Drum line body movement and strutting

[MikeN]

There's only so much movement you can do when you're strapped to a device that gets in the way of your thighs and knees. I imagine 10 years from now we'll have bass drummers rolling over their drums in their (5-point?) harnesses -- I've done that before, but on accident -- but you're all welcome to come up with ways for the battery to contribute to GE. The fact remains you HAVE to continue to push the ticket if you're going to be competitive, and right now the dips and sways are standard to the scene. If you don't do it (and don't have something novel to replace it) you're not going to score as high as the battery that does.

One thing that could allow more innovation is to come up with new harnesses. The drums themselves are going to be what they're going to be, but harness has undergone quite a bit of change in the past 30 years. Maybe they need to take it a step further and find ways to lock the drums in other positions without detaching them or removing the harness.

I agree - I think honestly that this is one of those things that may change with time due to composite materials. As soon as something gets invented that's both cheap and strong, you'll see new marching drums taking advantage of it.

I know a guy who built a titanium and carbon-fiber drumline - he said the toms weighed less than 10 pounds, and the snares closer to 5. Unfortunately, the setup and materials costs for mass producing them are way too high right now. But someday, I'm willing to bet now we'll see something approximating that, and we'll see the drummers doing drill like the horns.

Mike

[Northern Thunder]

There's only so much movement you can do when you're strapped to a device that gets in the way of your thighs and knees.

Sounds like a scene from "Bruno".

[TAFL]

No one said it was hard, it just adds to the overall visual package.

It detracts from the visual package.

[ChiBoyinLA]

Some day a corps is going to go with an all-electronics battery. And the visual possibilities will be one of the reasons for doing so. It would be a lot easier to do massive body movements while carrying a little 3 pound pad rather than a bulky 30 pound bass drum. Heck, you could sew triggers into different parts of the uniform.

I think that we're going to see this in WGI very soon.

[Gaddabout]

Some day a corps is going to go with an all-electronics battery. And the visual possibilities will be one of the reasons for doing so. It would be a lot easier to do massive body movements while carrying a little 3 pound pad rather than a bulky 30 pound bass drum. Heck, you could sew triggers into different parts of the uniform.

There would need to be a massive move forward in triggering technology. The sympathetic triggers alone make this ... well, laughable. No offense. March too close to a bass drum and he's playing his instrument AND your instrument. I used triggers on my drum set, a very expensive set up, and I have to pick and choose which drums I trigger. I can't imagine actually putting them on a harness and moving them. I have a hard enough time with them on a stable drum kit.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Gaddabout

[JamMan]

I know a guy who built a titanium and carbon-fiber drumline - he said the toms weighed less than 10 pounds, and the snares closer to 5. Unfortunately, the setup and materials costs for mass producing them are way too high right now. But someday, I'm willing to bet now we'll see something approximating that, and we'll see the drummers doing drill like the horns.

Those drums probably sound awful. Wood only, please.

Some day a corps is going to go with an all-electronics battery.

Goodbye GE. Plus, when the sound is only coming from one speaker, how will the drummers fix their rhythms if they're off? Checkmate.

[Guard-ian]

It's called "added" or "multiple" responsibilities on the performer. It gets more credit than just standing and playing.

[sarnia sam]

The fact remains you HAVE to continue to push the ticket if you're going to be competitive, and right now the dips and sways are standard to the scene. If you don't do it (and don't have something novel to replace it) you're not going to score as high as the battery that does.

So, are you saying the judges aren't more creative than saying - you know that bouncy, droppy, turny whack whack thing you folks do that all the other drumlines today have done - noted.

One thing that could allow more innovation is to come up with new harnesses. The drums themselves are going to be what they're going to be, but harness has undergone quite a bit of change in the past 30 years. Maybe they need to take it a step further and find ways to lock the drums in other positions without detaching them or removing the harness.

Or how about - all that junk lines play standing still that they feel needs to be dressed up with some obnoxious movement, monkey drumming (which really is for monkeys to do not humans) or copping an attitude; trying doing it while you are actually moving on the field, like from here to there. That would be hard.

Or, try playing some stuff that is hard, like extended singles with accents, more flam rudiments, you know all that stuff that no one plays anymore because your running out there, That should get some points. Better still take your lot stuff to the field.

I think you and a few others who have commented negatively to Garry are missing the point entirely. When you all do the body moves and do the same ones, but you don't put the drumming in front of it, well, it's embarassing to watch.

