Who has something to prove in 2009?

[Matt_S]

Actually, I'm thinking about this for the very first time. When has amplified voice been used as a crutch? The worst use of voice that I can think of in finals came from Boston in 2004, but that wasn't a crutch. It was a design implementation that didn't actually match or assist anything else the corps was doing, and for that reason fell flat on its face.

I don't think you can call anything the Cadets did in 2007 and 2008 a crutch either. They told a story that included elements that couldn't be communicated through marching and playing alone. Oh sure they could have interpreted the story through marching and playing, as the corps proper did, but they'd have had to pass out a libretto prior to the show to communicate the show completely - and when you're passing out a libretto you're relying on words just as heavily as when you used amplified voice. The decision of where to have those words is a design decision alone, and while the use of words at all might be a 'crutch' to some, in these cases I would argue that the words are a necessary part of the specific show being produced.

The best example I can think of where voice would qualify as a crutch would be with the Bluecoats in 2008, and (to a much lesser extent) in 2007. Most egregiously, we don't need to hear "Mick" to know that our protagonist is training to get better after getting KTFO'd. There are other uses of vocalization in that show that I very much enjoyed, but quite honestly that entire section would have been just fine with no vocals at all. In fact, for some time I've been thinking about an essay exploring Bluecoats 2008, as the perfect exhibit for both constructive and destructive use of amplified voice....

If there are shows where you think amplified voice is a 'crutch', please be specific. Give me shows, so that we can discuss them. I'm actually quite interested to hear how conveying an idea through voice is any less authentic than conveying an idea through an act as literal as riding an actual bicycle during a show about the Tour de France.

[soccerguy315]

And yes, it IS a design crutch to have someone verbally state a concept to the audience instead of taking the time to figure out how to convey the concept through music and visualization.

You would never have figured out the Cadets show was about a "pursuit of happiness" without their vocals in 2008. In this sense, the vocals added something to the show... added meaning (good or bad meaning is debatable, but the vocals were important to the show).

Now, on the other hand, the 2008 Bluecoats show had lots of unnecessary vocals, aka, all of them were unnecessary. The vocals in the Bluecoats show did nothing to change the meaning of the show, or to improve the final product.

If the Bluecoats had no vocals, their show would've been exactly the same. If the Cadets had no vocals, their show would have been substantially different.

IMO

[Hrothgar15]

All drum corps shows are both audial and visual.

No, some of my all-time favorite drum corps shows I've never seen the visual portion of. Try again.

Sitting in the stands with your eyes closed doesn't make any more sense than watching with your ears covered.

I do this all the time at shows. Next.

Why do they sell the CDs, but not DVDs with no audio?

Edited December 30, 2008 by Hrothgar15

[MidTN Mello]

I think where people have a bone to pick with amped vocals, is that while yes it is audial, it isn't music.

According to my International Baccalaureate Music book, music is sound with musical intent(or something like that, I don't have the book on me). So spoken word, if intended by the staff to be music, is music. 4'33" by John Cage? I personally believe that where people have a bone to pick with amped vocals is that it's something people aren't used to yet.

[MidTN Mello]

Why do they sell the CDs, but not DVDs with no audio?

You can mute the TV?

[bawker]

I personally believe that where people have a bone to pick with amped vocals is that it's something people aren't used to yet.

Twenty plus years of it in the marching band world has given it plenty of time to get used to . . .it's just that it's never been used that well in either idiom, IMO, with only a very few exceptions.

[Matt_S]

All drum corps shows are both audial and visual.

No, some of my all-time favorite drum corps shows I've never seen the visual portion of. Try again.

Sitting in the stands with your eyes closed doesn't make any more sense than watching with your ears covered.

I do this all the time at shows. Next.

Sticking your head in the sand doesn't mean the world ceases to exist. Ignoring an element in a drum corps show doesn't mean it isn't there.

[rut-roh]

No, some of my all-time favorite drum corps shows I've never seen the visual portion of. Try again.

Irrelevant. Whether or not you have actually seen the show has nothing to do with the fact that the recording you're enjoying was made live with the corps presenting an audio/visual package to the audience.

I do this all the time at shows. Next.

Haha, whatever floats your boat. Personally, I think that's beyond silly. Regardless, drum corps shows are designed to be experienced LIVE, with the audio and visual happening all at once.

Why do they sell the CDs, but not DVDs with no audio?

Hey, CD's are fine, but drum corps don't design shows primarily for the CD. If the show sounds good on CD, great. But corps design shows primarily for the LIVE AUDIENCE. For the competition at the end of the year in the big stadium. Recordings, be they audio or audio/visual are nice, but NOTHING can duplicate what it's like to be there and experience it live.

[Silver_King]

For me, Troopers need to prove that they can continue to climb and not level off in semifinal territory. They need to keep climbing. IMO, looking ahead to 2011 and beyond, their pinnacle is fighting for finals with Surf, Crusaders, Crossmen, Glassmen, and (perhaps) Colts. Who knows, maybe they can become a fixture in the finals landscape with the likes of Blue Stars and Scouts?

so the blue stars are guarenteed a spot in finals and are not fighting because they made it in one year?

[Hrothgar15]

Sticking your head in the sand doesn't mean the world ceases to exist. Ignoring an element in a drum corps show doesn't mean it isn't there.

You're missing the point entirely.

Think about it this way. One of my favorite shows last year was the Blue Stars show. It was musically impeccable, and that's all I really need. It was a treat seeing that show five or six times throughout the summer just to hear that hornline and drumline play. They had some pretty killer drill too. Apparently it was something about a bicycle race. I don't know, I didn't really pay attention. I mean, obviously I knew that that was the theme, and it was a great way to tie this wonderful show together, but I focused on the musical and visual performance of the event (and I'm sure many in the audience did as well). The theme in no way represents the show for me.

Now, when I listen to the show (how I and many others enjoy a large majority of drum corps shows) or watch it on high cam, I can just forget about the theme for the most part and continue to enjoy the show. I tried watching it on multi-cam once, but I just couldn't stand it. Dripping with cheese, almost unbearable. But here's the kicker: it was designed so that one can fully enjoy the show, and make sense out of it, in multiple different ways, including or ignoring different elements. But you know what the great thing is? I never have to watch it that way again, and I can continue to enjoy the show. Maybe when someone else viewed the show, they focused on the guard and the bicycle theme, and treated the music as an afterthought. That person also fully enjoyed the show but in a different way.

See what I mean?