MikeD Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Argonne Rebels circa 1972-73 The articulations in "B&B Favorites" were amazing, esp for their day...for ANY day!. I'd put that on the list, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruckner8 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Recently:Academy, '06 closer Bluecoats, '07, until they got the hose It should be pointed out that the most-difficult licks of the 07 Bloo Tuba book were not cut (opener soli and closer fugue). The "fast" notes of the hosed section of which you speak was NOT difficult. (It was "sexier" than the other licks, but easier...f minor scales...who cares?) That was hosed for "other considerations" and had nothing to do with the section's ability to play it. Obviously, everyone heard it played very well all summer, and everyone noticed it was gone. So there must be more to the story. Maybe a different effect was required, other than "dayum, listen to the tubas sound awesome here; is anyone else even playing?" At least that's what the little birdie told me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillH Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I would imagine there is a simple answer to the original question. The hardest show ever was the one each of us played! It was also the hardest drill. And we had to march and play it in a driving blizzard, uphill, both ways! There are soooo many variables in determining difficulty in music. I am frequently asked, "What is the hardest instrument to play?" My answer is that most instruments are given musical requirements to the ability of the instrument, so, at a professional level, they are all somewhat equally difficult. Add in the limitations of instruments in DC over the years (bad tuning on specific horns, valve/rotor horns, two-valve versus three-valve horns, B-flat/F versus G, etc.) and it is pretty hard to say what was hardest. Then consider the ability of the indivdual players. Is a technically moderate piece more or less hard than a technically challenging piece if it is played by a group of home-grown (taught off the street) players versus a group of music majors? And you can throw in the physical challenges of the drill also. Heck, I can't even say if it is harder to play a unison fast 16th note intervallic passage or to play really exposed chords that are sustained on the run. My vote is, it is all hard in some way (at least I hope, for challenging the members should be one of the primary goals of Drum Corps) and we should just enjoy it all! After all that '85 Cadets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad_scotty Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 '93 BD? Seriously? '93 BD? Hardest show ever? No way! That wasn't even the most challenging book that year? Seriously, I mean, have you heard Phantom, Madison and Star from '93? That was a great year for brasslines, and Blue Devils were about the fourth hardest ensemble book that year. I mean, I know a lot of you guys only gt this stuff from the discs, and BD sounded like they were cooking that year, but I saw them live several times in '93, and I was honestly a little disappointed. First off, their version of Strawberry Soup is still the squarest I've heard. And honestly, all that really ripping stuff you hear on the cd from them that year was played by about 9 guys. That show was a small ensemble/soloist feast, but a full hornline famine, the corps played a lot of long tones behind the font men that year, more so than in any BD show I've ever heard. I love the Blue Devils, really I'm a total BD fanboy (and this is coming from a Scout) but that show didn't place nearly the ensemble demand on their musicians some of you seem to think. Now 80, 84, 91, 98, 99, or 02 Devs, that I'll give ya. Right along with the 75 Muchachos, 75 81 83 88 93 95 and 96 Scouts, 83 84 87 93 98 and 02 Cadets, early 2000's Cavaliers (though I can't bear to sit through any of those shows, I'll admit they were hard to pull off), star 89-93 (except 92---ewww), and phantom 82 93 96 and 08. But 93 BD? They don't even get in the conversation as far as I'm concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 lol. okay. In 93, I'd put Star right up there with BD in terms of difficultly, but not Phantom or Madison...not even close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad_scotty Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 lol. okay. In 93, I'd put Star right up there with BD in terms of difficultly, but not Phantom or Madison...not even close. seriously man, bd's hornlines didn't play that many notes in 93. have you heard the phantom sops and mellos in 93? more impressive than anything bd's full sop line did that year, i thought. and listen to madison's book. i know we played in an absolute downpour and it was a crappy recording from finals, but our opener was the most musically challenging chart any drum corps tried that year, everyone was just flying the whole way through, and i'll put our soup against bd's any time. they had better soloists and great small ensemble work, but the hornline as a whole spent too much time playing long tones behind the solo/ensemble work and not enough swinging. all in all, a square chart. seriously, listen to the shows again back to back, bd had a clean hornline, but for sheer difficulty of book? no, not there, not for the whole line, outside of the small ensembles there just wasn't all that much meat in the 93 show. a couple of cool licks in the hornline (after all, its bd we're talking) but not one of their best books for the full ensemble. i always think of that show as bd's small big band show, after the top dozen or so guys who did all the work the rest of the hornline might as well have been the blue knights for all they got to hang it out and really play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Interesting you should say all of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellophonium Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Probably cadets mellphones, but best music is a waaaay different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad_scotty Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Interesting you should say all of that. not following here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom&Phitch Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Cadets 97 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.