Bi-Annual Rules Congress for DCA

[JimF-LowBari]

Let’s be clear, I do not hate or disrespect pits. I do believe that they have grown in size to be a major distraction and a major cost.

Gotta be the era or age as I started soon after Johnny Bravo... oops the Oz marched.

Didn't go to any shows from 1992 or so until 2003, during which the pits bulked up in a big way. Maybe it's because I didn't see a gradual growth but seeing 8-10 marimbas/bells/whatever seems like overkill to me. I've been asked why so many "bells" and I can do is shrug. And my concern is corps with less deep pockets will be at a handicap without all the stuff up front.

Back OT:

Minor crap: How about adding an extra minute between corps during Prelims so we can hear a street beat without it being part of the warm up?

Major crap: How does DCA handle long term planning and study or the direction All Age corps is going? More of that if little is being done.

Edit: Regarding props, this year MBI did not use props unlike the last two years (can't remember any further back). Interesting they went to #2 with a straight drum/honrs/guard show.

Edited October 15, 2008 by JimF-3rdBari

[Dale Bari]

Pictures at an Exhibition..... great piece. Saw the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra do this a few years ago, and they blew us away.

I would love to see a corps that plays classical music....with a big, powerful horn line..... *****cough, cough..... Buccaneers...... cough, cough******* ......take on Pictures at an Exhibition some year.

The "Great Gate Of Kiev" finale would bring the house down.

Fran

So, this post has been up for about 1 entire day, and I see no reply yet from anyone at Cru. Paging the Rochester Crusaders. Hello, is anybody there? ("Is this thing on?")

OK, I know that they didn't do their entire show on PaaE, but they played "Great Gate" and "Baba Yaga" two years in a row, and they also played "The Promenade" from Pictures in 2008.

(scene... Boat: leaving. Cabin: empty. Passengers: "CrusadersNo show".)

Edited October 15, 2008 by Dale Bari

[Kyle B]

My contention is that the pit intro has become the current-day equivalent of four-for-nothing. More musical, but still a bit of a cheat. And more often than not, the remainder of the corps is running around into the starting set while the guard changes props. Oh, and check out the number of times a piece ends softly, and the pit carries on for two bars while the rest of the corps assumes a “dramatic pose”.

If I’m knocking anything, I’m knocking the arrangers and show designers for overusing the pit.

Man, if I got tempo from the pit when I was in Crossmen 2002, I would have never got my feet in tempo, especially coming on the field from a far corner in Wisconsin.

And really, why would you be listening up front to the pit for tempo?

[Kyle B]

Let’s be clear, I do not hate or disrespect pits. I do believe that they have grown in size to be a major distraction and a major cost.

One other thing...if corps can afford the cost, why not?

Last time I checked, no one judges on the size, but how you use your numbers. If corps feels the need to have a big pit to allow for more sound to come through, why not? First you want to say no to amps. Fine, your perogative. But now your saying pits are too big and should be smaller. I guess what your really saying is lets reduce them to practically nothing.

Also, although my 2002, 2003 show started with a pit intro, 2006 and 2007 didn't. In fact, 2007 had no verbal command to start.

[JeromeyBush]

i wouldn't know. i missed everything Saturday due to our corps' schedule.

You mean that yellow corps with 3 1/2 people in the pit?

[JeromeyBush]

Let's be clear, I do not hate or disrespect pits. I do believe that they have grown in size to be a major distraction and a major cost. I believe that the arrangers overuse the pits for dramatic effect and for transitions between segments of the show. (More below.)

And no, I did not hate the Bucs. Nor their pit.

Why are you trying to put words in my mouth?

And, for the love of Dog, please read Post 196, where I briefly explain that my comment on converting a mallet player to bass drum was intended to be ironic (1 - Humorously sarcastic or mocking, 2 - Characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is.)

[Warning! More irony ahead!]

So just to be clear, are you insinuating that piano majors are superior to bass drummers?

Example of my "overuse" claim:

Back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the drum major started the corps with a simple command, "Mark timmmmmmee … Mark!" No air conducting or clapping eight counts to set the tempo; just the command. So that the corps got into tempo quickly, a single bass drum often belted out the famous "Four-for-Nothing". Unsophisticated and overused, but it got the job done.

So along come the musicality police and the four-for-nothing fell out of favor. No problem there. As time goes on, we arrive at today. The "conductor" flaps out eight counts and the pit plays two bars. Then the horns and drums come in.

My contention is that the pit intro has become the current-day equivalent of four-for-nothing. More musical, but still a bit of a cheat. And more often than not, the remainder of the corps is running around into the starting set while the guard changes props. Oh, and check out the number of times a piece ends softly, and the pit carries on for two bars while the rest of the corps assumes a "dramatic pose".

If I'm knocking anything, I'm knocking the arrangers and show designers for overusing the pit.

and musicality has no place in DCA,right?

[OldStyleCorps]

as Nike said about drugs.

I say:

Amps. Eletronics - JUST SAY NO !

[cixelsyd]

One other thing...if corps can afford the cost, why not?

Because some of them cannot afford the cost. I would rather see corps spend their limited funds on something more worthwhile, like attending more shows. Or just making the same shows, given rising fuel cost.

[LegalEagle50]

Because some of them cannot afford the cost. I would rather see corps spend their limited funds on something more worthwhile, like attending more shows. Or just making the same shows, given rising fuel cost.

ok so going by that same theory we should be telling corps to not get new uniforms, new horns or any other new equipment, as well keeping a limit on the staff they hire and every other thing they spend on.

what happened to the concept that it is their own managements decision of how to spend their money??!!?? til now it seems to have worked well for many corps out there. why is it suddenly a bad idea?

[MikeD]

Question: Do major metropolitan symphonies amplify their triangle player?

Major metropolitan symphonies do whatever it takes to make sure the music comes across as they want it to sound. Plus, they are performing in acoustically designed venues as opposed to ouotdoors.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but with the way writers and designers in this activity continue to push the envelope, it seems bizarre to me that they can't design their show in such a way that the marimba can be heard the way they'd like without killing the players. And for the record, I play keyboards. I have never had any problem being heard because I know how to play loud. And despite my loud playing, I have never destroyed an instrument in this fashion, nor have I developed massive wrist, hand or arm pain from playing this way. I guess my problem is that I just can't relate. I've never needed amps or even tought about using them, even in the bands I write for (where that sort of stuff is legal and common-place.)

I use mics even in the small band I write for to give the low end of the marimbas more presence as well as bringing up the vibes sound a bit. We have gotten good comments this season on our balance and blend. We also get to use much softer mallets on the marimbas and vibes that sound a lot better than the harder ones we were using.

And of course, we do have to mic the English Horn that is the featured solo in our ballad.