Musical_Spinner Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Cymbals add more visual effect than sabres, and we keep those! TRUTH. Lets work on getting rid of sabres on the field first......you can't see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old School Contra Guy Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 TRUTH. Lets work on getting rid of sabres on the field first......you can't see them. Let's keep sabres in the hands of those who know how to use them. Cymbal lines: Good ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paralda Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 The style of writing employed by most of the top lines nowadays doesn't really allow for a marching cymbal line. When the judging community hypes hearing extreme clarity from a million notes a second from the battery instruments, who would willingly cover up all of that with bigger and longer rhythms?I'm completely aware of the multitude of cymbal techniques out there, but I just think the marching cymbal line has become incompatible with a successful top drumline. Have you noticed that the top lines that still have marching cymbals don't really write a whole lot for them? It seems like what the cymbal lines out there do nowadays is 95% visual. I'm not saying this is bad, or even correct, just that it's my perception. There are a lot of college lines out there that utilize cymbal lines very tastefully, but the style of drumming is less intense than top drum corps, and there aren't guys in green shirts out there trying to hear extreme clarity to give you that 19.9 or whatever. Oh, and I read this article a while ago that I thought was interesting -- any of you guys teaching / writing for lines that march cymbals should check it out. [ http://www.clemson.edu/tigerband/CUD/Downl...eCymbalLine.pdf ] Don't forget how well WGI utilizes them. I mean, they're basically Indoor Percussion's colorguard, but at the same time, they have a good bit of notes as well. Most of the time they only really add impact to accents and whatnot, but they're still useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntheMood Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 fyi... no one does this visual on the field except for scv. this last season, scv didnt even do it. i dont know where youre getting this from... Really did you happen to watch their 09 show online or in person? Did you not notice what their cymbal line was doing behind their company front? :worthy: Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyfromhowardst Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 exoplain WGI then since 99% of DCI drumming is a rip off of WGI Is this true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Is this true? look at the writing and all of the body work done in DCI now....it all comes from WGI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstein Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ummmm, but they do have crash cymbals in the pit don't they? I'm sorry, I love the sound of a cymbal crash, especially in a ballad (i.e. Cavies 2003, Cadets 1998, etc. etc.) but I don't see why you need cymbal players on the field. I have been in a drum corps where they had cymbal players on the field and frankly, I don't hear any difference from the ones on the field as opposed to the ones in the pit. You know, I would like to know why most drum corps without cymbal lines chose to get rid of them. I'm willing to bet that they feel the parts are already taken care of in the pit. But hey, this is only one man's opinion. You need to know your own corps' history a bit better. Check out the early to mid 80's cymbal lines. Gorgeous, demanding writing beautifully executed from by a very talented group of musicians. Sounds you'll NEVER hear from the pit, because most of the "cymbal playing" that goes on there is from a bunch of mallet players who pick up cymbals when told and smack them together with no idea of technique or how to produce many, many different sounds from the same set of plates. Additionally, Zingali used that group masterfully to connect the drill from the horn line to the drum line at many, many times. They kept the visuals to a minimum, but they were very effective when used. Listen and watch the beginning of Candide. The entire corps is taking the tempo from the cymbal player. The corps plays so much better when the "pulse" comes from the field, and not the front. But my favorite playing by that group is still 84. An amazing book played flawlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I think its funny that each side is trying to win the argument by making generalizations about the other. No - cymbal lines dont just play whole notes on the field, and they arent archaic and useless. And to the rest of you, NO, cymbals in the pit arent just hanging on a stand for silly mallet players to hit once in a while. Most musicians in the pit arent 'mallet majors' back in college - they are percusion majors. That includes being able to play cymbals properly, one would think. Is it the same as a 4-5 person cymbal line? no, but you arent convincing anybody by trying to characterize cymbal playing in the pit as this neanderthal activity that is drastically inferior to the alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 You need to know your own corps' history a bit better. Check out the early to mid 80's cymbal lines. Gorgeous, demanding writing beautifully executed from by a very talented group of musicians. Sounds you'll NEVER hear from the pit, because most of the "cymbal playing" that goes on there is from a bunch of mallet players who pick up cymbals when told and smack them together with no idea of technique or how to produce many, many different sounds from the same set of plates. Additionally, Zingali used that group masterfully to connect the drill from the horn line to the drum line at many, many times. They kept the visuals to a minimum, but they were very effective when used. Listen and watch the beginning of Candide. The entire corps is taking the tempo from the cymbal player. The corps plays so much better when the "pulse" comes from the field, and not the front. But my favorite playing by that group is still 84. An amazing book played flawlessly. You're right, the Garfield cymbal lines of the 80's were incredible. However, that was the 1980's, and we're now 25 years past your favorite line. The current trends/styles in DCI do not demand a cymbal line. I would rather have designers NOT have a cymbal line than just keep one because alumni demand it and do things half ###ed. Designers have realized that cutting cymbals could add more to the pit, horn line, or color guard (or battery), where the contribution of said members would more than likely have more of an impact than cymbals. Yes, cymbals are great, and I love to watch a good cymbal line. By now-a-days there is not a huge need for them and I have no problem with corps not fielding cymbal lines. Crack all of the rediculous arguments about grounding battery drums, or doing away with sabers, etc. but the fact is that cymbal lines are rare in modern drum corps because their presence does not have as big of an impact (with the judges) as other sections. Now that membership numbers are larger, I thought maybe more groups would add a cymbal line back but I guess designers didn't deem it a priority. Oh, and as for the impact of cymbals in WGI vs. DCI: WGI is performed in small indoor venues while drum corps is performed in huge football stadiums. On a basketball floor we're talking about a maximum size of 50x80 feet. A football field is 160x360 feet. A HUGE difference where sound and visual focus is concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I think its funny that each side is trying to win the argument by making generalizations about the other. No - cymbal lines dont just play whole notes on the field, and they arent archaic and useless. And to the rest of you, NO, cymbals in the pit arent just hanging on a stand for silly mallet players to hit once in a while. Most musicians in the pit arent 'mallet majors' back in college - they are percusion majors. That includes being able to play cymbals properly, one would think. Is it the same as a 4-5 person cymbal line? no, but you arent convincing anybody by trying to characterize cymbal playing in the pit as this neanderthal activity that is drastically inferior to the alternative. I for one never said it was. but it can't compare to what a field line can do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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