Jared_mello Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 im a horn player whose only 'percussion experience' is having marched drum corps for five years (alongside one of the best lines in dci for what its worth), and somewhat recently gaining an "ear" for drumlines. basically i can tell clean from not-quite-clean, and have a reasonable idea of what's hard and what's not. why aren't the bluecoats scoring higher in percussion? i love listening to them, especially the battery. most people noted that the pit was too loud (i agree) but i wouldn't envision this being a bad thing for the percussion section as a whole. going on 7th to last certainly didn't help the hornline last year; is that what's hurting the drumline this year? surely there are some percussionists on dcp that can enlighten me. maybe point out something that other lines are doing better? thanks in advance for sharing.....i see that they came in 3rd tonight, which is good to see. still, what else does it take? i've heard phantom's drumline is incredible this year but for some reason, maybe because of the writing, their performances over the last few years rarely stand out to me. feedback on the hornline is welcomed too, i guess....after tonight, i officially feel that they're being underscored also. :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kekkles Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 (edited) the biggest thing i noticed with the bluecoats battery in relation to other top lines is difficulty. and i mean, in a big way. over the past couple of years, i've noticed sections of their books that are simpler than high school warm up exercises. they're very clean and fairly musical, but so are the other top lines, but more so. it's not enough. Edited August 9, 2008 by Kekkles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzEuph Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I've got little experience with drumline, but I did bass drum in high school and taught indoor recently as a visual tech. With that said, the notes Phantom is throwing down is incredible. Paul Rennick has my favorite book this year. And Cavies, well it's only a matter of time with Cascella writing for them. Cavies line this year is rockin too. I've only listen to Bluecoats limited amount back in early season. My thoughts were that they played clean back then, but that their book wasn't as demanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big old drummer man Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 yeah i think a lot of what is hurting the bluecoats percussion section is going on in the 7th place slot. the other thing is the battery isn't dirty by any means. in fact, they are crystal clear. the only dirt they get is section to section. tenors to snares, pit to battery, etc. and all of that is because they play in some of the most demanding listening environments i've ever seen. for instance, their drum feature, when they drum on the speedbag poles. they are drumming crazy notes in a huge spread. they are doing a great job of it, but still, the ticks in that are front to back, not side to side. if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickcheeses Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I gotta be honest, I don't feel like a lack of difficulty is an issue at all with that line. There are a few spots that may seem "simple", but they are necessary for the effect of the moment (i.e. Intro sequence for the battery). Also, simple isn't necessarily easy... These guys are drumming a ton, and drumming great. Honest opinion: just not as consistent. At this point in the game that's what it takes, 100%, 100% of the time. I may be biased, but these guys are great, and the book is off the hook. Just has to be perfect in order to win. -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TastyWaves Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I've got little experience with drumline, but I did bass drum in high school and taught indoor recently as a visual tech.With that said, the notes Phantom is throwing down is incredible. Paul Rennick has my favorite book this year. And Cavies, well it's only a matter of time with Cascella writing for them. Cavies line this year is rockin too. I've only listen to Bluecoats limited amount back in early season. My thoughts were that they played clean back then, but that their book wasn't as demanding. I think the demand is there, and in the battery, the clarity is pretty strong. I dont think the front ensemble is getting the same exposure that the battery is getting so balance may not be AS strong as the other top cats. And honestly, The percussion field is just HOT this year. BD, Crown, Cavs, PR of course... the front runners, and even Cadets, SCV and way down the ladder, Spirit doing exceptionally well this year. Any other year, this might have been a top 3 perc section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared_mello Posted August 9, 2008 Author Share Posted August 9, 2008 yeah, the vertical alignment. that's a good point, but doesn't that go down on the music ensemble sheets as opposed to the percussion ones? i could understand if not, but thats not the impression i had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big old drummer man Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 the biggest think i noticed with the bluecoats battery in relation to other top lines is difficulty. and i mean, in a big way. over the past couple of years, i've noticed sections of their books that are simpler than high school warmup exercises. they're very clean and fairly musical, but so are the other top lines, and it's not enough. i wholeheartedly disagree. their book is extremely difficult. something for you horn players to consider is that space is incredibly difficult. it's the space between the notes that either opens up or closes down to cause the tick. the bluecoats have tons of space in their book at times, and at other times cram ridiculous amounts notes into each bar. space is what made star 93 such an amazing drum book. it's almost easier to be constantly playing. it's funny, b/c on dcp, all the horn players talk about how easy they think bluecoats book is, but over on the drumhard.com forums, there was actually a thread wondering if the bluecoats were playing the hardest book ever. remember, having space opens the doorway for ticks. plus, the snares have tons of cold-attack accented fresh rolls (rolls with no tap in the beginning), which are very difficult, including an entirely exposed one when no one else is playing right after the first impact of the show, i believe. if not, it's somewhere near the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big old drummer man Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 yeah, the vertical alignment. that's a good point, but doesn't that go down on the music ensemble sheets as opposed to the percussion ones? i could understand if not, but thats not the impression i had. it probably goes on both the perc 2 judge (in the box) and the music ensemble judge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared_mello Posted August 9, 2008 Author Share Posted August 9, 2008 it's funny, b/c on dcp, all the horn players talk about how easy they think bluecoats book is, but over on the drumhard.com forums, there was actually a thread wondering if the bluecoats were playing the hardest book ever. remember, having space opens the doorway for ticks. i just checked out the forums over there. mac himself actually responded to the thread that was made, in which the 'hardest book ever' thing was suggested. thanks for the redirect, i hadn't considered it, but it was a pretty insightful visit. it makes sense that what was mentioned earlier would wind up on the perc 2 sheet. another drumline that was mentioned over there is another one of my favorites......bk '99. small, if i remember correctly (6 or 7 snares?) but incredibly clean and aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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