More Complex Drum Corps, yet...

[WOOHOO]

I got to the show late and didn't see Corps Vets or Alliance (DCA corps). Did they use amps? Just wondering, as the DCA guys always rail against electronics. Did either of the corps use them?

I'm pretty sure that Alliance did, but the illogical rants will continue either way. I kid, I kid.

[Alliance_JM]

I got to the show late and didn't see Corps Vets or Alliance (DCA corps). Did they use amps? Just wondering, as the DCA guys always rail against electronics. Did either of the corps use them?

I'm pretty sure that Alliance did, but the illogical rants will continue either way. I kid, I kid.

I will say, with 100% accuracy, that ALLIANCE is not using amps this year ("not that there's anything wrong with that") and did not use them in the Georgia Dome.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Alliance_JM

[JohnZ]

And there you go - CorpsVets weren't wired, Alliance wasn't either........guess we fooled them with some tasty good music.

[saxfreq1128]

Technically? Watching and listening to what drum lines were doing then as opposed to now...ya they played a harder book then. More exposure, more playing risk vs, running around doing the "monkey walk" while doing rim shots. Lines only sound cleaner today because the snares don't sound like snares anymore because of the appearance of clean vs musical instrumentation.

You hear a different overtone series. The blend and balance was always there...but so was actually playing music. Corps today never get soft..they can't because the synth is constantly loud and the nuance is simply lost on the field. So what we get today is kinda loud and kinda soft with a visual program that makes almost no sense to what is being or not being played to reinforce it.

Visual demand...interesting. I have to agree the shows are most definitely harder to march today but are they as appealing? Do they make musical sense anymore or simply demand for demands sake vs...making sense to what is being played on the field? Dirty feet are dirty feet and foot phasing is foot phasing.

I think this question of "harder" isn't going to get anyone anywhere. Brasslines of the past certainly played more notes, but if that's your way of measuring what's "harder," you must think that nothing Miles Davis ever played was hard.

Things are a little more complicated than that.

I'm also wary of making a lot of the show-off / proficiency components of corps performances today seem so much more gratuitous than the performances of yore. The Cadets' (to name an example I'm fond of) longtime penchant for repetitive whiplash drill and extravagant horn runs did not always contribute the most musically/visually/artistically necessary parts of their shows, but that made these moments no less memorable, impressive and fun.

Honestly, I read criticisms of contemporary shows here, go back and watch older shows, and start to wonder about what seems to be a serious case of nostalgic amnesia...

Edited August 4, 2010 by saxfreq1128

[Tez]

Technically? Watching and listening to what drum lines were doing then as opposed to now...ya they played a harder book then. More exposure, more playing risk vs, running around doing the "monkey walk" while doing rim shots. Lines only sound cleaner today because the snares don't sound like snares anymore because of the appearance of clean vs musical instrumentation.

You hear a different overtone series. The blend and balance was always there...but so was actually playing music. Corps today never get soft..they can't because the synth is constantly loud and the nuance is simply lost on the field. So what we get today is kinda loud and kinda soft with a visual program that makes almost no sense to what is being or not being played to reinforce it.

Visual demand...interesting. I have to agree the shows are most definitely harder to march today but are they as appealing? Do they make musical sense anymore or simply demand for demands sake vs...making sense to what is being played on the field? Dirty feet are dirty feet and foot phasing is foot phasing.

Much of what we are "arguing" over is simply personal taste or a big gray area..... but I do take exception to what I bolded above.

Corps don't play soft because of the synth???..... what about when the synth is not playing? Have you heard Crown or SCV this year?

Some of the brasslines this year have actually gotten close to hurting my ears, so if that is only kindly loud... then kinda loud works for me.

Musical and Visual continuity?....... are you kidding? I think this is the one single area that today's corps blow away 1990 corps. The visual and music are melded together extremely well now (almost too well for the purely music lovers). There is not a second that goes by in any show where the modern show designers are not trying to coordinate music and visual as best they can. After all, this is what the judges it seems award in the effect caption more than anything now.

[Jeff Ream]

You're right Jeff....what was I thinking?

no idea, but at least you admit i'm right

[Jeff Ream]

There are many people who would disagree with some of your points.

Much harder music..... maybe I'll give you that one.... but only in the brass. I don't see how you could argue what the drumline and pit is doing now is easier at all.

Much greater dynamic levels..... yes maybe the horns played a little louder back then, but did any corps go for playing full brass section at pianissimo like Crown has attempted recently.

Dirty marching today..... yes some of it can be considered dirty because of the the extreme demand level, but to me when you compare the "normal marching" of today and 1990, the corps at the top (Blue Devils) is about as good as there has ever been at individual marching technique. But they also do a lot more...... they have a much larger variety of visual demand.

Musicality..... Corps today go for a different type of musicality than in 1990..... I hear great passion and intensity in 1990's music but I hear great nuance and phrase shaping in today's music (as well as passion and intensity). Also under the realm of musicality is blend and balance, which to my ears, the recent corps easily beat the 1990 corps at.

percussively is a toss up. the front ensemble is doing a lot more, which is good, but the battery has sacrificed demand in the hands for demand in the feet and body. I'm not sure that's been good.

I have been vocal about all of the bleedover from WGI, but I'll say this...even while moving and the body stuff, over there they still play same #### serious notes.

[Tez]

percussively is a toss up. the front ensemble is doing a lot more, which is good, but the battery has sacrificed demand in the hands for demand in the feet and body. I'm not sure that's been good.

I have been vocal about all of the bleedover from WGI, but I'll say this...even while moving and the body stuff, over there they still play same #### serious notes.

Really????....... I am not real drummer (I play a little), so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but it sure sounds to me like the licks the drumlines have played for the past 5-6 years are at least, if not more demanding than the licks from 20 years ago. Anyone else want to chime in?