Tony L. Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Crossmen 1996 I believe had the drum break opener. That was a great way to start. Oh, and the Blue Devils '96 smashmouth opening was also un-formulaic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigCPApi Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Nick and Joe... you guys didn't object to this format when you were writing for me! *ducks the impending flames* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 There's a reason these practices are in place (hint: it has to do with quality). No, it's called using "what works" as a crutch to creativity in many regards...whether its cribbing from BOA, last years DCI champion... or even making your show theme the oft-used "REBIRTH! (OR EQUIVALENT SYNONYM!)" Going the big hit/ballad/drum break/closer route has been done to death...not many corps have managed to put a notable wrinkle on it this season (Crown is an exception, but only due to the extreme amount of intergration the show has in guard/hornline/staging thematics). It's the same reason many corps copy what works the previous season...'follow the leader' is infinitely easier than trying to strike out creatively on your own. The "quality" is negligible when you are doing a copy of a copy of a copy. Just as I don't want to see any corps go out there and give me a BOA rehash on the field, I also expect the apex of the marching arts to provide me with challenging and entertaining products that truly display creativity at work, no matter what the toolset (amplification, narration or electronics) used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 (edited) So what do you guys think? What shows have you seen that dont seem like your average drum corps program??? Funny you mention this. I was watching the "History of Excellence" Vanguard videos on Youtube on the weekend and they played a clip of Vanguard '84's closer - Aaron Copland's "The Tenderland." I try to understand why that piece of music affects me (I teared up watching it again) but I think its the emotion of the brass near the end followed by a beautiful soft ending. If I am correct, Vanguard did two soft endings in the early 80's (the other was Appalachian Spring). If we had the Internet back then, I'm sure they would have been criticized by traditionalists. To this day that ending is still one of the most effective ever done and I would like to see other's try it as well. Not everything has to be about blowing your ears out at the end of the show. Edited July 23, 2007 by LincolnV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Nick and Joe... you guys didn't object to this format when you were writing for me!*ducks the impending flames* What, you mean the show i wrote that i found out in the middle of tour was being scraped after I had already done it and that i was out a bunch of money??? that show :P Its ok, that band came in last place at chapters and i had to laugh at them ^0^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingJoeVII Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 Nick and Joe... you guys didn't object to this format when you were writing for me!*ducks the impending flames* Since it wasnt my band, I didnt think you would have appreciated my minimalist Cage-esque arrangement of Stairway to Heaven.... :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingJoeVII Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 Funny you mention this. I was watching the "History of Excellence" Vanguard videos on Youtube on the weekend and they played a clip of Vanguard '84's closer - Aaron Copland's "The Tenderland." I try to understand why that piece of music affects me (I teared up watching it again) but I think its the emotion of the brass near the end followed by a beautiful soft ending. If I am correct, Vanguard did two soft endings in the early 80's (the other was Applachian Spring). If we had the Internet back then, I'm sure they would have been criticized by traditionalists. To this day that ending is still one of the most effective ever done and I would like to see other's try it as well. Not everything has to be about blowing your ears out at the end of the show. I too would love to see a quite piece as a closer...and I don't mean a soft tag onto the end of a show, I mean a full 2 minutes of a nice quiet piece to settle down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 (edited) I too would love to see a quite piece as a closer...and I don't mean a soft tag onto the end of a show, I mean a full 2 minutes of a nice quiet piece to settle down... How about a really fast, really quiet piece. Liquid was a really fast, quiet openner (until the middle section) Edited July 23, 2007 by euponitone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 How about a really fast, really quiet piece. Liquid was a really fast, quiet openner (until the middle section) I thought Liquid was very effective as an opener. It was the only piece from 2005 Cadet's that I liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourouttheforty Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Ballads are for wusses. I like shows that don't have ballads. Cadets 2003 and 2007 come to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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