Same music used over and over and over again.

[oldschooldbc]

How much of your music count is skewed by the habit of EVERY corps back in the day of repeating at least one chart from teh previous year...sometimes 2 charts?

Clearly there is some of that. Takes Pictures At An Exhibition. SCV used it back-to-back in 1986 and 1987. (It was that rendition that caused the incident that I saw once, where PAAE was used by 8 straight competitors at a marching band show in Ohio, circa 1988. It is that type of annoying repetition that I don't want to see in drum corps. Period.)

But that's nothing. Some corps named Blessed Sacrament once used it 6 straight seasons, from 1992 to 1997. What, did their show designer not have any other music in his cabinet?

If this activity is to survive through the 21st century, there has to be some creativity and innovation - not stagnation. This activity faces a myriad of other problems - financial, organization, and competitive. We shouldn't add creative problems to the mix.

We can do very little to change some of the financial and competitive problems we are facing. We aren't going back to the era of $1 diesel fuel, 50-cent gallons of milk, and 300 junior corps in this country. Let's not compound the problems, by using stagnant, stale, redundant music choices.

[Horizon]

Clearly there is some of that. Takes Pictures At An Exhibition. SCV used it back-to-back in 1986 and 1987. (It was that rendition that caused the incident that I saw once, where PAAE was used by 8 straight competitors at a marching band show in Ohio, circa 1988. It is that type of annoying repetition that I don't want to see in drum corps. Period.)

But that's nothing. Some corps named Blessed Sacrament once used it 6 straight seasons, from 1992 to 1997. What, did their show designer not have any other music in his cabinet?

If this activity is to survive through the 21st century, there has to be some creativity and innovation - not stagnation. This activity faces a myriad of other problems - financial, organization, and competitive. We shouldn't add creative problems to the mix.

We can do very little to change some of the financial and competitive problems we are facing. We aren't going back to the era of $1 diesel fuel, 50-cent gallons of milk, and 300 junior corps in this country. Let's not compound the problems, by using stagnant, stale, redundant music choices.

Notice how it's the most popular and high scoring corps that seem to recycle source music. Out of curiosity, what did you think about the Glassmen, Blue Knights, Colts, and Boston Crusaders who all used mostly unused music in 2009.

[Kamarag]

We can do very little to change some of the financial and competitive problems we are facing. We aren't going back to the era of $1 diesel fuel, 50-cent gallons of milk, and 300 junior corps in this country. Let's not compound the problems, by using stagnant, stale, redundant music choices.

Curiously, some of the very corps you've been railing on in other threads are the ones that are designing out-of-the-box programs, and getting away from the use of "stagnant, state, redundant music choices". Not to mention your own corps played Simple Gifts...

[GMichael1230]

Clearly there is some of that. Takes Pictures At An Exhibition. SCV used it back-to-back in 1986 and 1987. (It was that rendition that caused the incident that I saw once, where PAAE was used by 8 straight competitors at a marching band show in Ohio, circa 1988. It is that type of annoying repetition that I don't want to see in drum corps. Period.)

But that's nothing. Some corps named Blessed Sacrament once used it 6 straight seasons, from 1992 to 1997. What, did their show designer not have any other music in his cabinet?

If this activity is to survive through the 21st century, there has to be some creativity and innovation - not stagnation. This activity faces a myriad of other problems - financial, organization, and competitive. We shouldn't add creative problems to the mix.

We can do very little to change some of the financial and competitive problems we are facing. We aren't going back to the era of $1 diesel fuel, 50-cent gallons of milk, and 300 junior corps in this country. Let's not compound the problems, by using stagnant, stale, redundant music choices.

Please, keep in mind, although you have conviction, this is just your opinion and not fact. It is not true, and isnt something that needs to be addressed....the activity wont survive because of lack of creativity, true, but thats because the designers are taking shortcuts with the use of electronics and amplification, not because music choices are holding back creativity.

G

[oldschooldbc]

Notice how it's the most popular and high scoring corps that seem to recycle source music. Out of curiosity, what did you think about the Glassmen, Blue Knights, Colts, and Boston Crusaders who all used mostly unused music in 2009.

They clearly are the ones bucking this trend. Glassmen had perhaps the most risky, daring show of all. They included works of minimalist composer Steve Reich. It takes a lot of guts to use minimalists compositions for a drum corps show - so I have to give them credit.

Now, if one of these corps can use this type of music, and muscle their way into the top 6 - that might be a tipping point. Then some of the traditional title contenders might do the same.

That's more of what we need. We don't need the 110th rendition of Malaguena. As good as that piece is, it has been used 109 times, including this year's Caballeros show. I know that Madison is contemplating bringing that back again for next year, as part of their Latin theme of shows. They've only used the song 7 times - give it a rest, guys.

[shaners]

music is being used in a much different way then in the past... these days, GE is king... and if the music works for the concept, you can count on it being used, even if its been done before. ofcourse there is a risk in doing something that was already made really popular and scored really well.... thats where electronics come in...

[Sportster]

My wife is going to kill the next corps director that even considers using 'Simple Gifts'. She hates the song because it is overused and due to a bad childhood episode with choir involving the song,heh. Seriously though,the original poster has a point. There is way too much use of certain songs. One of my chief complaints about the activity is lack of creativity including song choice. MY beef is with the majority of drumlines. Creativity is gone. Unless the Devils do something different like the 'dancing snares' which every corps now uses sadly,there is no other corps daring to do something creative. You can take the line from Corps A,place it in Corps B and not notice. The lack of drum solos drives me crazy as well but that's another beef for later....

[Matt_S]

As much as others have stated they enjoyed the Cadets this year, I have to confess that their show didn't have any staying power for me. I enjoyed it when I saw it for the first time at semis, but i find myself loathe to play the APD of the show that I purchased. There's a very real feeling that I've heard it all before. It's old news for me. To be fair to the corps, a 75th anniversary is a hell of a thing, so I have no problem philosophically if their decision to go that route. However, I truly hope the corps chooses to play something more interesting, to use Hopkins' own word, next year.

[BigDale]

So,

If you eat Lasagna in 1982, you can never eat it again ????

Its not what you play as so much as as how you play it.

A classic is a classic.

G

NO, I WILL NEVER EAT '82 KILT LASAGNA AGAIN....

And Sibelius has been done by drum corps, in the early '90s.

[Wadep66]

I think the right mix is there. I love App Spring and was excited to hear that SCV was doing it. Yeah the cadets did it, but more than 20 years ago. A lot of the kids in the corps today weren't alive then, and as everyone is quick to point out, since DCI is mostly a crowd of moms and dads and isn't keeping the old fans (because of all the synths and talking), it should be new to most.

If everyone used music that has never been played before, people would gripe that the music isn't familiar. Look how many times Carmen, The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro are done by Opera companies. People like what they know and are willing to a certain extent to listen to something new.

Yeah, WSS is tired , but it does work on the field. Lots of folks were complaining that HNC didn't do enough full pieces or the music from 1984. I guess there are many different opinions out there.