euphguy Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 (edited) I am having a difficult time comprehending why some corps have changed some of the best musical moments of their shows. I understand that changes are quite necessary to keep the shows "fresh" and increase the effect of the music. However, I feel like some corps' arrangers do this better than others, particularly this year. Does DCI penalize corps (subliminally) for not making suggested changes to their musical repertoire? Does it ultimately come down to the corps' arrangers and the musical excellence of the music ensembles of the various corps? I just wanted to get people's opinions regarding this. Some corps that have done a great job with rewrites for the better this season are: PR, Crown, and Boston Crusaders. Some music changes that I'm not particularly impressed with are: SCV, Cadets, and Blue Stars (in that order). Please let it be known that I like all the corps' shows mentioned above. Those that have made changes that I felt were not good changes took out some of the best moments for me. What about you? Or is it ultimately up to SELLING those rewrites? Edited August 3, 2008 by euphguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Some say "If it ain't broke don't fix it", and others say "If it works improve it". Take your pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Oh my GOD, I've Made a disaster out of the 2008 show. Can you guys do some rewrites while I go sulk by the dumpster to come up something newsworthy to take the heat off the kids ? Le's see......................what will tug at heart Strings HOLY NAME !..................gooD goooD lets announce will be doing a "honor" show to Holy Name and look, lenny would havew been close to 100.................it's a wrap. But ALAS, NO ONE CHECKED WITH ROSIE O DONNALD TO GET HER APPROVAL....................... and George, like a muppet show persona, must learn the lessons about jumping too soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTNK Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 It's hard to agree or disagree without examples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTNK Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Wow Mike, are you drunk tonight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 It's hard to agree or disagree without examples. agreed. get the starting\ending time of where these changes are on the allentown on demand vids for the examples.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimedrummer Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Some corps that have done a great job with rewrites for the better this season are: PR, Crown, and Boston Crusaders. I would add Bluecoats to that list. They have improved their program drastically with some major rewrites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Oh my GOD, I've Made a disaster out of the 2008 show. Can you guys do some rewrites while I go sulk by the dumpster to come up something newsworthy to take the heat off the kids ?Le's see......................what will tug at heart Strings HOLY NAME !..................gooD goooD lets announce will be doing a "honor" show to Holy Name and look, lenny would havew been close to 100.................it's a wrap. But ALAS, NO ONE CHECKED WITH ROSIE O DONNALD TO GET HER APPROVAL....................... and George, like a muppet show persona, must learn the lessons about jumping too soon. Yes, I would definitely add Bluecoats to the this of corps that have drastically improved their show with touch-ups and re-writes. And to be honest, I liked it a lot at spring training. Then again, I am a homer, but I have enjoyed their show from the beginning. The Bluecoats just need one more slight change at the end, perhaps an extension, and I think they will have one of the most entertaining shows at Finals. They could maybe stand to lose a few lines of narration. The count down to 10 earlier in the show was too much and I was bothered by it after 3 or 4. Have the official call out the numbers 1, 2, 3, then have him motion the count as the corps continues. They need to allow the acting to and visual presentation to enhance their dialog. Otherwise, this show now ROCKS!! And I would love to see them in 1st or 2nd in percussion in Bloomington. For many corps, including 'Coats, changes are just the nature of the business. Sometimes staff makes them because THEY personally want something different. Sometimes they make them because the judges are not sold on an idea. Even the changes the Cadets have made are working and very good. For me, their problem is still their script. They go from this highly patriotic-like opening statement, "We hold these truths to be self evident," and then they shift too abruptly into Sarah wanting to talk about happiness because she is a grandmother. And why would we do a radio show on that? They need to remove narration like "You seem to have had a lot of boyfriends," and stuff like that. It makes people thing Sarah is a slut. The story just drifts and wanders, yet the corps is really hitting those amazing performance levels we typically see from the Cadets. I did enjoy their drill and their music from the FN of Allentown. Boy were they "ON." So, many of their changes are working, now if they can make a few more re-writes of the narration, I think they can present a great show at Bloomington. Cavaliers have made some subtle changes, but nothing earth shattering. However, they really didn't need to. Their show to me is the most seamless, coherent show on the field, and it is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love