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Toughest Drill This Year?


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The hit in Laura... that coverage...passing the melody from backfield, to front, to back..... Geez.

The jazz running in that block at the end, playing with that style, that clean and with that control. Not easy stuff. Most corps play doughnuts when running like that.

However, less traditional "drill" demand than any of the current top 12. However, the demand is there at times and sometimes, it is more difficult then what others are doing.

Eh... I'm willing to bet that those jazz running aren't playing in that block, and if they are, certainly not more than a mezzo forte. The top corps always know when to use the smoke and mirrors on difficult sets like this.

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Phantom's drill always LOOKS hard, but it's never really as difficult as they make it out to be. Remember 07 when they ran at the end? You'd think they were doing 2-to-5 but most of them were doing 6-to-5.

Okay, full disclosure: I marched Phantom in 04, 06, and the tail end of 07.

That running at the end was sustained for quite a while. And the 7/4 section before that was beastly. Not to mention this is at the end of the show.

Sure, the beginning of that show with all the flocking was for effect. There was velocity, but it wasn't insanely difficult.

Before 07, I don't recall a jazz run in Phantom unless it was 4 to 5.

And in those years, there was tough drill--and it wasn't just made to look tough.

The "Marguerite's Waltz" section in Faust...ooh man...yeah it was cake for the trumpets, but that's it. The rest of the horns and drums were haulin' ### backfield. They hated that.

04 was a doozy too. The 6/4 section in the closer was insane. You'd have direction changes every 6 counts. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

Edited by Lynkin
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Eh... I'm willing to bet that those jazz running aren't playing in that block, and if they are, certainly not more than a mezzo forte. The top corps always know when to use the smoke and mirrors on difficult sets like this.

See a certain unmentionable video website and check out the "Running Hornline" :thumbup: ...sounds to me like they are playing more than a mezzo forte. I also had the privilege to see this show at one of their rehearsals. They were definitely all playing.

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Phantom's drill strikes me as being wickedly difficult. The "faux" jazz-running may annoy some fans, but they seem to have a higher degree of simultaneous responsibility, etc. than most other corps.

Now, just because it's difficult doesn't mean it is effective. Other corps work smart, not hard (okay, they work hard too, but only as hard as necessary) and incorporate their drills into a complete visual program. Over the last decade Phantom seems to have overcompensated for criticism of its visual program by putting out blisteringly hard drill, but without any inspired visual concepts to give the drill meaning . . . which, like it or not, is now a requirement for competitive success. 05, 06, and 08 were exceptions, and Phantom got its best results of the 2000s in those years.

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I think Phantom's drill is insanely hard.

And I think BD haters will be in full force on here in about 10 seconds.

LOL about the BD haters. (I'm not one.)

I agree with Lance on this one. In fact, I think Phantom easily has the hardest (overall) drill this year.

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Okay, full disclosure: I marched Phantom in 04, 06, and the tail end of 07.

That running at the end was sustained for quite a while. And the 7/4 section before that was beastly. Not to mention this is at the end of the show.

Sure, the beginning of that show with all the flocking was for effect. There was velocity, but it wasn't insanely difficult.

Before 07, I don't recall a jazz run in Phantom unless it was 4 to 5.

And in those years, there was tough drill--and it wasn't just made to look tough.

The "Marguerite's Waltz" section in Faust...ooh man...yeah it was cake for the trumpets, but that's it. The rest of the horns and drums were haulin' ### backfield. They hated that.

04 was a doozy too. The 6/4 section in the closer was insane. You'd have direction changes every 6 counts. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

"But but but but but guys, our show really WAS hard! Promise!" :thumbup:

Also in regards to these extended "jazz running" sections, there are FEW to NO tough direction changes--everything is rounded. Once you start the jazz run, it's actually pretty easy to keep it going! It's not until you have a direction change that makes it really difficult. (you even hinted at this in your last line)

Another reason why the ends of PR 2007 and 2008 have NEVER ONCE impressed me.

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I say someone start a thread to rate each corp on playing and Marching at the same time. I am sure you'll find a few corps who march difficult drills while playing difficult music and other corps who play difficult music and don't move.

Higher scores get handed out for not playing and marching difficult sets than the latter.

The benefits of marching difficult drill and not playing tend to pay off because difficulty is not measured in DCI. In this case cleanliness is next to godliness.

This is a flaw in judging (IMO).

Edited by Phantombari1
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Did the OP really include 'Coats drill, I'm not hating just confused...Hornline(check), Drumline(check)...GE(check check)...drill...ummm righhhtttt. There drill is what could be their doom(and by doom I mean not challenging for 1st). They are already fairly clean and maxed out and where do they go from here...

I can't speak to difficulty, but when I saw Coats in Atlanta, they were defintely NOT clean visually compared to the rest of the top 6. Which I felt was good since it meant that there was a lot of room to improve.

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