Could the new pre-show rule lead to woodwinds?

[Blake13]

DCI. Drum Corps International. Drum and Bugle corps. There is no mention of woodwinds anywhere in any of that. If woodwinds are allowed into DCI sometime in the future, I will not be a fan of DCI. It would kill everything I love about DCI. The power that you get with everything but woodwinds. There is no need. I hate woodwinds in marching band to begin with. They sound wimpy if you have a great brassline and drumline. NO WOODWINDS. no. no no no no NO

[Jeff Ream]

Eh. Guess I'm just feeling very "glass half full" today.

i see your point..but..why load up the 5 minutes before judging, when you set yourself up to end flat after you're into the real deal

[Jeff Ream]

Um...drum corps is not 'unique', it's just a marching band that is missing a few elements. It's not being all things to all people...it's going after the band market even more, which is the primary audience for drum corps shows.

drum corps WAS unique. it didnt plug in. it is still all brass for now.

you can take the top BOA/TOD/USSBA band, put em next to a decent to great DCI corps, and the difference was astoundingly noticeable to anyone

[Jeff Ream]

'Need' is never really the issue, nor is it a desire to "fix" anything. Eliminating any limits on instrumentation is just a good idea for it's own sake.

so, do you then tell your local symphony they need The Stones every month because to not have them otherwise is not a good idea?

you know full well if woodwinds get passed, everyone will use them because of the perception of what will happen if you don't. and to get woodwinds, you know membership size will grow yet again.

[Jeff Ream]

I'm not being 'absurd'...and I resent being told that I am. If you can't discuss the topic without putting down a person who disagrees with you, better off saying nothing.

I don't see it as him putting you down. I see it as he expressed his opinion in a direct manner.

and trust me, Lance knows if I feel he goes too far

[Jeff Ream]

Increased variety in shows we see, for one...more varied musical arrangements as groups use different combinations of instruments. Since IMO there would be another busload of members...more people get to march.

But...my question to you is...why NOT? 'Why' is not really the question I would ask...'why not' is how I think.

increased variety. wait wasn't electronics supposed to bring that?

lets look at 2009 reps shall we?

App Spring

West Side Story ( at least 3 shows had stuff from it)

Happy Days are Here Again

Caravan

I Got Rhythm

Concerto in F

Promise of Living

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Sansemaya

Childrens Hour of Dream

Bacchanale

Joy

Victory At Sea

Malaga

Dance Of vengeance from Medea

the Kansas show ( not all of the tunes but many)

Festive overture

Not While I'm Around from Sweeney Todd

Make Our Garden Grow from Candide

Seasons of Love

Nessum Dorma

Nights in White Satin

American Elegy

Barber of Seville

Heat of the Day

To tame The Perilous Skies

Simple Gifts

Thunder and Blazes

Hungarian Rhapsody

Liturgical Dances

Appalachian Morning( twice)

Strike Up The Band

the Pee Wee theme'In The Hall Of The Mountain King

new York State of Mind

Give My Regards to broadway

42nd street

harlem nocturne

sing sang sung

NYNY

White Shade of Pale

Nights in White Satin (again)

White rabbit

William Tell Overture

Carnival Of Animals

Carmen

Batman

Superman

so....where's all the creativity? how many of these songs have been done more than one or two times>? probably most of them.

sorry your argument doesn't wash as proved by the reps list for 2009 from corpsreps.com

[PRSINKSPIRIT]

I am starting to warm up to the electronics because they do add variety. As for as woodwinds go....... NO!!! That is all.

[Kamarag]

increased variety. wait wasn't electronics supposed to bring that?

lets look at 2009 reps shall we?

<snip>

so....where's all the creativity? how many of these songs have been done more than one or two times>? probably most of them.

sorry your argument doesn't wash as proved by the reps list for 2009 from corpsreps.com

Well, you did leave out the one show that made the heaviest use of electronics. Let me help you there:

Blue Man Group

Janet Jackson

Christina Aguilara

Justin Timberlake

Youngblood Brass Band

All of the sudden, your list looks a lot different, and has a whole lot more variety (which is already had, though in the case of this particular corps, most of it belongs on the "never done before" list too). Based on crowd appalause and audience comments, it was also one of the most entertaining programs of 2009 too. Go figure.

[Jeff Ream]

Well, you did leave out the one show that made the heaviest use of electronics. Let me help you there:

Blue Man Group

Janet Jackson

Christina Aguilara

Justin Timberlake

Youngblood Brass Band

All of the sudden, your list looks a lot different, and has a whole lot more variety (which is already had, though in the case of this particular corps, most of it belongs on the "never done before" list too). Based on crowd appalause and audience comments, it was also one of the most entertaining programs of 2009 too. Go figure.

one show. wow. a trend! ( sarcasm off)

and no offense John, that show got a lot of negative press too.

to their credit tho, they actually lived up to the hype of the proposal. the guy proposing went to the same well for the 3rd time in 25 years

[Kamarag]

one show. wow. a trend! ( sarcasm off)

and no offense John, that show got a lot of negative press too.

to their credit tho, they actually lived up to the hype of the proposal. the guy proposing went to the same well for the 3rd time in 25 years

The positive press FAR exceeded the negative. And as we all know, in this copy-cat activity, a trend always starts with one show or corps. Personally, I hope the other corps don't embrace electronics and do the same old thing...makes the corps that really do get creative even more unique :)

I do see electronics as a adoption a little different from any-key bugles and pit percussion though. You're not going to see everyone roll out there with marshal stacks and multiple guitars every year. Yea, you'll continue to see bad synth implementation, but mostly because corps will refuse to get the training to do it right.

And like I've agreed with you all year, anyone who does should get walloped in score.

As for woodwinds, I doubt we'll see them within the next few years allowed competitively, and when they finally are, it will be more of an amplified pit instrument than a line of flutes out on the field. I hope someone does try some woodwinds in their pre-show. The corps discussed above almost did last year...the original pre-show concept was a little different musically than what you eventually got. It didn't happen more as a matter of priorities and logistics.