At what point and time did we lose Drum Corps

[Tone Quality Matters]

"Permanantly Relocated to DCA":

Good shot. Well said. The ALUMNI CORPS never lost sight of what DRUM CORPS is.

Elphaba

WWW

I knew where this thread was going, and you went there. Let's not start the DCA versus DCI argument over again.

The activity is still drum corps. You had changes back in your day and we have had changes in ours, and guess what? Corps are still around. Kids still march, and people still volunteer. There are many that still teach and volunteer that work with the corps of today", that marched "Back in the day", and still love the activity even with it's changes.

I think it is important for you to not forget what drum corps can be.

I love DCA but come on man, give it a break

[bawker]

As a music designer and performer, allow me to add this thought:

It's NOT about the music.

It's about the PRESENTATION of the music.

Think about totality, and you'll find your answers.

Enjoy the music,

Aaron

www.yataforluda.com

That's certainly true...we have to consider the fact that our activity has to represent the aural as well as the visual. Most of us have our preferences, but getting that "50/50" down is hard to do.

I would argue that oft times we see musical phrases shortened to the point of inaccessability by some arrangers in order to fit into those visual cues. I think that's a big reason why a lot of older fans still love Phantom and lately Crown...that the musical idea has time to develop along with the visual for the audience member. There's enough time to get into "William Tell", as opposed to hearing only faint echoes of a mish-mash of songs ('Coats are a good example of this...it's executed well, but the music cues are somewhat hidden from the casual listener, IMO).

How do you go about solving this when designing a show? Has the judging community rewarded a certain way of doing this as opposed to other ways?

Edited July 20, 2007 by bawker

[byline]

I think that for me, all the changes have been acceptable except for one: amplified vocal narration. That is so . . . well, high school marching band. And I never even liked it with band. Winter guard? Fine (though even there, I prefer music only). But at least with winter guard, the music, itself, is running through speakers, so it's not so jarring an effect to hear a narrator through the speakers, too. And with the pit, I can understand the use of amplification to hopefully encourage better playing technique. But I have to say that the vocal narration was, for me, the killer. Even my husband, who is a novice to drum corps, felt it was totally out of place in context with the style of performance that is drum corps.

Look at the amazing photos of the Anaheim Kingsmen alumni in the historical forum. I see those and am reminded of how much I miss "the look" . . . and so many other things that have fallen by the wayside.

[byline]

The reason I ask is because it seems that most people's favorite years of drumcorps are the years that they were introduced to drumcorps and/or marched and then tend to not favor as much the years after aging out.

Speaking only for myself, that's not the case. I was introduced to drum corps in the mid-'70s, then marched from 1978 through 1980. I taught and judged guard through 1993. For me, 1991 was the last year that I really enjoyed every single corps I saw. I felt that 1992 saw an abrupt lack of cleanliness, perhaps because the demand of the shows outpaced the corps' ability to perform them. And then, for me, it's been hit-or-miss ever since, though I will say that the last few years have been more enjoyable than that interim period starting in 1992. Still, I see a few corps working a lot harder to be esoteric (often to the point of pretense) than accessible.

[byline]

Perhaps the proof of the pudding is in the eating...err...arranging. If I remember correctly (I haven't listened to it in a while) Star's interpretation of Walton was fairly close to the original source. The power and drama of the music remained intact, such that even those not familiar with the score were impressed by what they heard. On the other hand, the Cavaliers have chosen a few select motives from the Billy Joel canon and have subsequently arranged and re-arranged them as to render many of them almost unrecognizeable. Such arrangements tend to remove much of the intrinsic character of the music to the point that we don't always comprehend or remember it for what it is/originally was. Quite a few corps are guilty of this.

I think one of the reasons people are typically drawn to PR year after year is that their musical arrangements, while well-suited to the corps and the field, never stray so far from the originals that we can't hum along. Likewise, are people really going wild for Crown this year because the guard prances around like horses? I would say it has more to do with the fact that "William Tell" is a pretty well-known piece that Crown plays in a fairly straight-forward manner.

Exactly! "Obscure" music certainly isn't new to drum corps. Lots of corps have been playing classical pieces; Santa Clara did a brilliant job of bringing us "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" in the early '70s. But, as you note, their arrangements remained true to the original piece while translating them into the drum corps idiom. So the music remained exciting to the audience, even though it certainly couldn't be called Top 40. That, for me, is the difference. There was always the goal, I think, to make this music accessible to the audience, rather than trying almost exclusively to impress the judges. For me, that balance was maintained reasonably well through 1991. Then, IMO, that balance shifted in 1992, and the audience got left by the wayside. Though, as I noted earlier, I have seen an encouraging shift back in the last couple of years or so. It was almost like somebody in the design department woke up and said, "Oh, yeah, there's an audience out there, too!"

[byline]

1994 was the peak and 1995 began the slide. Most of you like the BD '94 show, but that was one of the shows that I think began the choppy arranging for effect style that was popular after it. Star 1993 ( & Cadets 1993) started some of the esoteric music that you heard later.

