dccorpsfan Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Along the same lines of controversy... Now more than ever, there is a conflict caused over change. Whether it be amps, narration, or even the threat of electronics and woodwinds; there are many tense drum corps fans out there; but I want to go back again and look at another big change in the drum corps universe...the addition of marching keyboards (xylos, glockenspiel, ect.) in 1974. The same questions are being posed to you folks who were around for this: Was there a lot of comotion caused when marching mallet percussion was made legal? How did the fans, young and old, react to this change in the rules? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Along the same lines of controversy...Now more than ever, there is a conflict caused over change. Whether it be amps, narration, or even the threat of electronics and woodwinds; there are many tense drum corps fans out there; but I want to go back again and look at another big change in the drum corps universe...the addition of marching keyboards (xylos, glockenspiel, ect.) in 1974. The same questions are being posed to you folks who were around for this: Was there a lot of comotion caused when marching mallet percussion was made legal? How did the fans, young and old, react to this change in the rules? I don't believe so, at least I never heard of any controversy at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) Um, yeah ... Again from the "old timers". Keyboards got the same kind of trash-talking in some circles that the prospect of woodwinds gets now (coming from someone who cringes at the combination of the terms "drum corps" and "woodwind".) They got over it, though, but it was tough at first. Quick Survey: Say you were a mallet player in a '70s corps, did you, at least on one occasion, get referred to as "Tink" or "Tinkerbell"? Yeah? I thought so ... What was that Einstein sad about violent opposition? Edited August 14, 2007 by DCIHasBeen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apoch003 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Sylvester McCoy called. He wants his face back. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Fortunately we didn't have internet to make it the end of the earth problem Um, yeah ... Again from the "old timers". Keyboards got the same kind of trash-talking in some circles that the prospect of woodwinds gets now (coming from someone who cringes at the combination of the terms "drum corps" and "woodwind".) They got over it, though, but it was tough at first.Quick Survey: Say you were a mallet player in a '70s corps, did you, at least on one occasion, get referred to as "Tink" or "Tinkerbell"? Yeah? I thought so ... What was that Einstein sad about violent opposition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) Kicker is DCA started this (kind of) as Boys of '76 (Racine, WI) had one in 1970 (have the recording) and think Sun was the first (kind of) in 1969. Buccs and Yankee Rebels had them by 1974 when I started. Kind of - Scout House Jr (Preston, Ont) had marching glockenspiels they used in exhibitions in th 1950s/1960s.. I heard some people griping but biggest complaint was when some of the mid 70s DCA albums came out and the bells come out louder than "real life" due to mic placement. Still remember a letter to Drum Corps News that had the line "Drum and Tink-Tink Corps". Heard louder complaints when the pit was started. First few years the bells were in use they were not played the whole show. Some were used for effect during the drum solo. 1970 Boys of '76 had the player plick on Yankee Doodle. Then John Flowers, drum instructor of the Yankee Rebels really cranked things up in 1975 with 2 different size bells and each player smacking the crap out of the instrument with both hands. Their drum cadence started out full volume featured the bells playing "Anything Goes" and people stopped talking when that started. (Still looking for a recording of that.) Edited August 14, 2007 by JimF-3rdBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Then John Flowers, drum instructor of the Yankee Rebels really cranked things up in 1975 with 2 different size bells and each player smacking the crap out of the instrument with both hands. Their drum cadence started out full volume featured the bells playing "Anything Goes" and people stopped talking when that started. (Still looking for a recording of that.) Funny thing was that it was a while before Flowers found out that you had to transpose the horn charts to concert pitch to write the keyboard parts (Hey, this was back in the day ... Just reading music was enough to make some folks considered prodigys), so his keyboard sections were just a wee bit out of tune ... Things improved, though. But being on the "bleeding edge" is never easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Was there a lot of comotion caused when marching mallet percussion was made legal? How did the fans, young and old, react to this change in the rules? Yes, there was commotion, but without the internet it was a lot more localized and low-key. In 1969 BAC tried to use bells at VFW Nats (Unsquare Dance and Pop Goes the Weasel features). The same head VFW guy who tried to get us kicked out of VFW's in 70 for forming a Peace Sign made them "lose the bells" at VFW's in 1969 in Philly. It ruined a wonderful percussion book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarimbasaurusRex Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 There was a LOT of complaint about the keyboards being too loud. I remember writing to DCN in response to a letter to the editor about it back in 76 or 77 (before I ever marched keyboards). I imagine some of those people might have had their heads explode if they knew keyboards would eventually be amplified on the sideline, all 10 of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 I heard some people griping but biggest complaint was when some of the mid 70s DCA albums came out and the bells come out louder than "real life" due to mic placement. Still remember a letter to Drum Corps News that had the line "Drum and Tink-Tink Corps". Heard louder complaints when the pit was started. Part of the problem prior to the pit was that you could not really write idiomatically for the bells. You ended up hearing these clanging very busy bell parts (basically xylo parts for the bells) to make sure they had enough to do to satisfy the PA judge. I wrote for a GHC corps, the Kings Regiment, in 77. We did Berlioz "March to the Scaffold" as our opener. I went to the Julliard library and copied the flute and oboe parts. I adapted the flute part for the bells and the oboe for the xylo...worked pretty well actually. The introduction of the pit went a long way to eliminating the "clanging". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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