That thump you just heard was my father rolling over in his grave

[bawker]

i love dcp

scouts decide to use synth. dcp: "eh, we'll wait and see. it might be really cool!"

cadets decide to use synth. dcp: "george hopkins is destroying the activity, and should resign immediately!"

For most people, it goes like this:

Scouts: No history of usage of new tools in an overdone way (yet). Benefit of the doubt for the first season for most folks.

Cadets: Plenty of usage, to varying effect. Not much of a guess which way this goes with electronics, either.

We all have our personal biases, no?

[Walter]

An experienced "synthesizer player" well as a lot of old school drum corps fans are going to say "I guess I won't be watching Madison this season !!"

But then again maybe I'll take my holidays up north and not go to DCI, if this is the way it's going.

[BigSnareline]

It'll be a good while before that happens, though. . .but that is a cute little bit of fear-mongering.

I give you 2/10 concern troll points.

Mod Fight!!

[Jeff Ream]

Could you paraphrase please? I don't understand the innuendo?

if you dont do what the big boys do, you sit outside looking in

[TastyWaves]

Big frikin deal. The Madison Scouts are using a synth. So are alot of other drum corps. They are doing it to keep up with the joneses so to speak and to stay competitive. DCI has made it perfectly clear what corps need to bring to the table to be competitive and it includes amplified pit, voice and the use of synth. The world will not end. We'll see how you all feel in July when every Scouts supporter is #### -ing themselves over the Scouts show no matter how good or bad they may be. They are simply doing what it current in DCI.

Wow.. I still cannot understand how people insist on trying to put this nonsense about "having to use electronics to be competitive" and garbage like that on DCI. Its ALLOWED .. not REQUIRED.

If anyone can please tell me how much synth, voice or narratives EITHER of the last 3 DCI Champions have used, i will give you a buffallo Nickel.

In fact, other than 2005, (where the winning corps was CLEARLY the best on the field musically, visually, and in execution regardless of the implemantation of electronics), it seems to have hurt more corps than it has helped.

At any rate, im very excited about these additions. As always im excited to see what my Favorite corps (BD Phantom) bring, but with the Bluecoats staff additions, this electronic thing is going to be AMAZING. Hopefully Madison uses it well too.

T

[TastyWaves]

i love dcp

scouts decide to use synth. dcp: "eh, we'll wait and see. it might be really cool!"

cadets decide to use synth. dcp: "george hopkins is destroying the activity, and should resign immediately!"

Exactly.

I "LOL"ed at that too.

I would bet 537$ that if you gave Phantom Regiment the EXACT same show cadets did 06, (white rabbit, girl in red dress singing and everything) that half of these people would hail it as "Genius" and "Changing the Activity".

By the same flip, you could have given the drill, music and the total "Spartacus" package to Cadets and people would have said it was "terrible", "useless rehash", "Garbage" "Fire hopkins! hes destroying drum corps".

You just gotta laugh it off.

[dancingfrog]

Is it me, or does this band carry their bass drums like snares?

There was a time the the Lackawana, NY Melodiers All Girl Corps carried their bass drums like snares.

[LAMystreaux]

if you dont do what the big boys do, you sit outside looking in

Ohhhhhh! I always thought it was, if you weren't as good as others, you sit outside looking in. Thanks for clearing that up.

[MikeD]

As usual, you miss the point, Mike. If they are merged there is NO choice.

I guess there is also no choice if I want to watch a 1970 drum corps either. They are also gone like the dodo bird. As always, drum corps changes over time in ALL areas, music and visual. Bemoaning something as irrelevant as a lack of "choice" to hear an unmicced, or un-synthed corps is, IMO, silly.

Again, it's MHO. No one else has to agree, as I am sure many here on DCP do not.

The problem is that once these things get introduced, even if they suck it's almost impossible to get them reversed. Case in point, Tim Kviz' attempt to overturn electronics and amplification last year. The instructors didn't even consider his proposals before summarily dismissing them.

He got to present his case, so yes, DCI did give them the consideration they deserved.

So, what if electronics suck? What then?

IMO, they've never sounded good in marching band. Who's to think they'll really sound any better in drum corps?

Garry in Vegas

Because IMO you are dead wrong in your MB assessment. I have heard many excellent uses of all sorts of electronic instruments over the past 30 years. Also many terrible uses (and many all along the spectrum), but that goes for ANY aspect of MB and DC. It's not the existence of the tools that counts, it's how they are used.

[crfrey71]

The Top 10 things overheard at a drum corps show or on DCP in 2009, in regards to the synthesizer:

1. "That synth break was awesome!"

2. "I always loved that Beverly Hills Cop theme!"

3. "Too much reverb"

4. "There are phasing issues with the brass and synth"

5. "Is it live or Memorex?"

6. "There are intonation issues with their synth"

7. "The synth is drowning out the pit"

8. "They need to clean up the synth part"

9. "I need more cowbell!"

10. "Might as well jump, JUMP!" (Van Halen's Jump from the 1984 album)

Edited October 16, 2008 by crfrey71