I think if you do the 'in your face', but back it up with some good drumming first. then you'll impress.

The problem really is with the writers and instructors who have run out of creative tricks. I guess that means there are new rules in the wind.

Regards,

John

[tommyfromhowardst]

OK, I guess this stuff started in WGI, and I don't have a problem with that. What bothers me is that everyone is doing it, and they're all doing the same things. Squat, stand, turn right, center, turn left. rock back and forth on each leg...face it, there's not much more to it than that.

Is this part of the "vocabulary" for visual now? If so, I'm over it. It's repetitive, and does nothing to enhance anybody's show if they're all doing the same thing.

Also, the drum lines that finish a lick, accent the release with a drop-hand duble-stop, then strut? What are you strutting about? You're supposed to play it clean. If you play it dirty, are you going to slink off and hide?

Please, I don't need an "in your face". I need you to act like you're supposed to be good. You don't see Yoyo Ma strutting around after he nails a cello solo.

Garry in Vegas

Agreed. Anything over done becomes tiresome. We were just at finals Saturday and I turned to my friend and said that they'll end the drum solo/feature with a slow down boom boom bam and front some attitude. And that it'll happen 11 times again with each corps and sure enough it did. Was tiresome after 5 or 6 times. If you're gonna' try and dazzle the crowd, do it by playin' the #### outta' your drum.

And quit squirming around--looks like your trying to distract the observer from sad musicianship.

You wear a uniform which on natural merit warrants at least some uniformity--it's what's so cool about Corps! Watching one snare drummer is very cool but watching NINE snares wipe the pigment from the kevlar is mind bending as well as magnetic--never saw a 12 year old kid see their first drum line?? Please. I came, I saw, I became--happened to all of us strikers. If I want to see drum corp people meandering aimlessly, I will stand outside of Lucas Oil and watch the fans milling around in front. They're more convincing!

[Gaddabout]

So, are you saying the judges aren't more creative than saying - you know that bouncy, droppy, turny whack whack thing you folks do that all the other drumlines today have done - noted.

I heard the same thing about backsticking in 1983. "It's over done." "Everyone has the same tricks." *shrug* Eventually someone will come up with something else, but until then, as long as BD or whomever is doing it and winning high drum, that's going to be the ploy du jour.

Or how about - all that junk lines play standing still that they feel needs to be dressed up with some obnoxious movement, monkey drumming (which really is for monkeys to do not humans) or copping an attitude; trying doing it while you are actually moving on the field, like from here to there. That would be hard.

Or, try playing some stuff that is hard, like extended singles with accents, more flam rudiments, you know all that stuff that no one plays anymore because your running out there, That should get some points. Better still take your lot stuff to the field.

I think you and a few others who have commented negatively to Garry are missing the point entirely. When you all do the body moves and do the same ones, but you don't put the drumming in front of it, well, it's embarassing to watch.

I think if you do the 'in your face', but back it up with some good drumming first. then you'll impress.

The problem really is with the writers and instructors who have run out of creative tricks. I guess that means there are new rules in the wind.

First, I don't think I've responded negatively. I've responded in earnest, without malice, assuming a fair and balanced discussion was going to occur. There's a difference.

I'm with you on the tech. Very few lines are playing complex books. I used to look forward to watching the Top 10 because I'd be blown away with some new phrase or hook with some tasty stick work. Not so much anymore. Playing from start to finish has been watered down to accommodate movement. There are still some moments, but only with careful placement in between movements. I'm pretty tired of sixteenth note rim shots, personally. If you listen to Spirit's break in 1980 to any drum break today, dang, the snares and tenors have dropped a lot of flam work. Where'd they go? I miss 'em. Maybe with Float.

My original point is movement is factored into the tech score, as much as the complexity and execution of the score itself. If you get a chance, listen to field judge comments -- "I see you there, movement noted." I don't think it's hiding weak playing as much as it's trying to ADD points to the overall bottom line, because battery movement goes into the GE score as much as the perc score. Given the obvious limitations of battery movement, how much else is there to do really while getting more bang for your buck? In a hyper competitive environment like a Top 5 corps, as a caption head, I'd feel obligated to have it in there.

Now, maybe what should happen is the show designers -- and maybe the guard caption head -- should become more involved and find new things. I hope it's not the percussion caption heads coming up with this stuff. Really, what do we drummers know about dance?