Kamarag Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 By the way, I am curious why people think Spirit over used electronics? What does over used mean? My memory says I heard electronic sounds less than 5% of teh show if that. I think people just like to have someone to beat up and are lemmings in regards to facts, they rarely back them up by looking into the truth themselves. Personally, I thought Spirit's use of electronics was not nearly as much as it could have, or even should have been. Watching them (admitted, only saw them twice) I felt as if the design team really held back, perhaps too much. Spirit had design deficiencies in many areas, but over-use of electronics, at least musically, wasn't one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooldbc Posted August 16, 2009 Author Share Posted August 16, 2009 It is clearly evident that we are in a judging/design cycle where pushing the envelope with new music ideas is a big no, no. This is very true for corps below sixth place. Well, in theory, the reverse should be true. Imagination and creativity are explict criteria that are supposed to be used in the music GE (as well as visual GE.) If a corps' music required zero imagination to produce, then in my mind, they should get a zero for that criteria. They can still get points for intensity, artistry, variety, and the other criteria in this caption. But if you are using music that has been perfomed last year, and dozens of times before - you should get a big goose-egg for that criteria. Gee... if only I were a DCI judge...... So what if this puts Corps X into box 4, instead of box 5? Maybe their show designer will learn his lesson, and design something next year, that requires imagination. If they are incapable of imagination, then maybe they need to get a new line of work. They need a career change. Maybe they need to go to work in sausage factory. It requires zero imagination or creativity to make a sausage - maybe that is what some of these show designers need to do, with the rest of their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Maybe they need to go to work in sausage factory. It requires zero imagination or creativity to make a sausage - maybe that is what some of these show designers need to do, with the rest of their lives. Well, sorry, but if you're going to apply that to Santa Clara's interpretation of "Appalachian Spring" this year (since that appears to be the piece that started all this), I just don't buy it. That program was the exact opposite of "zero imagination or creativity." There were so many new elements -- or, at least, new to the field -- that Santa Clara brought to their interpretation that, IMO, that just isn't a valid argument to be used against it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeme70 Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 How's this for the flip-side... another niche musical activity is Pipe and Drum competitions. Granted, the audience for this is probably fractional compared to the fractional audience for drum corps, yet those that are passionate about this activity have just as much interest in their continuation and public acceptance as we do about ours. There only exists a limited number of tunes (other than novelty music that gets put together occasionally), and each and every one of those tunes is the exact same arrangement. A member of one pipe band can join with another and not have to relearn everything. One of the highlights of the competitions is the mass playing of various tunes at the conclusion by all the performers. Even with the musical constraints, these groups still develop individual identities and perform original shows, and still draw considerable crowds to their competitions. This is not an argument on why we need to have AS performed on an annual basis, I just wanted to illustrate that there are other activities out there that work within certain constraints and still flourish, without the need to constantly innovate themselves into a different activity. It's also an example to counter the argument that an activity needs to constantly innovate to survive. There are many more examples out there, this just happened to be one I am somewhat familiar with. I myself like much of the variety that drum corps has exposed me to. There is much music that I never would have heard if not for this activity, and some of it I end up liking and even seeking out...BUT, there seems to be more all the time that just leaves me scratching my head and wondering whose idea it was to put THAT on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyTenor Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 blood and bernaise sauce can really screw up Bombay Sapphire martines with olives and anchovies. </topic> So, avoid the steak and stick to the martinis! <topic> Ah, let 'em play what they want to play. You gotta have a hot dog corps somewhere in there. INT just doesn't play long enough sometimes. Garry in Vegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BariBone Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I wish we hear this music MORE. There was some great arranging in 2009. When someone told me Crown was playing Somewhere over the Rainbow I rolled my eyes. Then I heard it on the field and the hairs stood up on my arms. You could play 3 blind mice for all I care as long as the arrangements are top notch. Crown should sign Klesch to a long term deal and lock him up because he gets my vote for arranger of the year, and he should have won that award in 08 and 07 as well!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 By contrast, many of the great composers of the 20th century - Ernst Krenek, Jean Sebilius, Stephen Albert, Michael Colgrass, Steven Stucky, and others - have never been used on the drum corps field. Two words: Barber & Bartok. No thanks. Western Side Story...pretty creative, IMHO. And once again, I CRIED during SCV's show. CRIED. Right from the pre-show. I say, bring it. Bring it every time. And keep bringing it til you rip the stadium off the foundations. Then bring it some more...just point the horns down at us instead of up where there is no more press box. And play beautiful stuff. Crown the last three years has played "unoriginal music." Keep it up. Blue Stars, quite frankly, did a better version of Firebird than PR. And I'm a PR honk. And I say every corps should have to play Appalachian Spring in its history AT LEAST once. That's just me. And I LOVE Malaguena. Should be played by someone every 5 years MINIMUM. Again...just me. Play Malaguena 5 times before even considering the list of composers OP gave. No offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Well, sorry, but if you're going to apply that to Santa Clara's interpretation of "Appalachian Spring" this year (since that appears to be the piece that started all this), I just don't buy it. That program was the exact opposite of "zero imagination or creativity." There were so many new elements -- or, at least, new to the field -- that Santa Clara brought to their interpretation that, IMO, that just isn't a valid argument to be used against it. I agree. 87 Cadets were pretty much a straight-up symphonic interpretation of the piece. Like they said on the theater special, this was more patterned after the original ballet score. I love 'em both! Next up, Appalachian Spring...by Carolina Crown! But they have to do Dr. Seuss next year...already called it. Seuss. FTW. You watch. As a matter of fact, I'm going to email DVD and let him know. Betcha a Dublin Dr Pepper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIbrassplaya Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 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. I've been saying this all summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooldbc Posted August 16, 2009 Author Share Posted August 16, 2009 I agree. 87 Cadets were pretty much a straight-up symphonic interpretation of the piece. Like they said on the theater special, this was more patterned after the original ballet score. I love 'em both! Next up, Appalachian Spring...by Carolina Crown! But they have to do Dr. Seuss next year...already called it. Seuss. FTW. You watch. As a matter of fact, I'm going to email DVD and let him know. Betcha a Dublin Dr Pepper. Actually, Crown already did Applachian Spring, in 2008. And I wouldn't mind seeing a Dr. Suess show - at least that hasn't been done already, over and over and over and over.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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