Has your view of DCI changed lately ?

[BRASSO]

To answer the original question, I guess I'd have to say that my opinion of DCI has changed a little bit over the recent years. I have weathered the transition from 2V to 3V horns and then G to Bb and come out fine on the other side. I still don't like amplification in drum corps; not because I'm a purist, but because it just doesn't sound good to me [most of the time.] I feel like I have to put that disclaimer in there because I've seen it used in nifty ways, but the great majority narration didn't appeal to me (with some exceptions) and the amplification of keyboards and the like doesn't really sound good to me (again, with some exceptions.) While I can in no way take anything away from the obvious talent of the kids on the field, the other major thing that DCI does a bit differently is in terms of programming. At first it was the "big boys" that went for really esoteric show design and it started to lose me after a while. I always loved going to the Div II/III shows, because I was always interested by how much they can do with more limited resources. But even they have begun to step away from the music I look for on the field in favor of more things I've never heard of. And let's face it, some of them just can't pull it off. Please keep in mind that I was a music education major in college. I don't need to hear "Malaguena" or "Pop Goes the Weasel" to be happy. There is a lot of material out there to be played and drum corps has introduced me to some of it. I guess all I want is more melody and less "let's see what kind of random stabs we can hit before we snap the horns down and run the 50m hurdles while the drum line throws down more notes than should be humanly possible." I know that's a pretty lame generalization and could probably be taken as a bit insulting and for that I apologize. It's just that I can through in a tape from the 80's even up through the mid 90's and get goosebumps from EVERY show. Not only did I not have any real goosebumps this past season, I could count the number of shows I'd want to see again on one hand! I'm not anti-DCI. I can find a few shows that I like every year. But frankly, those are coming fewer and further between. So yes, my opinion of DCI has changed somewhat.

I know what you mean regarding the loss of melody as Corps attempted to put more and more complex visual shows on the field. I do think I 've heard some of the best ballads I've ever heard from Drum Corps brass lines in just the last decade however... and from some of these DCI Corps. I still miss the brass volume Corps used to have. 60-80 member DCI brass lines don't sound like 60- 80 horns. More like 35- 45 member brass lines. And I miss the sound of the soprano G. The upper register trumpet sound is tinny with the change of key. It's too bright. Not as full and rich as the soprano G,.. to my taste anyway. That said, I've mellowed as I've gotten older re. the DCI shows. I've learned to watch the shows from high up in the stands. I like the visuals from that angle. The music arranging is still too choppy in too many cases,imo.... Given a choice of watching videos of TOP 12 DCI peformances from 1979 and 1989 or 2009, I'd watch the top 12 shows from 1979 and 1989 before the top 12 of 2009, as good as the 2009 Corps were. But there was still enough from the top 12 of 2009 to keep my interest, so I've changed my opinion a bit. I look for the good in the DCI shows as much as possible now. More so than perhaps a decade ago anyway. And there is still enough out there to keep my interest with these DCI Corps. Just not nearly as much as it used too. For what's missing, I usually can fill in that gap with the DCA and Alumni Corps... particularly on the musical side.

Edited April 28, 2010 by BRASSO

[BigW]

I wanted to further address the comments about the cameraderie issue after thinking more about it.

We're dealing with large organizations, where not everyone gets along, no matter what. Corps isn't all Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, and Strawberry Shortcake no matter how much we wish it were or like to tell people, or look back at it with very thick rose colored bifocals when we get older.

Now- I can see positing a hypothesis that because there are older, more mature people in most All-Age Corps that stay with the corps longer, that perhaps there might be a better sense of that kind of thing, but it's nowhere near a proven fact. It's just a hypothesis. I have no clue if it's correct or not!

My guess is that in both ends of the activity, you have corps that are closer and farther apart in terms of the relationships between the members. A lot can depend on staff and whether they drive wedges between sections of a corps. That's been known to happen. Some of it can be corps traditions that might be very encouraging towards creating a closer-knit corps. Some Junior corps do have traditions that help with this.

From my experience, there are people I marched with I'll stand with and by in a heartbeat (at least 95% of the at least 200+ people I had to have marched with over 6 seasons) and the less than 1 percent I'm not on speaking terms with. (I can think of only two individuals I won't speak to off the top of my head)- the rest are kinda in that gray area.

