The Kids work hard, but I still don't like it.

[WOOHOO]

I don't know... I could be wrong ..but something tells me that if he said he loved everything and gushed profusely, but without the proper punctuation, you wouldn't be this bitter and angry with his post comments. But I 'm just guessig, and could be entirely wrong.

Something tells me you can't tell the difference between a joke and a serious statement.

[DarrenE]

Although the presentation of the complaint may have been a tad on the melodramatic side I think it pretty much echoes what many people have posted here on DCP. In my role as self-appointed speaker for the audience I will distill what the main complaints seem to be.

This is my opinion and I am unanimous in this.

1: The change from g-bugles to standard band instruments caused a noticeable decrease in the volume of the horn lines. A decrease drastic enough that even adding 20 more brass players can't equalize the sound level.

2: The change from g-bugles to standard band instruments made a difference in the tone and quality of sound produced by the instruments. There is a noticeable difference in the sound of the old horns to the new. Soprano bugles were easier to play high notes on than a trumpet so you have fewer screachers. The brass as a whole has a different texture to the sound. Of course you can't completely change the instruments the musicians are playing and have them sound exactly the same. Anybody who thought you could was just fooling themselves. The question that has to be asked is if the difference is acceptable. (I don't think it is and remember that I speak for the audience.)

3: Amplifying live sound in a football stadium is not a one size fits all proposition. It takes a lot of expertise and advanced setup. It cannot be done with a small stack of cheap speakers on a cart that are set up with no sound check. It's amateur hour out there when it comes to the sound system. It does not match the high quality of the other captions and is therefore very noticeable and jarring.

4: A lot of really creative use of percussion instruments used to take place. I.E. marching soldiers, guns, helicopters. Now somebody just hits button seven on the keyboard and out pops a precrecorded sound. It takes away a lot of the fun and creativity. SCV's Miss Saigon show would be pure cheese now because they would just play a sample of a helicopter sound and it would be lame.

5: Show design. Drum Corps has changed from Opera to Ballet. What is the difference? In opera the music comes first. The sets, costumes, and dance serves to help tell the story of the music. In ballet the music is an accompaniment of the dance. The music is only there because it would look silly for people to prance around in silence on stage for an hour and a half.

6: Show design. The shows of the top corps are designed to score well. You can only go so far in saying "screw you" to the judges and playing to the crowd without falling out of finals and then your talent base drops through the floor because the kids go somewhere else because they're tired of getting their butts kicked. How to fix this issue is the subject of great debate.

7: I'm tired of typing so I'll end the list here.

I think the biggest, easiest, and most expensive way to fix things is to bring back the g-bugles. A lot of sins could be forgiven if the brass sound was still there. The infamous Star 93 show may have had lots of haters but the end of their show put people in the first ten rows in the hospital from blunt force trauma. (Might be an exageration.) To this day that is the best and the worst show I have ever seen. Its like a car wreck, I can't look away.

Edited August 9, 2010 by DarrenE

[soccerguy315]

you as an individual are unanimous? glad you agree with yourself.

edit: I agree with some of what you said though.

Edited August 9, 2010 by soccerguy315

[bccadet09]

I know I'm going to get blasted... and I have read over and over the discussions pertaining to this topic.

Last night I went to my first DCI show in a long time and I was so excited to finally see one and I just hated it. I know the kids are working extremely hard and are putting their heart and soul into these shows... that is obvious. And to that extent, every single one of them are great! But these shows are the most boring things I've witnessed in a long time. Who ever is writing the music and the shows should be ashamed of themselves. How can you do that to those hard working kids? I was so disappointed.

I couldn't tell when they were starting half of the time, and if it wasn't for a grand chord at the end and a horn pop, I wouldn't know when it was ending. One show actually put a "blip" of pit at the end so I thought, oh... maybe there is another song...nope. Once the pit was miked up so much they drowned out the drums! In all the years I've been marching and watching drum corps... that has to be a first! When has anything ever drowned out a drum line?! Props... what are they thinking? A guard was doing beautiful work, had beautiful flags and you could barely see them because they had placed them BEHIND these god-awful ugly black props! What is the point of that? I watched the kids race all over the field... AND NOT PLAY! What? All this hype over Bb horns and they aren't playing? Ok, cool visuals, but where's the music? And when they did play, it was "park and bark". I thought, probably because after running, that's all they could do.... and all it sounded like when they did what whole notes in big, esoteric sounding chords. I was extremely greatful for the very few soloists. (And I also noticed not one high note from a soprano/ trumpet. It was so "blended". As a matter of fact, I noticed the shift to featuring low brass most of the time. One corps featured the trumpet line technically at one point and it was a total of 8 counts! That's it? That's all?) Don't tell me I don't understand classical, I'm of the age where you HAD to study that in school. Stuff like that was not an option. I could recognize a piece for a couple of measures and I wasn't sure what the heck they were trying to do after that. I do NOT like the electronic talking on the field. The announcer said the corps would "troop the stands". They didn't, it was chaos on and chaos off. To me it was just a big mess. How can you applaud for the kids hard work during that? I didn't like those big black screens they hide behind. I thought it was extremely distracting.

