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Do you "dut"?


RickCogley

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I dut all of the time. Playing contra, there are many times when I can't see a drum major. During 01's Latin Sketches show, I was on the front end of the contra line most of the time, not able to see anybody's feet. Dutting became the only way to stay in time.

Will RUBBLE Wells

Bluecoats CONTRA Line

00-02

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Dutting is a crutch for those who can't keep time themselves.

It's also one of the most hideous distractions in drum corps...a nice soft ballad where the drums are tacet for a bit..all of a sudden DUT DUT DUT DUT.....very distracting.

It must be something the person who does it is so proud of, when he plays the cd's for his friends...he says--listen..listen..now!!...his friends are going "what the #### was that ####??"..and he proudly aknowledges--that's me!

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In my personal experiance, dutting is used when part of the design of the show dictates it.  For instance one of the times i dutted last year was when we had a diamond facing backfield for the end of the ballad, the hornline held a fermatta, and then the backfield conductor counted off the ripple that started the next tune.  We spent ensemble time finding the place to put the backfield conductor on a ladder where the most people could see them, but in a form like that with plumes and horns in front of you there will be times that people can't see.  I was in a position in the form where i could see the conductor, could dut at such a volume that the people who couldn't see could hear me, but the people in the stands couldn't as long as I wasn't stupid (note you can't hear any dutting at the end of red cape tango part 1, bluecoats 2001).  

For drummers (and I'm relaying information that I don't use regularly since I'm not a drummer so feel free to correct me) dutting occurrs more regularly because of field position, their pulse responsibilities, and the aural paradox of their ensemble resposibilities.  The drumline TENDS to be the pulse pocket (ie the corps members that aren't watching the DM for time listen to the drums for time so the drums have to be exactly with the major) and TENDS to be behind most of the corps during ensemble moments (with respect to field placement).  The aural paradox is that they need to listen like crazy to play together, but they need to shut off their ears to ignore the hornline.  Since your ears automatically lock on to tempo, the solution is to have someone (or everyone) dut with the drum major's conducting pattern so that there is an aural cue of tempo to lock onto other than the hornline (which generally sounds very behind from the pulse pocket).  

With all of that said, dutting seems to end up on the CD in cases where either there isn't enough ambient noise to cover the dutting (for instance after the drum break in candelabra rhumba, bluecoats 2001) or the corps isn't clean enough to get to the point where you ask people to dut softer so they dont make the CD (fabich dutting in autumn leaves in 98).  Since neither of those covers your allusion to cavies 95...

a nice soft ballad where the drums are tacet for a bit..all of a sudden DUT DUT DUT DUT.....very distracting.

I'm not sure, maybe there was a machismo thing there.  If it's any consolation, they did have the guard make fun of dutting 99...

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The best dutting is when you can't tell there is someone dutting. Takes skill to do this.

As a DM, I dutt all the time, for me. If I dutt in my had, the tempo speeds up for me, I only do this when I feel the corps tearing or I need to feel secure.

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When we couldn't see the dm, we were told to watch the drumline's feet.  The drumline did dut.  The only time anyone in the horn line had to dut was at the opening of the show when we were in a tight form at the back corner of the field and couldn't see the dm count off.  Then we had one contra player at the front do the duts.   We did bop the show a few times and it did help.  :)

Capital Regiment baritone 01

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