Good point. As you and bawker (and probably others) noted, the early to mid-'90s was when we began hearing music edited for visual effect. Basically the music was chopped to the point that it was barely recognizable . . . if at all. Most of what we got were these truncated squawks and bleats, with the music sacrificed for an ever-accelerating drill. Music had been edited to fit the drill before -- obviously -- but at least there was some effort and attention paid to making the musical transitions reflect the original piece. As I said before, though, I am hearing an encouraging trend back toward more of a "whole music" approach so that the music isn't there just to serve the drill. IMO, it should be more of a partnership, where what happens visually is a reflection of what happens musically. The high point, for me, was the late '80s to early '90s, and then the balance shifted more and more in favor of visual effects.

Edited July 20, 2007 by byline

[Matt_S]

I'm always amused whenever it's suggested that the best drum corps shows stay true to the source music. Why should they? That approach strikes me as similar to a greatest hits record. Yeah, you might like each chart indiviudally, but corps are no longer performing three or four seperate charts; they're performing one cohesive eleven minute show. In my opinion, any decisions regarding the arrangement of music should be made with the total show as the goal, not the piece that you've selected as your source.

Imagine if corps didn't announce the pieces that they were using in their show. Would we still demand that they stay true to the source? I get the impression sometimes, especially in the offseason, that once a corps announces its show selection we the fans start to form certain expectations, expectations with the wrong focus. Too often people will remark "I can't wait to see that song/piece on the field!", when what we should be looking forward to seeing is the full show that the corps is putting together. If you have this approach, is it truly so bad that you only hear a snippet of Smooth Criminal in the Bluecoats' show this year? As long as you like the complete show as a whole, who cares how Smooth Criminal was arranged.

We as fans should focus on the ends, not the means. The source music that corps choose to use should be considered the building blocks, not the finished product. Every year drum corps are creating a new work of music, often using elements of other works to be sure, but the end product is unique, and should be considered on its own merits. At least, that's the direction I feel drum corps is moving in, and I approve.

[Halcyon122]

I'm always amused whenever it's suggested that the best drum corps shows stay true to the source music. Why should they? That approach strikes me as similar to a greatest hits record. Yeah, you might like each chart indiviudally, but corps are no longer performing three or four seperate charts; they're performing one cohesive eleven minute show. In my opinion, any decisions regarding the arrangement of music should be made with the total show as the goal, not the piece that you've selected as your source.

Imagine if corps didn't announce the pieces that they were using in their show. Would we still demand that they stay true to the source? I get the impression sometimes, especially in the offseason, that once a corps announces its show selection we the fans start to form certain expectations. Too often people will remark "I can't wait to see that song/piece on the field!", when what we should be looking forward to seeing is the full show that the corps is putting together. If you have this approach, is it truly so bad that you only hear a snippet of Smooth Criminal in the Bluecoats' show this year? As long as you like the complete show as a whole, who cares how Smooth Criminal was arranged.

We as fans should focus on the ends, not the means. The source music that corps choose to use should be considered the building blocks, not the finished product. Every year drum corps are creating a new work of music, often using elements of other works to be sure, but the end product is unique, and should be considered on its own merits. At least, that's the direction I feel drum corps is moving in, and I approve.

[^Michael^]

Is it just me or am I right thinking this was a troll?

First post ever...a huge blather of blah blah blah.

Then not actively involved in the thread anymore...won't defend the opinions stated.

Looks like a classic case of the trolls.

I'm just thinking how sincerely sorry I feel for the people who feel that drum corps is lost to them simply because today's product doesn't mirror the product that they were involved with "back in the day." As someone who has been actively involved with drum corps since 1970, I feel very blessed that I still find it relevant, entertaining, and demonstrative of the same core values that shaped my life as a young participant back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and tympani were marched (Owww, my aching back!).

:ramd: :P

Edited July 20, 2007 by ^Michael^

[bawker]

Imagine if corps didn't announce the pieces that they were using in their show. Would we still demand that they stay true to the source? I get the impression sometimes, especially in the offseason, that once a corps announces its show selection we the fans start to form certain expectations. Too often people will remark "I can't wait to see that song/piece on the field!", when what we should be looking forward to seeing is the full show that the corps is putting together. If you have this approach, is it truly so bad that you only hear a snippet of Smooth Criminal in the Bluecoats' show this year? As long as you like the complete show as a whole, who cares how Smooth Criminal was arranged.

We as fans should focus on the ends, not the means. The source music that corps choose to use should be considered the building blocks, not the finished product. Every year drum corps are creating a new work of music, often using elements of other works to be sure, but the end product is unique, and should be considered on its own merits. At least, that's the direction I feel drum corps is moving in, and I approve.

Really, then, why bother saying you're playing "x"....just make everything "inspired by" or "ode to".

People enjoy having certain point of reference they are familiar with...it's why people like Crown so much this year. Not because it's "unique"...very few drum corps shows are that. Most are a smash-up of other peoples ideas, songs and drill moves...and because of that, there are certain expectations that we have. That's just the corner DCI show design has painted itself into over the years..."we'll play these pieces you know...but arrange them so you have to hunt for them". :P

Maybe, as you stated in another thread...we should have corps doing singular pieces to create a more cohesive whole in the design scheme we find ourselves in nowadays (it would work a lot better, IMO, in trying to capture a theme or thought process, to let artistic nuance be explored rather than GAK GAK!- horns play staccato stab-GAK...GAK! GAK!)... 11 minutes of Adams, Glass, Brubeck, Miles Davis, etc might fit better than playing eight bars of twenty different songs.