I really tried to figure out the new format for the shows. I know we went from "off the line" to "the exit", and I've watched DCA do "opener, the ballad and the closer". Honestly, after about the 4th corps, I still didn't get what the format was... assuming there is one. I know I HATE the show format. Please, pull the names out of a hat and let them go on in whatever order happens. I'm sick of them showing the corps in the order they are going to score them. Why even wait for the scores? You know by the line up who is going to win and who will not and everyone inbetween. DCA is just as guilty on that one.

I left the show early. I won't go to another. I left feeling so sad for each and every kid on that field. Everyone of them is giving everything they have, and those are the worst "drum and bugle corps" shows I've ever seen. I thought, leave the orchestra music in the orchestra, get something exciting on those fields.

I know, here it comes, blast me... but all this hype about how wonderful all these new changes are, I wasn't expecting shows that just about put me to sleep.

Don't like it? It's fine, your opinion is completely yours.

Meanwhile I like it.

[DarrenE]

you as an individual are unanimous? glad you agree with yourself.

edit: I agree with some of what you said though.

It's a joke from an old British sitcom. Mrs. Slocomb would announce to everyone what her opinion was and punctuate it with "and I am unamimous in this."

[ereese]

I know I'm going to get blasted... and I have read over and over the discussions pertaining to this topic.

Last night I went to my first DCI show in a long time and I was so excited to finally see one and I just hated it. I know the kids are working extremely hard and are putting their heart and soul into these shows... that is obvious. And to that extent, every single one of them are great! But these shows are the most boring things I've witnessed in a long time. Who ever is writing the music and the shows should be ashamed of themselves. How can you do that to those hard working kids? I was so disappointed.

I couldn't tell when they were starting half of the time, and if it wasn't for a grand chord at the end and a horn pop, I wouldn't know when it was ending. One show actually put a "blip" of pit at the end so I thought, oh... maybe there is another song...nope. Once the pit was miked up so much they drowned out the drums! In all the years I've been marching and watching drum corps... that has to be a first! When has anything ever drowned out a drum line?! Props... what are they thinking? A guard was doing beautiful work, had beautiful flags and you could barely see them because they had placed them BEHIND these god-awful ugly black props! What is the point of that? I watched the kids race all over the field... AND NOT PLAY! What? All this hype over Bb horns and they aren't playing? Ok, cool visuals, but where's the music? And when they did play, it was "park and bark". I thought, probably because after running, that's all they could do.... and all it sounded like when they did what whole notes in big, esoteric sounding chords. I was extremely greatful for the very few soloists. (And I also noticed not one high note from a soprano/ trumpet. It was so "blended". As a matter of fact, I noticed the shift to featuring low brass most of the time. One corps featured the trumpet line technically at one point and it was a total of 8 counts! That's it? That's all?) Don't tell me I don't understand classical, I'm of the age where you HAD to study that in school. Stuff like that was not an option. I could recognize a piece for a couple of measures and I wasn't sure what the heck they were trying to do after that. I do NOT like the electronic talking on the field. The announcer said the corps would "troop the stands". They didn't, it was chaos on and chaos off. To me it was just a big mess. How can you applaud for the kids hard work during that? I didn't like those big black screens they hide behind. I thought it was extremely distracting.

I really tried to figure out the new format for the shows. I know we went from "off the line" to "the exit", and I've watched DCA do "opener, the ballad and the closer". Honestly, after about the 4th corps, I still didn't get what the format was... assuming there is one. I know I HATE the show format. Please, pull the names out of a hat and let them go on in whatever order happens. I'm sick of them showing the corps in the order they are going to score them. Why even wait for the scores? You know by the line up who is going to win and who will not and everyone inbetween. DCA is just as guilty on that one.

I left the show early. I won't go to another. I left feeling so sad for each and every kid on that field. Everyone of them is giving everything they have, and those are the worst "drum and bugle corps" shows I've ever seen. I thought, leave the orchestra music in the orchestra, get something exciting on those fields.

I know, here it comes, blast me... but all this hype about how wonderful all these new changes are, I wasn't expecting shows that just about put me to sleep.

A-freaking Men

[Todd Tanji]

Something tells me you can't tell the difference between a joke and a serious statement.

Thanks for pointing this out so I don't have to.

