What makes DCI of today musically inaccesible?

[Mello Dude]

So, you are not a 50/50 guy? You want more emphasis on music than visual? Just wondering.

I personally think music should be weighted more because without a solid foundation the drill means nothing. So, in other words if the drill gets in the way of the music being played as it could be or should be music should take priority.

[WOOHOO]

I personally think music should be weighted more because without a solid foundation the drill means nothing. So, in other words if the drill gets in the way of the music being played as it could be or should be music should take priority.

That's fine, I respect that. There really is no right answer IMO, and I don't know if there was a time in DCI where it was TRULY 50/50.

Edited October 4, 2010 by WOOHOO

[Jeff Ream]

So, you are not a 50/50 guy? You want more emphasis on music than visual? Just wondering.

I'm fine with 50/50.

it's just not applied that way not regardless of the math on the sheets

[bawker]

except yeah, they often do.

Some do, yes.

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

Thanks for asking. It is the arranging style. In my opinion, there are two things that have caused drumcorps music to have gone awry, and they both have nothing to do with musical selection and everything to do with arranging:

1. Chopped up form. A melody loses its effectiveness if it isn't played to completion or allowed to exist in its full form. Harmony loses its effectiveness if it loses a segment of its progression. Putting in a climax just because there hasn't been one in 20 seconds, or because something visually demands it, is less musically intense than one that is built around the musical structure. And it is musical structure that allows the brain to connect with and enjoy the music - chop it up and you lose the listener.

2. Lack of groove. A HUGE factor in the fundamental power of nearly every great piece of music is the effective use of groove - sustained and building repetition. It is the source of rhythmic power, and the source of dance. Drumming is not effective because of quantities of notes, but by the ability to create a groove, to create something that compels the listener to dance. Professional drummers are hired for the grooves they create, not for their technique. Corps used to whip a crowd into a frenzy by generating powerful sustained grooves... listen to BD "Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor", "Pegasus" (compare 1980 to 2007 in this respect!), or "La Fiesta" for examples. Groove demands effective use of repetition, and that is something that has been largely lost, possibly exacerbated by judging trends, which equate repetition with boredom. But when is the last time a corps sustained a groove long enough to make an audience want to get up and dance (other than the cadence used to march onto the field)? There is a ton of groove in the parking lot - it needs to make its way back onto the field!

- proud whineosaur

YEAH! The Groove. The fans like it when it percolates-I have seen people dancing in the stands (on several occasions) to the Cabs Alumni drum line cause they groove. I think modern drum corps has just lost the ability to groove-why?

The running.

You need anti-groove tempos to run. And running (design I suppose) now trumps the music as others have said.

Also, because over the years we've become accustomed to thinking that 'harder is better' and really from a fan's standpoint it isn't....

Finally, the crowd likes to be involved-when a corps is grooving they can.

I've been to DCA shows where the audience only gets really fired up when the Alumni units play because they can clap along and participate.

[Catan]

I see many fans on here say that the music of today is inaccessible and unentertaining. I don't agree with that, but that's not the point of this thread. I want to hear people's opinion as to what is causing this. Is it musical selection? Is it arranging style? Is it generational gap? I would love to see no "the people want this or that" talk because that's not what I'm interested in here. I want individual's opinion on what offends them musically in DCI 2010.

I marched in 2010, but have watched all the performances on the fan network (along with seeing many live at various places during the summer). Nothing offends me. There are some music books I enjoy more than others of course, but I loved the variation of music this year. From BD and SCV being abstract , to BK and Madison playing straight up melody. There was a lot of stuff to like.

Bocook and Boerma (and Michael Klesch for that matter) are masters at weaving in tried-and-true, original "drum corps" elements: mello/hornline runs leading into a huge ensemble moment, fast paced end-of-opener chord progressions, ballads that approach a climax, end-of-show musical retrospectives, you name it. And they fully understand how to score for each instrument to make them sound like they belong in a drum corps. None interfere with the source music since they're simply a layer on top. They truly know how to make drum corps the unique, unmistakable musical medium it deserves to be based on their arranging techniques. It's when other, less qualified arrangers like Aaron Guidry and Drew Shanefield supply sound effects to support the drill, based around a few motifs from a piece, that arranging becomes immature and awkward.

Come to think of it, "awkward" is the best word I could use to describe a lot of the arrangements I hear on the field these days

Personally I enjoy Klesch's music books. But I see many people who tout him as an arranger who "stays true to the original" or "writes musically". I guess I can see the musical part, but Klesch IMO has written some very fragmented, "chopped up" arrangements.

Example: Crown 2008. Yes a fun show (fan favorite, and touted on DCP as a great musical show), but that show is the definition of "cut and paste". Seriously. The closer is especially over the top, with a transition to a different piece every 5 seconds or so in the last minute. Talk about interrupted melody. I get the theme Finis and all, and that's great. But I don't see how some people can call BD 2010 fragmented, and then not call Crown 2008 fragmented. Just my opinion.

[Todd Tanji]

Additionally, I think we should compile a list of musical comparisons that perfectly illustrate the point. All the explaining in the world can't hold a candle to actually studying the musical differences.

One that has been mentioned is the Blue Devils' 1982 vs. 2007 Pegasus. Perfect example.

I'll add in La Fiesta from Blue Devils 1984 compared to the Boston Crusaders' rendition from 2007. Listen to them one after another, and you have a perfect example of 23 years of degradation of the art of drum corps arranging.

Interesting. I marched 1982 BD and listened to 2007 BD just TODAY on my iPod.

2007 BD is my favorite show to listen to bar none.

[jpaul]

I personally think music should be weighted more because without a solid foundation the drill means nothing. So, in other words if the drill gets in the way of the music being played as it could be or should be music should take priority.

I'm always fascinated by people who think that visual design is meaningless without music. I couldn't disagree more.

I think the best of all worlds is when they work together.

[Hrothgar15]

Example: Crown 2008. Yes a fun show (fan favorite, and touted on DCP as a great musical show), but that show is the definition of "cut and paste". Seriously. The closer is especially over the top, with a transition to a different piece every 5 seconds or so in the last minute. Talk about interrupted melody. I get the theme Finis and all, and that's great. But I don't see how some people can call BD 2010 fragmented, and then not call Crown 2008 fragmented. Just my opinion.

I agree that's one exception, but that show never tried to come off as not being cut-and-paste. It was very clear in its intent.

[Hrothgar15]

YEAH! The Groove. The fans like it when it percolates-I have seen people dancing in the stands (on several occasions) to the Cabs Alumni drum line cause they groove. I think modern drum corps has just lost the ability to groove-why?

The running.

You need anti-groove tempos to run. And running (design I suppose) now trumps the music as others have said.

Also, because over the years we've become accustomed to thinking that 'harder is better' and really from a fan's standpoint it isn't....

Finally, the crowd likes to be involved-when a corps is grooving they can.

I've been to DCA shows where the audience only gets really fired up when the Alumni units play because they can clap along and participate.

When was the last time a DCI corps got the whole crowd clapping along? Cadets 2002?