I doubt those percentages are a whole lot different for the rest of opur experiences regardless of whether we marched DCI or DCA.. Most of us are good and kind people. One individual who came to Westshore when I was there who came from a top end DCI unit didn't do a lot to engender cameraderie and was a divisive influence, let me tell you. I don't think she was remotely typical of the kind of people who march with that corps at all. My guess is that they might have tossed her butt out!

I just think you can't throw a blanket over DCI and DCA and say "one of them has more closer-knit corps than the other" without a serious study of it, and I have an educated guess that study would prove inconclusive.

Time for bed

[Fran Haring]

I wanted to further address the comments about the cameraderie issue after thinking more about it.

We're dealing with large organizations, where not everyone gets along, no matter what. Corps isn't all Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, and Strawberry Shortcake no matter how much we wish it were or like to tell people, or look back at it with very thick rose colored bifocals when we get older.

One thing that I think has changed regarding corps cameraderie is the physical distance separating the members of the corps during the off-season.

Back in the day, a bunch of corps drew most of their membership from within the same basic geographic area. This gave members of the corps more of a chance to get together with each other away from rehearsals and performances.

During my days with Sunrisers, there were any number of times when groups of us would go hang out at someone's house, go to the mall, the movies, the pubs, whatever.

Those days have changed.

Of course, today the members of any given corps can, and do, keep in touch via the social-networking groups on the Internet, or on the phone, texting, etc.

Regardless of how it's done.....I think there still is a great deal of cameraderie among corps members in DCI corps and DCA corps..... it's just a different era, 'tis all.

Fran

Edited April 28, 2010 by Fran Haring

[dcpincollector]

This all coming from the guy who wrote many comments having nothing to do with the thread I created.

My comments had everything to do with the thread. You were asking if our opinions of DCA have changed. Mine did not. I have always enjoyed DCA. What happened in that thread was posters were using your "creation" to lambast DCI again. This was supposed to be about DCA, not rehashing all of the "problems" with DCI. So my comments actually did try to get your "creation" away from lambasting DCI to taking about the good of DCA. If you read my posts, I stated more than once that DCA was DCA and that I enjoyed seeing the shows.

Just look at this thread. Somebody decided that instead of saying whether there opinions of DCI had changed that they would recount a "story" showing the "evils" of DCI and the wonders of how the DCA was able to "overcome" the slight and take the "high" road. Did this have anything to do with the thread? No. It only could serve to divide the circuits even more. All I remember about that show was how much I enjoyed it and wished that shows like this could happen more often. And then we have to hear how something wonderful and fun was actually "tainted" by the actions of a "DCI Official". You tell me if this actually helps to advance the activity?

[Dave]

What happened in that thread was posters were using your "creation" to lambast DCI again. This was supposed to be about DCA, not rehashing all of the "problems" with DCI.

It's a thread asking DCA participants their views of DCI. How is this not appropriate to that discussion?

[Dennis Argul]

No, my view hasn't changed much......

I still think DCI is about awesome kids doing some amazing things that I wish I could still do! I hope it never ends!

Peace,

Dennis

[Gary Matczak]

One thing that I think has changed regarding corps cameraderie is the physical distance separating the members of the corps during the off-season.

Back in the day, a bunch of corps drew most of their membership from within the same basic geographic area. This gave members of the corps more of a chance to get together with each other away from rehearsals and performances.

During my days with Sunrisers, there were any number of times when groups of us would go hang out at someone's house, go to the mall, the movies, the pubs, whatever.

Those days have changed.

Of course, today the members of any given corps can, and do, keep in touch via the social-networking groups on the Internet, or on the phone, texting, etc.

Regardless of how it's done.....I think there still is a great deal of cameraderie among corps members in DCI corps and DCA corps..... it's just a different era, 'tis all.

Fran

not only that Fran, but when I was real young watching my cousins in the Thunderbirds, they would always have improptu sectionals on weeknights, etc. I can clearly remember the timpani, and the guys that carried and played them sitting in their driveway, as the guys got together to practice, in an effort to be ready for the next full corps rehearsal,.....................

[dcpincollector]

It's a thread asking DCA participants their views of DCI. How is this not appropriate to that discussion?

If you think it is...then it is. If you want to keep widening the divisions....go ahead.

[Dave]

You didn't answer my question. If someone's view of DCI is "I don't like it," how is that not an acceptable answer to that question?

[Jeff Ream]

If you think it is...then it is. If you want to keep widening the divisions....go ahead.

so to you, to sum it up, if someone isnt a DCI fan, they are "haters" and ruining drum corps, but do you feel the same if someone says the same about DCA?