The viper

[I play the baritone good]

I don't know what the head-chopper is, but the viper had been around for a long time and it's always been called the viper. Inside the SCV equipment truck there's even a little sticker on the wall that has step-by-step instructions on how to do it (with drawn pictures). It's pretty awesome.

[perc2100]

I love, love, LOVE this years show but I would say it is MUCH more about tradition than innovation.

It's innovative by embracing tradition and 'scoffing' at current design trends (FFF impacts every 90 seconds, crazy drill at all times, whether it fits the music or not, it doesn't have crazy brass runs or anything that is not practically 100% from the source material, etc). It seems odd that a show that feels like such an old-school throw-back show design is actually innovative, but it is indeed one of the most innovative shows on the field this year.

[Gbassman5]

Wait....that's the 2nd to last tune in the show....and they had it at the very end. When was the last time they put TWO Vipers in the same show?

The one you referenced can't be seen on the FN vid, since the focus is on the tenors or the hornline.

i believe that was the only time they've had it there twice. the one in the drum solo (on that video) was in the show the ENTIRE season. the one at the end was added fairly late in the season when they totally changed the ending to be a feature of the cymbals making it through the maze and coming together to do the viper again and make the V at the end...was a VERY cool concept, fit their show design PERFECTLY. and, it was added because the end of their show that year was SUPER aggressive..

to who ever said that they've seen every SCV show and NEVER seen the viper: you must be BLIND or only watching like the guard or something...they've done it EVERY year, and a lot of times near the front sideline...it seems like they generally do it during a drum solo (tends to be more aggressive part of show). who have you been watching? why are you not watching the cymbals when you see SCV???? even SCVC does the viper sometimes!!!!

[Wildabeast]

the one at the end was added fairly late in the season when they totally changed the ending to be a feature of the cymbals making it through the maze and coming together to do the viper again and make the V at the end...was a VERY cool concept, fit their show design PERFECTLY.

Heh, on a side note, the ending of this year's show reminds me of that maze move in '03.

[Cardman]

Go look up Spirit's 2004 cymbal I&E. It's incredible . Also any other cymbal line taught by Eddie Capps. People like him are pushing the boundaries of cymbal playing. There's no telling what you'll see next.

This past year in WGI, Odyssey's cymbal line (also taught by Eddie Capps) had a solo with half of them on the other half's shoulders, playing on each other's cymbals.. Kind of hard to explain. Type in "Odyssey percussion 2009" and look for it at the end of the show.

Rawk.

Yeah, the Madison Scouts cymbal line did that shoulder move (upside down) way back in 1991 or 92 for I&E. Nothing new.

Edited August 1, 2009 by Cardman

[It's Godzilla!]

People often confuse innovative with good. Innovative just means new. Blowing into the bell of the horn instead of the mouthpiece, for example, would be innovative.

Nah, they did that in American Pie.