How difficult is it?

[JOHNNY_A]

(1) Don't overlook 2 mallets.....I have seen more than one player emphasize 4 so much that when it came time to play a "chops required" part just using 2, they had problems.. I would have a decent 2 mallet solo as well as 4 mallet prepared...

(2) If you can do Stevens 4-mallet techique well, great....use it.....but if you are not really good with it, it is better to use

standard grip or Musser and do it well than to do Stevens poorly......

(3) all of the phrasing in the world does not fix bad notes.....play as accurately as possible....

(4) as others have stated, having great technique on other instruments that are used in the pit

(concert cymbals, suspended cymbals, BD, gong, accessories) can give you an edge......if you do

not know the best techniques on these, a few lessons with a decent college or orchestra

percussion person could be of great benefit.....

If you are cut, go elsewhere.....there are spots for EVERYONE in this activity, and enough decent instruction at all levels

that you will benefit.....too many people lose out when they don't make their "dream corps" and then go home, and that's it...

Good luck, and hopefully we will be hearing you on the field next year!

GB

I as well agree what this poster has told you. I also agree if you dont make Crown not to be discouraged. Cracking a top 5 corps your first try is tough. Going to the likes of Crossmen, Glassmen, Colts ect. for a year of experience would not hurt.

One thing to add. I would contact the pit arranger via email from Crowns site and just ask what to practice and what they look for in auds. I do know Lee Beddis very well who is their percusion caption head. He is a perfectionist beyond belief, he will get the most out of you and his staff is always top notch.

Good luck to ya!

[PhanFan]

Nice Panoramic Pic you got there of Retreat.

Thanks!

care to share???

Edited August 16, 2008 by PhanFan

[PhantomCadet1934]

care to share???

Feel free to save to your computers, just don't use it anywhere without giving me credit.

-Chris Bruce

Link- Posted on Imageshack.us

[pitkid88]

What about a Xylophone position? Does the xylo player need to know 4-mallet? Burton on Stevens?

[big old drummer man]

you gotta have mad 2 mallet chops to play xylo these days. and you'll have to know 4 mallet techniques. it would help to know both.

crown's pit has been in the top 3 or 4 pits in the activity the last few years, so good luck!

[sds554]

I as well agree what this poster has told you. I also agree if you dont make Crown not to be discouraged. Cracking a top 5 corps your first try is tough. Going to the likes of Crossmen, Glassmen, Colts ect. for a year of experience would not hurt.

Um, I want people to march but going somewhere "just for the experience" is not something that other corps look favorably upon. Vets who leave do not help the organization get better. Just saying. I dont advocate marching somewhere knowing that you're going to be leaving the next year. That's not fair to the people you're marching with. Yes a year with another corps will help you, but it does not look well... not well at all.

[Kekkles]

Um, I want people to march but going somewhere "just for the experience" is not something that other corps look favorably upon. Vets who leave do not help the organization get better. Just saying. I dont advocate marching somewhere knowing that you're going to be leaving the next year. That's not fair to the people you're marching with. Yes a year with another corps will help you, but it does not look well... not well at all.

it's important to note that this is the position of the corps you're leaving, not the corps to which you're going.

[BanditKir]

I guess I'll add my thoughts.

As far as 4 mallet technique is concerned, these days a firm grasp of Stevens is not really optional for a top 17 corps. Burton is disappearing from the few corps that used it and any other grips are virtually unheard of in division 1 corps. In audition packets corps will usually send you a primer on 4 mallet technique but if this is where you're first seeing it then frankly you're in trouble.

I, however, definitely do not want to discourage anybody from going to camps. The average high school player does not have access to anywhere near the quality of instructors you will find at a drum corps camp. Even if you don't think you have much of a shot this year, in my opinion it is an absolute must that you check out the corps you are interested in and see how they approach their mallet technique so that you can be better prepared to come back the next year.

While the advice to make sure you march somewhere is definitely a good one, you need to be aware that mallet playing probably varies the widest among percussion instruments when it comes to what is considered acceptable technique. I have even heard stories of people who spent summers with a corps using techniques that would not be considered correct anywhere else. When auditioning for a corps instructors will want to see you be able to incorporate the adjustments they give you and if you have had certain things they might consider egregious pounded into you for an entire summer you will certainly struggle to "break the old habits" as it were. I think as long as you keep an analytical mind to what you are learning (knowing why you are using such techniques, etc.) then you will have an easier time adapting to other approaches.

As far as xylophone goes, while it's true the spot usually goes to the person who has excellent 2 mallet technique, they almost always must be fairly competent at 4 mallet technique. Not necessarily because the book calls for it, but because the spot will often times end up going to somebody who did not quite have the 4 mallet chops for a marimba spot. These days marimba seems to be what everybody has their eye on and you really need to be phenomenal at both 2 and 4 mallet technique to get on there. Heck, many corps today don't even have xylophone spots (see Cavaliers with 5 marimbas and 4 vibes). It takes more 2 mallet chops to play the same passage on marimba than it does on xylophone since the xylo has the most rebound. It takes even more on vibes but vibe books are usually written lighter.

I once met a guy who auditioned for rack and was excited because he thought anybody who came in auditioning specifically for rack was a shoe in. Not necessarily so. Most corps can easily fill rack spots ten times over with people cut from the battery. If you truly aim for a rack spot then you'll have to be prepared to defend your spot from people getting cut from other sections. This doesn't include drum set players as that's a completely separate skill.

I save the number one rule for last. If you're auditioning for a corps, memorize all of your music! I was dumbfounded by how many people show up to auditions not having even looked at the music. Knowing all the exercises when you walk in the door is the easiest way to get noticed.

To answer the original question, I don't think making a pit is too hard, but it does require some planning. And my final advice is... don't play Yellow After the Rain as your solo if you can. It's just not a great way to stand out.

[Bucbari]

What is the standard for division 1 pits during the audition? I want to audition for either Carolina Crown's pit or Boston for the 2009 season. I Am 15 and I think I'm ok with mallets, but I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on what the "big guys" look for in auditionees. Is it based only on skill or what? I am new to the drum corps world, so I feel a little clueless and lost right now.

Thanks

I'm going to suggest something that might be considered heresy here on this forum....You don't say where you are living right now. Everyones advice is fantastic but most importantly March somewhere even if you get cut.

Some where might be out in Reading PA with the Bucs. Their pit is a killer group and if you marched there for a year or 2 IMHO you can march whereever you want.