jpaul Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 How so? IMO the size change benefited members by giving them more opportunity to march where they want. It's been posted many times that those cut do not move to lower corps...they just do not march anywhere. While that is often the case, it is not universally true. I know several cases in the last 3 years where a kid got cut and went somewhere else. (One actually moved to a higher placing corps, then got a call form the corps who cut him to offer him a spot. Ooops.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstein Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Roll me back to the early 80's: G bugles, grounded pit, 128 members, no amps, no synths Realistically, while I prefer the "G's" I can live with horns in another key, I don't fret too much about 150 members, but I still can't stand the horrible effect of amps and synths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Roll me back to the early 80's: G bugles, grounded pit, 128 members, no amps, no synthsRealistically, while I prefer the "G's" I can live with horns in another key, I don't fret too much about 150 members, but I still can't stand the horrible effect of amps and synths. "Roll Me Back": Yeah: Roll ME back to the 1960's (When "Drum Corps" really was "Drum Corps" ) and up until the "October Surprise" of 1971 when "Junior Drum Corps" went completly insane and started "DCI". Elphaba WWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Rule changes make more things possible, that's all. LOL. So, in, say, 2025, when woodwinds and "anything goes" has been a reality for a few years . . .we're going to magically see a corps decide to switch back to just brass, percussion and guard? I don't think so. No one has decided to do such a thing so far once the rules are passed. Rule changes may say "creativity" to you, but I'll bet the 2025 reps will have the same tired standards we've seen since the advent of amplification and electronics. Designers sure seem to lean on the same bag of tricks. "West Side Story . . .now with woodwinds!" Oooh, sign me up! Maybe it's time for some people with some new ideas to step forward. It's not like things will ever be like they once were, but someone needs to at least move into the future with what we do have (and, no, playing rock music isn't it, either, for those about to mention Teal Sound. That's just copying what corps in the 70s and 80s did with pop music). The activity isn't tapped out of pieces, places, visual elements or things to explore. . .but with another year of Metheny, (insert band composer of moment here), and so on . . .all the new toys get us is another way to express the same ideas we had ten or fifteen years ago. Here's an example from my not-a-designer-mind: World War II shows still predominate any kind of war or conflict set piece in the activity. . .presumably because it's a "safe" war that we were all on the same side for. What if we tweaked that idea, just a little bit? Wouldn't it be interesting to see a corps like the Cadets or Boston Crusaders build a show around Korea or Vietnam . . .or even the Gulf Wars? What better way to portray conflict than to, well, present a show that is steeped in it as a theme? Surely there's no shortage of music/fashion/design elements/movies from said wars or time periods etc to pull from. What if Spirit of Atlanta decided to do a civil rights show? There's a gold mine there of music and theme to pull from, and it takes the Southern tradition of old for the corps and moves it from playing "Georgia" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" to perhaps quoting MLK and/or playing some African-American composers. Are these heavy-handed and perhaps too pointed examples of changing the paradigm? Probably. I don't profess to be a designer. . . .however, it's at least a momentary (if clumsy) reminder that this activity is more than Malaguena or West Side Story ten thousand times with different instruments as a clarion call of "change". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRSINKSPIRIT Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Regardless of the keys of the instruments or grounded pit. Going to 150 was just ridiculous. The activity is no longer about the youth involved, it is about having a SUPER Corps and not a lot of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Here's an example from my not-a-designer-mind: World War II shows still predominate any kind of war or conflict set piece in the activity. . .presumably because it's a "safe" war that we were all on the same side for.What if we tweaked that idea, just a little bit? Wouldn't it be interesting to see a corps like the Cadets or Boston Crusaders build a show around Korea or Vietnam . . .or even the Gulf Wars? What better way to portray conflict than to, well, present a show that is steeped in it as a theme? I recall a couple of Viet Nam themed shows, actually, between Suncoast Sound '84 and a few corps that have used "Miss Saigon". As for Korea...why not? I've been thinking Robt W. smith's "Inchon" would be a great place to start such a show, though he IS one of the band composes you seem to dismiss. None of those ideas would be any less if the corps could use any instruments they desired. What if Spirit of Atlanta decided to do a civil rights show? There's a gold mine there of music and theme to pull from, and it takes the Southern tradition of old for the corps and moves it from playing "Georgia" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" to perhaps quoting MLK and/or playing some African-American composers. OK...sounds good to me..just add some WW and strings and they are ready to go. Are these heavy-handed and perhaps too pointed examples of changing the paradigm? Probably. I don't profess to be a designer. Actually they are well within the norm, IMO . . .however, it's at least a momentary (if clumsy) reminder that this activity is more than Malaguena or West Side Story ten thousand times with different instruments as a clarion call of "change". No disagreement there. While I enjoyed the Cadets WSS last year...to my surprise...I'd have preferred other Bernstein music. The band I write for used some of his music that is at least somewhat less played than WSS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) All of the changes have been beneficial, with hopefully more to come. And here I am thinking that the" change "of strapping a tympani with cord around a marcher,elevating that tympani up around the marchers nose, and then making that marcher march back and forth around a competition field with his back arched and aching, trying to play that sucker in that position while looking like he was carting the laundry washing machine around, was a very, VERY bad idea. But as I'm learning from posters on DCP...." all the changes have been beneficial" Who knew ? Edited February 10, 2010 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 And here I am thinking that the" change "of strapping a tympani with cord around a marcher,elevating that tympani up around the marchers nose, and then making that marcher march back and forth around a competition field, trying to play that sucker in that position and looking like he was carting the kitchen sink around was a very, VERY bad idea.But as I'm learning from posters on DCP...." all the changes have been beneficial" Who knew ? Before there were timpani...corps used flat bass drums lashed together...they were not tunable during the show, of course...and they were heavy...worse than a fiberglass marching timp. I played double bass in 1969 in the GSC corps I belonged to...because I was the only one big enough to carry them. Marching timpani were a step along the way...so yes, they were beneficial when introduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84skyrydr Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 While that is often the case, it is not universally true. I know several cases in the last 3 years where a kid got cut and went somewhere else. (One actually moved to a higher placing corps, then got a call form the corps who cut him to offer him a spot. Ooops.) This can't possibly be true. Its already been stated on here by someone who personally knows that no rule has ever done anything but benefit EVERY corps. Its a done deal, get with the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 What's your rational for combining the World & Open Class divisions? If it is soley to see an OC class corps pass WC corps then I think you are forgetting the rest of the OC and how ridiculous it is to compare the Blue Saints to the Blue Devils.Would it make you happy to see the bottom of the Open Class score in the 20's? Just wanted to point this out, but in DCM, when it existed, everyone was scored on the same sheets and there were some 20s. A few OC corps beat World class corps, too. It was interesting to see where they stood on an absolute scale. I mean, they're just scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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