Percussion Judging

[cwallace600]

You are wrong !

Based on what?

[MikeD]

FYI -- Judges cost more in travel, by far, than pay.

Only one judge in the stands? Umm... that's hardly accurate.

I think he may be thinking of the experiment to place one percussion judge in the stands at the start of the season????

[MikeD]

Because of how good percussion sections are today, I think it is vital that the battery and the pit are both being judged equally at all times. You can't claim to give a fair score when you're not seeing half of the section half of the time. Even when you have a field judge and a box judge, the field judge isn't watching the pit or the battery the whole time, and cannot claim to give a fair score. Sure it can be close, but it can't be exactly fair.

Whether it is right or not is open to discussion, but I don't think that "fair" is an issue, as long as all corps are evaluated under the same conditions.

Personally, I do not see DCI adding judges. The cost issue, and not just what they get paid to judge...travel being a large one. Plus, are there all that many qualified percussion judges hanging around to double up the number at every show?

[rudi man]

I think he may be thinking of the experiment to place one percussion judge in the stands at the start of the season????

Thanks Mike thats exactly what I was talking about .

[SkyRyder_FMM]

There are already 2 field percussion judges at regionals and Championships, but they are theoretically judging the same thing and their scores are averaged. Perhaps this could be changed to have one judge the battery and one judge the pit. For these shows, rather than average, perhaps each judge could have their own points to work with (i.e., 10 and 10, or 12 and 8, or whatever). During other shows, you would have a single judge on the field judging both. No incremental costs. Better definition of what the two field judges are judging at the regioanls and Championships. Better feedback received at the regionals. No perfect, but perhaps an improvement. Thoughts?

[rudi man]

I mean... example: do you really think it would've been effective for PR's battery to be banging away during the brass a cappela build at the end of Ave Maria in their '06 show?

DCI already gets a lot of flak from "real musicians" for putting drum parts in places they're really not necessary/effective. I would prefer a battery writer that knows when to have his line tacet for effect over one that tries to ram as many notes as possible in places where they don't make sense. Star '93 is the best example of this... they didn't play the most notes in that show, but they played when it made sense musically, and they played #### well at that... drum corps doesn't have to be notes/loud stuff all the time.

I do realize what you're talking about , musicality should be number one on the agenda and I don't believe that

the battery should go through their show recklessly playing parts that they don't need to . On the other hand I believe

some charts are designed to deter the judges decision making . Yes your right I absolutly love a drumline that can chop

and deliver some goose bumps but I agree , theres a time and place for everything ! B)

[cymbal_steve]

I do realize what you're talking about , musicality should be number one on the agenda and I don't believe that

the battery should go through their show recklessly playing parts that they don't need to . On the other hand I believe

some charts are designed to deter the judges decision making . Yes your right I absolutly love a drumline that can chop

and deliver some goose bumps but I agree , theres a time and place for everything ! B)

Just for arguments sake,

Should the drum judge be saying if the section is "recklessly playing parts that they don't need to"? Or should this be the jobs of the Ensemble and GE music judges?

[rudi man]

Just for arguments sake,

Should the drum judge be saying if the section is "recklessly playing parts that they don't need to"? Or should this be the jobs of the Ensemble and GE music judges?

Well now we are getting somewhere ! DCI definitely needs the two judges on the field to cover Battery and pit

percussion as well someone in the stands judging ensemble with percussive and brass back ground which I'm sure they already have . It's unfair to the kids the fans and corps to not have this done right ! :(

[rudi man]

Just for arguments sake,

Should the drum judge be saying if the section is "recklessly playing parts that they don't need to"? Or should this be the jobs of the Ensemble and GE music judges?

And to answer your main question it would be the ensemble judges responsibility .

[MGCpimpOtimp]

I would love to add a pit judge. It would make more groups get their pits up to the standards of the rest of the corps instead of just playing cymbals for the whole show.