Cavaliers Technique Question

[cire]

you can hate on me all you want.. i dont really care.

at least i know how to march. and if you ask me to "decode" BDs marching style.. posture, etc.. I can. Every BD member can.. down to the smallest subdivision you might want. including every part of the body... on every count. someone mentioned how the Cadets are broken down.. BDs are just as much, if not more.

the video i made was just a fun video i made while bored at practice. (and yes there will be a part 2 which will be even better, "feature" more corps.. and be a lot funnier). its funny how people like to talk crap "oh he made the video so he must not know what hes talking about"

in the end.. technique doesnt matter. as long as everyone does it the same. if everyone out on the field looks the same, then it works for them.

cavies have horrible marching compared to other top corps. but they hit their dots and visually from the box, it works. watch them march up close individually. compare it individually to other corps... Cadets, SCV, BD, Phantom, etc.. i think you will see what i mean. go watch BD individually. you will see a defined technique.. no matter the tempo.

there was a time in DCI when judging was more about individuals.. remember something called the tick system? but in todays DCI.. that is long gone only remembered by the "old timers". that individual excellence in marching performance is not needed as much now. today is more about GE and gimmicks.

and the comment about black pants and black shoes do help.. same with green.. it helps hide dirt. thats something that you have to give credit to the Cadets. especially for sticking to tradition and keeping those leg stripes. it shows dirt.. and it shows it well.

a person that marched drum corps may not be able to explain their technique to someone. Anyone that marches in a decent drum corps should be able to explain the details of their technique. It doesn't matter which drum corps.

i agree with that 1000000000%

when you march every day during during summer (and winter) that technique and style should be ingrained into your head so once you are performing the show, you dont have to think about technique. it should come naturally. and if that technique has been properly taught, any member of that corps should be able to give you a detailed description of that technique.. without thinking about it.

why do i say what i say about the cavies style? because its true. is it bad? not necessarily.. its not the style i would choose or prefer.. but for them. it works. just the same as cadets with their rolling toes.. i dont like it (and yes ive had to do it before).. but i do know why they do it, and it works for them. the same with PC? and other corps who do weird things with their feet and knees like popping and kicking in/out.. (and yes ive had to teach it before).. i cant stand it.. but hey.. its their technique. it works for them.

[hate on]

[sobe]

Never marched with the Green Machine, but I believe that they use the most appropriate expression in Drum Corps : " FIGURE IT OUT ! ". :)

FIO

[sobe]

you can hate on me all you want.. i dont really care.

at least i know how to march. and if you ask me to "decode" BDs marching style.. posture, etc.. I can. Every BD member can.. down to the smallest subdivision you might want. including every part of the body... on every count. someone mentioned how the Cadets are broken down.. BDs are just as much, if not more.

the video i made was just a fun video i made while bored at practice. (and yes there will be a part 2 which will be even better, "feature" more corps.. and be a lot funnier). its funny how people like to talk crap "oh he made the video so he must not know what hes talking about"

in the end.. technique doesnt matter. as long as everyone does it the same. if everyone out on the field looks the same, then it works for them.

cavies have horrible marching compared to other top corps. but they hit their dots and visually from the box, it works. watch them march up close individually. compare it individually to other corps... Cadets, SCV, BD, Phantom, etc.. i think you will see what i mean. go watch BD individually. you will see a defined technique.. no matter the tempo.

there was a time in DCI when judging was more about individuals.. remember something called the tick system? but in todays DCI.. that is long gone only remembered by the "old timers". that individual excellence in marching performance is not needed as much now. today is more about GE and gimmicks.

and the comment about black pants and black shoes do help.. same with green.. it helps hide dirt. thats something that you have to give credit to the Cadets. especially for sticking to tradition and keeping those leg stripes. it shows dirt.. and it shows it well.

i agree with that 1000000000%

when you march every day during during summer (and winter) that technique and style should be ingrained into your head so once you are performing the show, you dont have to think about technique. it should come naturally. and if that technique has been properly taught, any member of that corps should be able to give you a detailed description of that technique.. without thinking about it.

why do i say what i say about the cavies style? because its true. is it bad? not necessarily.. its not the style i would choose or prefer.. but for them. it works. just the same as cadets with their rolling toes.. i dont like it (and yes ive had to do it before).. but i do know why they do it, and it works for them. the same with PC? and other corps who do weird things with their feet and knees like popping and kicking in/out.. (and yes ive had to teach it before).. i cant stand it.. but hey.. its their technique. it works for them.

[hate on]

So the on-field individual visual judge just looks the other way, when it comes to the Cavies?

