Show concepts

[kusankusho]

For anyone who wants to play the "fewer drum corps now" card, I'll continue to play the "total number of competitive marching musicians" card... jus' sayin'. Competitive high school marching bands have taken the place of the smaller community drum corps, for better or for worse, but there are more kids now learning the lessons that this and similar activities can offer. To me, that's the important part.

I guess my point is that a fewer quantity of drum corps isn't necessarily indicative of the death, or even the decline of the activity. Just a shift to a different model.

So - if every drum corps in DCI goes out of existence, but the British army starts up 30 or so new regimental brass bands, it's a win, right?

[jjeffeory]

Yeah, if you are with 10 yards of the arc otherwise they are softer than most big 10 bands and project about the same.

Most big ten bands like Ohio State? You know they have 168 brass every year, right?

One could argue that they're a drum corps now.

[JimF-LowBari]

I prefer the overall sound of a G hornline, but I want to make sure that nobody is confused by lies: exactly nobody on here has ever said that only Bb and F honrlines can be in tune.

LOL, I go to DCA and can't tell the ####### difference.

Then again I'm a mouth breather who never got no musically dee-gree I just know enough about reading them squiggly things (aka notes) to know what buttons (aka valves) to push and when. And I never heard of no "dead zone" except when talking about what's between some peoples ears.

Seriously have a degree in Computer Science which U somehow mahanged to keep up to date over the decades.

[JimF-LowBari]

So - if every drum corps in DCI goes out of existence, but the British army starts up 30 or so new regimental brass bands, it's a win, right?

Why did I think of Alumni type corps when I read this? Irony is one of our members is in HNC this year.

[Lance]

LOL, I go to DCA and can't tell the ####### difference.

Then again I'm a mouth breather who never got no musically dee-gree I just know enough about reading them squiggly things (aka notes) to know what buttons (aka valves) to push and when. And I never heard of no "dead zone" except when talking about what's between some peoples ears.

Seriously have a degree in Computer Science which U somehow mahanged to keep up to date over the decades.

I have English and History degrees, but I can tell a g line by the bass sound most of the time. I miss the volume in DCI.

[cadet93]

But why not add twists to older pieces of music as to make them fresh again? Honestly, I thought there was A LOT of power in many of the corps that performed Saturday. Yes the show concepts have become more complex, but I know that I have enjoyed many of them. One show that stood out was Bluecoats this year. It wasn't my favorite show in Atl, but the concept was really quite clever and I appreciated how they presented it. It really was great. Honestly, I'm not really sure what you mean by "regular people." Because last time I checked, 99.95% of the people that attend shows are apart of music programs in some way, whether it is someone who performs or a parent that participated in their child's music programs.

Very well said Patrick. Congrats on Cadet of the year.

[luvah]

I prefer the overall sound of a G hornline, but I want to make sure that nobody is confused by lies: exactly nobody on here has ever said that only Bb and F honrlines can be in tune.

I miss the trombones from marching band. and I want bass clarinets. well, just give me all the clarinets then as well--but no saxes. A couple of flutes wouldn't hurt--

About the volume thing: do you think corps are not as loud because they have kids "sucking on their horns"-- ie. not playing the parts--just executing the super athletic drill? As that what's going on here? Because if so--I don't think a horn is as appealing visually is a flag would be--just give them all flags and have them run around on the field doing syncronised gymnastics--

I'm sure w/ the scoring weighted to the visual captions someone could win DCI by just having a mic'd pit orchestra and a dancing color guard.-- well obvious exageration but you get the idea.

[Tez]

This volume argument is getting ridiculous.

The way some people make it sound is that the hornlines of old were 2 or 3 times louder than today's brass. I simply refuse to believe this. I'll admit... I never heard live drum corps until 2002, but I have two music degrees and generally know how musical instruments work.

I do think that past hornlines probably were a little louder (because of the instruments dimensions), but the difference in loudness can not have been more than 9 or 10%.

If you watch many of the corps today closely when they are hitting their "power chords", the members are pushing serious air through the horns. Why would they spend so much time doing breathing exercises if they weren't going to really go for it?

And why do hornlines need to be that much freakin' louder than they already are? At one show last year, I was sitting about 30 rows up and the Bluecoats' "park 'n bark" section literally hurt my ears.... and it wasn't just me.... others I was with agreed. I really can't see why anyone needs more sound than we have now to get excited.

If you really want loud sustained noises, please go see a NASCAR race. If you sit close enough at one of those, you won't have to goo back to drum corps to get your 'loud fix.'

And as for the G vs. Bb debate.... what about in 2000? Weren't Cadets on Bb's and Cavaliers on G's.... How did their volume levels compare? Wasn't the first big hit in the Cadets' show one of the loudest moments in DCI that year?

[BOBSMYTH]

Hey - I looked it up:

It IS just you.

And, if you keep trying, it could be all about you.

Sorry - I just feel like doing that anytime someone starts a thread with the question - "Is it just me?"

[Lance]

This volume argument is getting ridiculous.

The way some people make it sound is that the hornlines of old were 2 or 3 times louder than today's brass. I simply refuse to believe this. I'll admit... I never heard live drum corps until 2002, but I have two music degrees and generally know how musical instruments work.

I do think that past hornlines probably were a little louder (because of the instruments dimensions), but the difference in loudness can not have been more than 9 or 10%.

If you watch many of the corps today closely when they are hitting their "power chords", the members are pushing serious air through the horns. Why would they spend so much time doing breathing exercises if they weren't going to really go for it?

And why do hornlines need to be that much freakin' louder than they already are? At one show last year, I was sitting about 30 rows up and the Bluecoats' "park 'n bark" section literally hurt my ears.... and it wasn't just me.... others I was with agreed. I really can't see why anyone needs more sound than we have now to get excited.

If you really want loud sustained noises, please go see a NASCAR race. If you sit close enough at one of those, you won't have to goo back to drum corps to get your 'loud fix.'

And as for the G vs. Bb debate.... what about in 2000? Weren't Cadets on Bb's and Cavaliers on G's.... How did their volume levels compare? Wasn't the first big hit in the Cadets' show one of the loudest moments in DCI that year?

It wasn't 2 or 3 times louder in the past than it is now. But it was, generally speaking, louder in the 70s-90s. It's not because I want it to be true. It's because it is true.

And I'm not saying louder is necessarily better, either. In fact, I'll take the trade-off in overall quality in the sound of horlines on Bb over what it was like a decade ago. But sometimes, I really do miss the volume.