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Rule Proposal 2008-05


Rules 2008  

386 members have voted

  1. 1. Amplification of Brass

    • No; maintain that amplification of brass is not allowed
      359
    • Yes; allow brass instruments to be amplified
      27


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And how would amping the solo to that same decibel level make any more "musical sense"?

They dont have to play as loud making the solo more comfortable for the soloist and giving him the potential to play it more musically. That would be my take on it

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Or they could just use a thing called "dynamics".

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Or they could just use a thing called "dynamics".

I think his point is that when a soloist has to play as loud as they can to be heard, they can't vary in dynamic as much, and that if they did use dynamics, the lower volumes wouldn't be heard.

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And my point is that brass soloists have be doing just fine not being mic'd for 30+ years. As it's already been stated, this along with increase in membership and a&e, is just a backdoor to get woodwinds passed

Edited by skajerk
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And my point is that soloists have be doing just fine not being mic'd for 30+ years. As it's already been stated, this along with increase in membership and a&e, is just a backdoor to get woodwinds passed

Oh, well I agree. I think this rule is lame... I was going to add to my last post "But the design and staging can be properly done to allow for the use of dynamics by a soloist without being covered by the ensemble without the need for amplification" but didn't want to sound negative or anything :cool:

Edited by DKracing
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No worries. It's hard not to be negative after years of putting up with some of Hoppy's proposals.

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I just voted "yes" as well. What's the harm?

The harm is that it takes away the value and achievement of balancing the ensemble of brass and percussion. As others would describe it, it "dumbs down" the activity.

There is no need for amplifiying the brass. If your players aren't projecting well enough, you always have the options of staging them differently. If your soloists aren't being heard, you can tone down the rest of the ensemble. If they still can't be heard, you train them to become stronger players (soloists should be strong players, don't you think?). These are the lessons of drum corps - you work, and you improve.

But that won't be the case in 2009, if we add the "easy button" for brass amplification. Weak solo players won't have to work at it - just turn the "gain" knob instead. Drill writers won't have to think about balance. Neither will the performers, for that matter. That can all be taken care of at the mixing board. Why practice performing that way - let a staffer from each corps dial up the desired balance and dynamics.

As a competitive art, drum corps is about the performance of the performers. Changes like this one, however, nullify that basic tenet.

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I just voted "yes" as well. What's the harm?

Mike. Perhaps you should consider taking a finance or economics class at a local community college. Or better yet, talk to a couple of the folks knowledgable about the finances of a corps and their budgets. Once you put the basic financial and economic knowledge together with the financial realities of the activity, you just might realize how utterly absurd that comment is.

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The harm is that it takes away the value and achievement of balancing the ensemble of brass and percussion. As others would describe it, it "dumbs down" the activity.

There is no need for amplifiying the brass. If your players aren't projecting well enough, you always have the options of staging them differently. If your soloists aren't being heard, you can tone down the rest of the ensemble. If they still can't be heard, you train them to become stronger players (soloists should be strong players, don't you think?). These are the lessons of drum corps - you work, and you improve.

But that won't be the case in 2009, if we add the "easy button" for brass amplification. Weak solo players won't have to work at it - just turn the "gain" knob instead. Drill writers won't have to think about balance. Neither will the performers, for that matter. That can all be taken care of at the mixing board. Why practice performing that way - let a staffer from each corps dial up the desired balance and dynamics.

As a competitive art, drum corps is about the performance of the performers. Changes like this one, however, nullify that basic tenet.

So, that's what they mean by added creativity??? :cool::santa:

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