it, I really do, but I have one slight issue with their brass book being perhaps on the safer and easier side. But I could be wrong about that, too. BD has not changed a whole lot either, but again they have been in good shape for the most part. Now that they have been defeated, you may see them try a few new wrinkles, but nothing overdone. One thing about these guys, and other corps often don't take advantage of this, is that BD knows how to CLEAN, and I believe they understand that sometimes judges can't get the true effect until something is perfectly clean. I am sure judges have asked for changes or made comments about their show from a variety of standpoints, yet I think BD is able to stay-the-course better than most and allow something to clean before abandoning the idea. Crown should be in good shape. They just need to clean and they have a shot at top 3. SCV needs to clean as well, but my worry with them is they made too many changes early and mid-season, and ultimately that can be difficult. They now look pretty good, but I still think 'Coats are better and cleaner. Visual should be strong come finals, but the caption I think that will hold them back is Music GE and some performance captions. Glassmen have made tons of changes, and they have really worked well. So have Crossmen. It will be interesting to see where these two come up in Bloomington. Madison is really going to factor in now as well, and they have been tearing it up over the last few weeks. We may see them back in the top 12. So overall, many of the changes have worked, but some shows have not had the time to clean those changes, and that's what hurts. The script changes in Cadets show is a case-in-point where they have hurt their overall GE, yet the corps is better. This illustrates the problem with narration, and it shows why using it can be very dangerous and difficult. As for the comment above (quoted), let's get off this soapbox about GH announcing Cadets' plans to march as Holy Name and celebrate Bernstein. Any corps at any time can market their product the way they chose. It shows NO disrespect to the current corps members at all. It is what it is, an advertisement for next year, and this is the best time to catch young people who are currently not marching and are interested in where they may go next year. It's called good business. People can look at this as some admittance of failure for this year, so the announcement serves to soften that blow, but I honestly don't think Cadets are all that unhappy with where they are, and their members are performing amazingly well. It's the script most people don't like, and too much narration, but I think we all can see what amazing performers they are. And so, if we can see that, then why would WE not value what the current corps is doing just because of some announcement? Did that announcement make people angry with the current Cadets? DId it make people feel sorry for them? Really? This is no different than buying a nice new computer and getting your support for it, and two weeks later that company is marketing their newest, most advanced machine, and all the talk is about that machine. But as long as you are happy with your computer, who cares? As long as the company gave you a product or experience that you value, then who cares! Not all corps MUST wait to the end of the season to announce future plans. BD has already announced going to Europe next summer. I bet that ought to help with recruiting. I think that's smart business, and in the grand scheme of things, these corps are in the business of recruiting talented young people and trying their best to stay a World Class corps that competes well and offers a great experience and education to their members. It's a 12-month business, and as with any business there are peak times of the year for various kinds of marketing, services, and so forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetman1287 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 (edited) I know exactly what the original poster is talking about. I saw the Cadets live last night and was disappointed with some of the musical arrangement changes they had made. It seems that in an effort to make the music more clear, more "readable" to the box, they tightened up the phrases and it ended up sounding less emotional. It was definitely performed better than in previous weeks but that is not always the point for fans! I'm a Cadets fan so that's why I reference their changes, but I notice most of the corps are moving towards clarity and sacrificing emotional stuff. Edited August 3, 2008 by jetman1287 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 (edited) Oh my GOD, I've Made a disaster out of the 2008 show. Can you guys do some rewrites while I go sulk by the dumpster to come up something newsworthy to take the heat off the kids ?Le's see......................what will tug at heart Strings HOLY NAME !..................gooD goooD lets announce will be doing a "honor" show to Holy Name and look, lenny would havew been close to 100.................it's a wrap. But ALAS, NO ONE CHECKED WITH ROSIE O DONNALD TO GET HER APPROVAL....................... and George, like a muppet show persona, must learn the lessons about jumping too soon. What the...?? "Your Honor, move to strike, post is nonresponsive and ridiculously inflammatory, even by DCP standards." /funny though //yeah, celebrating Allentown with one drink too many at 3 in the morning?? Edited August 3, 2008 by Peel Paint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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