[ColtsDM]

So the on-field individual visual judge just looks the other way, when it comes to the Cavies?

There is a lot more to the visual performance score than just marching technique. Intervals, guard technique, etc all has a play in the vis perf score. The Cavies intervals are always some of the best in DCI.

However from an individual technique standpoint, cire is absolutely correct when he says that any two Cadets or Devils are more likely to look alike from a marching tecnique standpoint rather than two Cavaliers. Its just the nature of the tecniques.

Cadets/Devils looks a lot better (my opinion), but Cavies is a lot easier on your legs.

Agree with the whole "members should be able to teach the marching technique to anyone else" viewpoint.

[ScribeToo]

Agree with the whole "members should be able to teach the marching technique to anyone else" viewpoint.

I respectfully disagree.

A marching technique is taught to be USED not necessarily to be RE-TAUGHT. Some may grasp it and be able to re-teach it or pass it on.. but as a marching member, the responsibility is to UNDERSTAND it and put it into PRACTICE.

Being able to teach it or explain it is a bonus.

Not everybody marching in drum corps has grand designs to teach what they've learned to other corps or bands.. some choose to pass on their drum corps lessons in other ways.

Stef

[rmurrey74]

I respectfully disagree.

A marching technique is taught to be USED not necessarily to be RE-TAUGHT. Some may grasp it and be able to re-teach it or pass it on.. but as a marching member, the responsibility is to UNDERSTAND it and put it into PRACTICE.

Being able to teach it or explain it is a bonus.

Not everybody marching in drum corps has grand designs to teach what they've learned to other corps or bands.. some choose to pass on their drum corps lessons in other ways.

Stef

That doesn't make sense at all.

Every detail of a technique is defined (in most cases) and the members are responsible for knowing how it's defined. The members should be able to explain in detail what the technique is that they're performing. What the leg and foot is doing at any point in time. If a member that I'm teaching couldn't explain the technique to me in mid-July and what was expected, then I'm not doing my job as an instructor. That person may not be an effective teacher or may not do the technique well in all situations, but I would expect that any member that you ask in Cadets, Blue Devils, Bluecoats, Phantom, etc... could explain in detail their technique.

How do you learn it and then not know how it is defined or taught?

[beavs]

If I marched Cavaliers, and someone came up to me telling me to explain to them my marching technique because he/she thinks the cavaliers technique looks horrible and undefined...i wouldn't tell them anything. Plus, i can guarantee you, from what I've seen, and the amount of education these cavalier kids get, any member who has marched a complete season (from camps to finals) could teach the technique.

Besides, if the Cavaliers had something to prove, they'd do it on the field. And they do.

Why are you looking at their feet anyways? You're probably missing a really cool show.

Edited July 10, 2007 by beavs

[rmurrey74]

If I marched Cavaliers, and someone came up to me telling me to explain to them my marching technique because he/she thinks the cavaliers technique looks horrible and undefined...i wouldn't tell them anything. Plus, i can guarantee you, from what I've seen, and the amount of education these cavalier kids get, any member who has marched a complete season (from camps to finals) could teach the technique.

Besides, if the Cavaliers had something to prove, they'd do it on the field. And they do.

Why are you looking at their feet anyways? You're probably missing a really cool show.

Who said it looks horrible?

Visual performance is part of the show.

Edited July 10, 2007 by rmurrey74

[ScribeToo]

How do you learn it and then not know how it is defined or taught?

Maybe it doesn't make sense to you because you DO learn things to re-teach them. Not everybody does. Not everybody learns things by breaking them down into specific definitions. It sounds like, in this case, you are under the impression that EVERYONE learns the same way and that's simply not true.

When I learn something, I listen, observe and do -- in the process it becomes part of MY understanding but sometimes MY path to understanding and execution (whether it's a marching technique or an operatic aria) doesn't make ANY sense to someone else.

Asking me to explain how I sustain my voice in a tessitura above G for 12 minutes is fine but when I tell you it's all about visualization and imagery, is that gonna really make any sense to you? Would you be able to do it based on my explanation? Likely not.

My understanding of the TECHNIQUE involving breath support, vocal placement and artistic interpretation is centered on visual cues.. I still DO all those other steps.. but the way I learned it so that I could DO it has almost nothing to do with the actual steps involved. I get lost in the translation of all the steps and in MY HEAD and MY MEMORY, it triggers those technical aspects to visualize, instead.

This is why I'm a performer and not a teacher.

Stef

[JayM]

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Edited July 10, 2007 by Jayzer