' and we'll move fwd from there. I want to buy. I'm not alone.

GO SANTA CLARA! (bump).

He's right ####'s gonna get REAL at Nats. You never know who has an ace in the hole. BC has a litany of hold-cards to play.

Me too. Except I was introduced to it on my 1st day of MB in HS, I fell in love with a VHS recording on the spot and said "IM DOING THIS." BC is simply bad-### - I respect. appreciate and promote the form of direction, growth and pure entertainment value I see growing in Canton w/ no signs of slowing down. All politics, design analysis and rumors aside....from a purely artistic standpoint few can completely comprehend what it takes to to bring a corps up to this level........AND keep it there. We saw SCV then BD accomplish and hold onto consistency and growth at DCI that is unmatched, then Garfield makes a come-up in the 80s. We've seen Rosemont be untouchable for years at at time, yet also slip down, even miss finals. Rockford also has this variability from year-to-year. Madison can go from being the best corps under the sun to the sidelines, then back up to the top, repeat, etc. this isn't a criticism of Rosemont or any other group, but to me it is scary when a corps slips out of Finals. In my experience as a left-coaster, slipping out of Finals leads to more slippage (financially it automatically does) and more slippage leads to a fold - We've observed this with The Kingsmen, The 27th Lancers, The Bridgemen, The Freelancers and The Velvet Knights. It's tragic when legends fade out...I'm excited to see BC & Crown rise up I hope it continues and that more corps find a way to make this happen. My hopes are that all existing perennial crowd pleasers with DEEP ROOTS and tradition (Including, but not limited - Concord, Santa Clara, Cadets, Rosemont, Rockford, Madison, Crown, Crossmen and Canton continue for 100s or 1000s of years after we're long gone and forgotten. My concern is that all corps eventually fold; that drum corps becomes a small exhibit at The Smithsonian or perhaps one paragraph in a US History textbook.This is a bit selfish on my part - coinciding with a natural wish for immortality or ...for some "aspect" of me to never be forgotten. Better - for this aspect of me to remain active for all time. I'm certain professional athletes feel the same way about their respective sports and teams. I was stoked when Crown won because when I marched, they were a perenial Semifinalist, but still a great corps with talented members and a cool staff. They've also sparked some momentum and proved that a "new" corps can win DCI. That means BC can win DCI. That means the drum corps activity is GROWING as a whole. That is GOOD NEWS to all of us. 2015 BC = MORE DRUM CORPS. MORE DRUM CORPS = MORE GOODER. therefore-GO BC! QED.

WORD. ^^^^This guy gets it....Peanut Butta Jelly Time Yo! POST# 420 Confirmed for hype.

Since when do we care what numbers get scribbled into boxes? Still...you go direct to political slam against adjudicators with abortion joke and implied conspiracy theories....you all up in that? for serious? See in drum corps we are taught to put on the best possible show for the people who pay $ to see us, maybe the judges will like it maybe not. If it's professional, the score will be adequately high at DCI so we can place numbers where they belong, separate from artistic expression and entertainment for the audience. Also insulting the adjudication community so flagrantly ....did you miss the day 1 class...about having class? Which corps did you get cut from? Angry much? EDIT : ok I get it....this joker has been banned before and just flame baiting. I'm not the guy that reports stuff but your style of prose won't last your new account very long on this site youngster.

Very nice with the back-handed ...compliment? I suppose I don't quite understant the angry soapbox emoticon. I'm showin love and support for a deserving drum corps, yes QUITE VOCALLY, but then...winky? So NOT a back-handed compliment? I guess that's why I use more words and less ambiguous images. Canton has a good hornline you agree? As for getting what Im smoking? You'll need to come out to LA....

Spot ON! There are parts of the midwest, northest and the south who live and die by their local drum corps. In many midwest towns the drum corps show is the biggest event of the entire year and everyone in town shows up. There are universities in the south where 20,000 people will oveflow the stadium and give the show an amazing rock n roll atmosphere, there are shows in the the northeast where the Local Elks Lodge will hold a ceremony in our honor, cook enough food to feed us for a week and make large donations, then they give speeches about drum corps where many of them break down and cry ...it's really touching. Then there are places like Southern California where I live ....if I asked 100 people at random "what is drum corps" I'd be surprised if 5 of them were even in the ballpark. We have no football team and no drum corps...it sucks!

Bridgemen, being one of the most beloved and entertaining drum corps of all time? No. I could never put them and the word "band" or bando or boa together. Don't think Rockford's love of classical implicates them anything band-related either, they just developed a tradition for it. They have a sweet DeBussy medley in their 2nd production this yr. If we equate innovation with band then they're ALL Bands, The definition of "vanguard" is "on the front lines" "the cutting edge" "first in" etc....it makes me nautious to even think of Santa Clara as a band. The whole reason Gail chose the name was express that "this corps intends to be on the forefront of innovation and design every year....literally ...at the vanguard of the drum corps activity."

The last time I saw Pioneer live, they had a massive hornline and were bad-###, so no. Pioneer is Drum Corps and opening with 61 is pretty good. Cracking 80 is huge accomplishment. and yes obviously Garfield is a Drum Corps they have been since like, the depression or something...."Achivement & Design" over-complicates the question. I don't factor in scores that much...I watched a Div I corps run marching basics in full uniform at a show, they broke 80 like last week, when I saw them 2 weeks ago.....so marching band 101, like 1st day of band-camp 8s & 8s, several were out of step and several halted on the wrong foot and missed the most simplistic horn viz - which is to come up to level on the move and back dn to attn. on the mark time. THAT is "clown shoes" my friend. Also why I shy away from the numbers, how this corps could possibly break 80 makes no sense. If Pioneer is breaking 80 then they are finally getting the love they deserve I always liked them.

No the key division is that drum corps in the 70s were extremely intense, entertaining, loud and shows were akin to rock concerts. Bands have always been a casual school activity with little rehearsal time, half the members just there for easy A and oh yeah 98 % of the time they are god-awful to listen to. Most practice fields, and all show fields, even in the 70s were painted or had lines worn into them. frequently fields aren't painted, there is fast technique going back to the 50s at least whereby two guys armed with a spray can, a yard stick and some twine can paint a field with all yard lines, hashes, a center X and more in about a half hour so whoever said that was clueless and just made up an answer. so- not a key difference therefore BOA's "major influence" would be a non sequitir

"Bando A term I use for people who look like a train-wreck when they march, or for anyone who doesn't have their shako low enough." synonym: A TICK. nice post - informative + lulz.