What do YOU want to see in today's drum corps?

[ChildProdigy'89'05]

G horns, no amps. I love the innovation that DCI has produced over the years and continues to. That having been said, what I truly loved about drum and bugle corps was what the arrangers were able to accomplish within the limits of the instrumentation. The challenge of arranging great music on two-valved bugles or piston-rotors was huge. Some of the most copied pieces of music in marching band history came from that era. What a compliment to the arrangers! The joy of drum corps for me came from innovating within the unusual confines of the drum corps rule book. Now that the door is basically wide open for instrumentation, the challenge and therefor much of the enjoyment is lost for me. The ultimate drum corps experience for me will always be the huge sonorous wall of sound produced by the Blue Devils hornline warming up on G Bugles. You can keep your band instruments, give me a bugle any day. That's what I want to see in drum and BUGLE corps!

With every intention of not starting an off topic discussion, any horn with valves is not a bugle in the first place. Bugles left the activity when these modifications were added. A lot of people in this activity never really were present when drum and bugle corps lived up to it's literal meaning. I honor your view though because G does rule even if I like the Bbs!

Edited January 31, 2008 by ChildProdigy'89'05

[Harmonious Cacophony]

I wish there was an option for: "Bb horns, asymmetrical drill, front ensemble, modern battery, no amplification of front ensemble, no vocal amplification."

[ChildProdigy'89'05]

I wish there was an option for: "Bb horns, asymmetrical drill, front ensemble, modern battery, no amplification of front ensemble, no vocal amplification."

Yeah, I cringed when I noticed I forgot that option.

[TerriTroop]

I wish there was an option for: "Bb horns, asymmetrical drill, front ensemble, modern battery, no amplification of front ensemble, no vocal amplification."

Ditto. Was going to say just that.

I'm waiting for the scaling back of the pit. I'm sure it's going to happen, right? Right? I'm a former pitster - we managed our sound with no more than 8 people, no amps and we didn't use "steel mallets on marimbas" as someone else asserted in another thread. We used mallets that we specifically wrapped ourselves to produce the sound we wanted safely. We also had less muddled voicing and less emphasis on trying to mimic the symphony hall. I still learned tons about technique, including the difference between playing on a football field and playing in a concert hall.

Now before someone gives me the "give it up, oldtimer" speech, let me say that I think current attempts to make the pit richer in color and texture are really very lost in the entire ensemble, even when done exceptionally well WITH amps. My one exception this past year: Blue Knights. It's not that I think the writing today is worse, I think it just doesn't serve the ensemble as well as some people think it does.

So anyway, I'm really interested to see if things really will get scaled back or will it just be 12-15 people with more color-oriented toys to play by the microphone.

[shawn craig]

Ditto. Was going to say just that.

I'm waiting for the scaling back of the pit. I'm sure it's going to happen, right? Right? I'm a former pitster - we managed our sound with no more than 8 people, no amps and we didn't use "steel mallets on marimbas" as someone else asserted in another thread. We used mallets that we specifically wrapped ourselves to produce the sound we wanted safely. We also had less muddled voicing and less emphasis on trying to mimic the symphony hall. I still learned tons about technique, including the difference between playing on a football field and playing in a concert hall.

*bolded mine*

This is an important and overlooked aspect of performing.

If you perform with often enough in a variety of groups one of the things you must be able to do is adapt to your performance situation. Even if you perform mostly in concert halls you still need to adapt. Not all halls are created equal.

That doesn't mean going to extrems to over play, sing, pound your equipment etc. But be able, to a reasonable extent, to compensate for and adjust to the performance situation.

[shawn craig]

I wish there was an option for: "Bb horns, asymmetrical drill, front ensemble, modern battery, no amplification of front ensemble, no vocal amplification."

This would be my preference.

Some of the amping is done tastfully, you can barely tell it's being done. Others still have the pit too loud for my taste, taking away sometimes from solos, backfield playing, small ensembles, ballads, etc.

I will probably not mind minimal electronic effects/sounds. We'll see how tastfully it's done.

I hate amped vocals.

I mostly want to hear a brass and percussion ensemble. If I want to hear something else, I'll go to the symphony, opera, rock concert, whatever.

[ChildProdigy'89'05]

*bolded mine*

This is an important and overlooked aspect of performing.

If you perform with often enough in a variety of groups one of the things you must be able to do is adapt to your performance situation. Even if you perform mostly in concert halls you still need to adapt. Not all halls are created equal.

That doesn't mean going to extrems to over play, sing, pound your equipment etc. But be able, to a reasonable extent, to compensate for and adjust to the performance situation.

Absolutely, but I have noticed that a considerable amount of disrespect is often payed to the mallet players. This disrespect is basically from professional players who don't believe in that type of playing. That's just my guess as to one reasons the execs made the change.

[esmenbari]

This would be my preference.

Some of the amping is done tastfully, you can barely tell it's being done. Others still have the pit too loud for my taste, taking away sometimes from solos, backfield playing, small ensembles, ballads, etc.

I will probably not mind minimal electronic effects/sounds. We'll see how tastfully it's done.

I hate amped vocals.

I mostly want to hear a brass and percussion ensemble. If I want to hear something else, I'll go to the symphony, opera, rock concert, whatever.

My thoughts exactly.

[skewerz]

G or Bb...I like the volume of G, and the mix of Bb...I would bet that if DCI would have stayed with G, there would be very little issue with intonation at this point.

asymmetrical or symmetrical....I like both. Just because it's symmetrical doesn't mean it's necessarily easier. While we're dealing with symmetry, the guard work of 70's corps was incredible...cue up a late 70's 27th lancers or Troopers show...

amp'd pit....if it ACTUALLY did what it was supposed to do, I'd be all for it. The problem is, it doesn't. It doesn't drop costs, and it hasn't seemed to promote better play style. Add a little rain shower and....well...

narration...hell no..not ever. I can go watch plays...go to rock concerts...listen to talk radio.

electronics...see narration answer.

full retreat...YES!!! at least at regionals and finals. Play off the field to the corps song of choice. (some of my best memories are listening to retreat...Conquest...Georgia...Danny Boy...incredible. Also, corps playing cadence as they leave the field of competition. They don't need to play all they way off the field, but as they march past the stands, a little cadence does WONDERS for crowd reaction.

program...I'm not a fan of the snip, cut, play thirty thousand notes in 4 counts, then end with a chord stinger. I like melody. I like recognizable songs. I like West Side Story, and Malaguena, and Festive Overture.

drum breaks...yes. late 70's-early 80's Bridgemen will always be an incredible memory for me.

Yes, I favor the "old phogie" drum corps style. (old phogie for me meaning from the 90's back to the late 70's...my favorite years were the mid 80's) I like corps traditions.....Danny boy...the Sunburst..the bottle dance...the wedge. I also like most of the new stuff. Crown's show last year was probably my favorite (even though it had some narration, which I'm sure you realize by now I detest) The Crown show of last year just seemed to me like an 80's show..with modern marching.

What I REALLY REALLY want to see is an incredibly talented corps (as in top 6'ish) in the genre of VK or the Bridgemen, so the world can see that you can be incredible AND fun at the same time.

In the 80's, my favorite corps was Garfield.

Now, I'd say it's Phantom...

in the 80's, my least liked corps was probably Phantom

Now, I'd say it's the Cadets...ironic...

Edited February 9, 2008 by skewerz