[jhallman]

Overruled. Your peremptory challenge does not apply in this case.

Proceed with discussion.

Sidebar your honor.....

Permission to treat the poster as hostile....

In the 7 years I've been around this wonderful activity, I've never seen a show I hated. Anyone having been around and seen the amount of time committed to putting together these 11 minute shows should be ashamed to utter anything close to hate.

disliked

not my cup of tea

forgetful

or perhaps they seemed like the other 5 corps that had come on before them.

and its perfectly fine to be perplexed why corp X is not scoring better.

Since being able to go back and watch the older shows everyone raves about, some of them are really cool, And easily seen as groundbreaking, some just not my cup of tea since normally I'm comparing them to the much faster movements I'm seeing today.

Your witness....

[FlamMan]

I know I'm going to get blasted... and I have read over and over the discussions pertaining to this topic.

Last night I went to my first DCI show in a long time and I was so excited to finally see one and I just hated it. I know the kids are working extremely hard and are putting their heart and soul into these shows... that is obvious. And to that extent, every single one of them are great! But these shows are the most boring things I've witnessed in a long time. Who ever is writing the music and the shows should be ashamed of themselves. How can you do that to those hard working kids? I was so disappointed.

I couldn't tell when they were starting half of the time, and if it wasn't for a grand chord at the end and a horn pop, I wouldn't know when it was ending. One show actually put a "blip" of pit at the end so I thought, oh... maybe there is another song...nope. Once the pit was miked up so much they drowned out the drums! In all the years I've been marching and watching drum corps... that has to be a first! When has anything ever drowned out a drum line?! Props... what are they thinking? A guard was doing beautiful work, had beautiful flags and you could barely see them because they had placed them BEHIND these god-awful ugly black props! What is the point of that? I watched the kids race all over the field... AND NOT PLAY! What? All this hype over Bb horns and they aren't playing? Ok, cool visuals, but where's the music? And when they did play, it was "park and bark". I thought, probably because after running, that's all they could do.... and all it sounded like when they did what whole notes in big, esoteric sounding chords. I was extremely greatful for the very few soloists. (And I also noticed not one high note from a soprano/ trumpet. It was so "blended". As a matter of fact, I noticed the shift to featuring low brass most of the time. One corps featured the trumpet line technically at one point and it was a total of 8 counts! That's it? That's all?) Don't tell me I don't understand classical, I'm of the age where you HAD to study that in school. Stuff like that was not an option. I could recognize a piece for a couple of measures and I wasn't sure what the heck they were trying to do after that. I do NOT like the electronic talking on the field. The announcer said the corps would "troop the stands". They didn't, it was chaos on and chaos off. To me it was just a big mess. How can you applaud for the kids hard work during that? I didn't like those big black screens they hide behind. I thought it was extremely distracting.

I really tried to figure out the new format for the shows. I know we went from "off the line" to "the exit", and I've watched DCA do "opener, the ballad and the closer". Honestly, after about the 4th corps, I still didn't get what the format was... assuming there is one. I know I HATE the show format. Please, pull the names out of a hat and let them go on in whatever order happens. I'm sick of them showing the corps in the order they are going to score them. Why even wait for the scores? You know by the line up who is going to win and who will not and everyone inbetween. DCA is just as guilty on that one.

I left the show early. I won't go to another. I left feeling so sad for each and every kid on that field. Everyone of them is giving everything they have, and those are the worst "drum and bugle corps" shows I've ever seen. I thought, leave the orchestra music in the orchestra, get something exciting on those fields.

I know, here it comes, blast me... but all this hype about how wonderful all these new changes are, I wasn't expecting shows that just about put me to sleep.

There are tens of thousands of former Drum Corp fans who feel exactly like you, myself included. We can only hope that the Scouts inspire other corps to return to their roots.

[BRASSO]

I have to admit that I find it hilarious that a lot of the posters whining about how every corps these days sounds the same also wines about guitars and electronics. At least there are a few corps willing to do something different, in an effort to NOT be the same as everyone else.

The really funny thing for me is that aside from Madison, Teal is probably the most dino-friendly corps on the field this year. Four great tunes, no real story/theme beyond it being four great tunes from a similar idiom, and lengthy and hummable melodies.

I havn't met a single " dinosaur " ( legacy fan ) that would like rock guitars as a staple instrument to be prominently utilized in Drum and Bugle Corps competition. You and I must travel in different circles then, because I have no idea what you are taliking about if you think older legacy fans want their Drum Corps to have wailing rock guitars. Also, a hummable melody is not the end all and be all as a requirement for satisfactory enjoyment levels for most legacy fans I know. There are plenty of Corps that play hummable melodies that for one reason or another are unfulfilling to the legacy... or " dino " ... fans.