See me, hear me...(don't touch me or feel me, though...ew.)

[bawker]

note the moving part happening later than the music part.

Would you say that given that thought process the visual component is the one with the most potential for growth, then, due to its relative newness?

[justanopinion]

let's review, in the manner of the silent encore comment.

point A: If you had only the music part of drum corps and no visual you would have an encore, or a concert, or some mp3's. Note that all of these exist and flourish.

point b: If you took only the visual aspect of drum corps with no music you'd have a bunch of people running around like idiots for ten minutes. they might look cool every once in a while if a nifty bit of drill popped up, and the guard would be the main focus, but even lyrical interpretive dance has music.

i therefore conclude that, because of these facts, and because the corps members do in fact carry instruments and yes, even play them, that the point of this whole thing is music. We all just up and decided some couple hundred years ago that playing while sitting still wasn't enough of a challenge for extreme musical talents such as ourselves and that moving and playing was a much cooler idea- note the moving part happening later than the music part.

Let's review:

We added visual because the music without visual wasn't enough. Since there are a gazillion other ways to just listen to music, and since the visual is what makes us unique, I say give MORE weight to the visual, and if people want music to have more points, then go to an indoor concert band competition.

[Bob984]

Let's review:

We added visual because the music without visual wasn't enough. Since there are a gazillion other ways to just listen to music, and since the visual is what makes us unique, I say give MORE weight to the visual, and if people want music to have more points, then go to an indoor concert band competition.

yes.....we can make it a big outdoor marching guard show.....with 110 members in the guard, and a small amplified music ensemble in the left rear corner of the field........................don't judge the music at all....just the visual.......................they get all 100 points.................and the 40 people who came to watch.............

GB

[Bob984]

Why are you separating and singling the guard caption out of the 'composite visual' but when I try to point out the musical successes within the 'composite music' you don't want to hear it?

Seems inconsistent to me.

only because the guard number has been a consistently sizeable spread as part of the composite visual score, and I think will be the most sizeable element of it at the end..............but if you want to keep it as overall composite, that is fine, too....because they (Cavs) will win composite visual, will be fifth in composite music but will still win overall..............the point I continue to make..................

GB

[Meaghatron]

only because the guard number has been a consistently sizeable spread as part of the composite visual score, and I think will be the most sizeable element of it at the end..............but if you want to keep it as overall composite, that is fine, too....because they (Cavs) will win composite visual, will be fifth in composite music but will still win overall..............the point I continue to make..................

GB

If it was another corps, would you be as upset?

[justanopinion]

only because the guard number has been a consistently sizeable spread as part of the composite visual score, and I think will be the most sizeable element of it at the end..............but if you want to keep it as overall composite, that is fine, too....because they (Cavs) will win composite visual, will be fifth in composite music but will still win overall..............the point I continue to make..................

GB

And the point I continue to make is:

I'm fine with that if the final score comes down that way.

I think you're 'cherry picking' your evidence a bit when making claims like that. The guard number in the past few years has been no more or less a 'sizeable spread' than say percussion has been in the music caption.

In fact, I would say that the drum judges have probably had the biggest spreads the last few years.

[Matt_S]

i therefore conclude that, because of these facts, and because the corps members do in fact carry instruments and yes, even play them, that the point of this whole thing is music. We all just up and decided some couple hundred years ago that playing while sitting still wasn't enough of a challenge for extreme musical talents such as ourselves and that moving and playing was a much cooler idea- note the moving part happening later than the music part.

So what you're saying is, what makes drum corps unique isn't the fact that music is performed, but the fact that drill is marched? Any number of other activities involve playing music, how many other activities involve marching drill? Taken what you've said above, I conclude that it's the visual component that makes drum corps unique, and therefore the visual is even more important that the music.

Wheeee! This is fun! ^0^

[Bob984]

If it was another corps, would you be as upset?

Yep......

GB

[justanopinion]

yes.....we can make it a big outdoor marching guard show.....with 110 members in the guard, and a small amplified music ensemble in the left rear corner of the field........................don't judge the music at all....just the visual.......................they get all 100 points.................and the 40 people who came to watch.............

GB

ah yes....the jump to the extreme. That usually shows up when one is losing an argument.

Oh well. The mature discussion was fun while it lasted!

(and by the way, last time I went there were more than 40 people at WGI).

cheers.

[clrgrd]

The music and the visual are a marriage...

Seperate them and one of many groups could play or march at an unbelievable level-- but to have so many corps who do both, simultaneously, as well as they do prove that both are of equal importance. I believe the best catch phrase would be that of "mutually exclusive".