Inside the Arc - "The Dut Must Die"

[bawker]

DUT DUT DUT!

It would seem most agree.

I wish I had something bigger to lead into with those duts...Ineffective use?

I get how they're a hype . . .hell, I like it when drumlines do the "head bob" during a drum feature . . .for all I know that could #### someone off. . .

Still, though, I can understand the idea of duts going into a particularly intense part of a show . . .but not in softer, ballad-type moments: there it seems like less of a hype and more of a crutch.

[SACMellos2010]

There was a drum corps out of Bloomington Indiana that seemed to play well together and never used a Dr Beat at rehearsal in our drum corps years.

We did try it a little this year and we were a complete ensemble bag until we turned it off and went back to "Watch the drum major and play with the hands".

The whole Dut thing I know has been used by drumlines but seems to have gotten a little louder than needed. Seems that it used to be just for the snareline to key off of and was subtle yet now it seems some center snares are hoping the ensemble judge at the top of the stadium awards some effect points for projection:) HAHA JK

[arrangerx]

Breath dah, my friend. Breath dah. If you're close enough to a good line, you can hear the breath part!

I'm with Impulsive. I'm sure many lines could come in together fine without them. If you're suggesting that lines at the Cadets, Regiment, or BD are poor musicians who would be lost and off-time without dutting, I think we need to look at the caliber of musician typical in those lines. It's a tool and something that lets me know I'm not in a concert hall. I kinda get amped up if, during a lull, I hear those duts because I KNOW something is coming and it builds my anticipation. Idk...I can tell I'm in the minority but I think it totally adds to the effect I perceive, personally.

The question was rhetorical.

I know how brass lines start together.

Duts adding to effect is like someone who still gets a dial-up internet service. . . feeling that Pavlovian rush of joy because we hear the squeal of the phone line to let us know we're connected. Just because we're used to something doesn't mean it's good.

[The Oz]

One of the coolest moments in drum corps …

The late George Parks launches the mace and “quietest four seconds in drum corps” ensues. The catch and the hit are followed by a huge roar from the crowd. Don’t tell me duts would have improved that moment.

A crutch. Simply a crutch.

Edited October 13, 2010 by The Oz

[garfield]

The Dut is what replaced the drum major marking time on his conductor box, the result of which was an even more-annoying "thump-thump-thump" to set/keep tempo.

I complained years ago (and for years) about the DM stomping out the tempo and simultaneously clapping and yelling "Mark Time Move" as unnecessary overkill to get everyone to start at the same time. Even fans in the stands knew when to start bopping, and I think even the attendants out in the parking lots started dancing in time.

Out of the pan and into the fire, IMO. Duts are an annoying distraction that add nothing to a show. No hype, no groove, nothing, IMO.

[ItsOnTheField]

Now if only the numerous percussion instructors around the world would read and follow through with this!

[bluecoats88]

I loved the one year when the Cavaliers added the duts in the show as a gag. that was good use of dutting. Yes, dutting is important for a blind attack, but it only needs to be audible through the line not in the stands.

Edited October 13, 2010 by bluecoats88

[BozzlyB]

Now if only the numerous percussion instructors around the world would read and follow through with this!

The numerous percussion instructors around the world are probably not terribly concerned with it, or it would have vanished long ago. Consider the following. With today's visual demands you can't always see the DM for the tempo, even when there's two or three of them. "listening" for a cold attack on an open field the music coming from 100 or so various locations is performance score suicide. It IS a crutch, but a necessary one, same as breathe dah. With that said, a cohesive unit IMO should be able to verbalize the dut's quietly enough to be unheard by the audience and still be effective, but that is on the staff to instruct, not the kids who can't hear how loud they are from the stands.

[BroncoTrooper]

Personally, I love hearing dutting before a sweet drum break. Kinda hypes me up. But if it's in the middle of a ballad and I can hear dutters (even quietly) over the music, it definitely kills the mood. I'm quite good at finding the steady beat myself, thank you.

[MarimbasaurusRex]

Duts #### me off. But, just try convincing my high school line that they suck. They imitate what they see at DCI and think they sound/look cool doing it. I try to explain it's just a lame crutch and real musicians don't need duts because they COUNT INTERNALLY, but to no avail.

There is not a single situation where duts can replace solid internal counting and timing. If 7 drummers standing right next to each other can't count silently together and need one guy to dut just so they can hit an attack, then they aren't a very cohesive line, or their time just sucks. If the horn player 20 yds away is timing off the same duts, they won't attack together. It also means the musicians are focusing their perception of time externally and neglecting their internal clock. Everyone has a heart beat. If you didn't have great natural time you would be dead. But learning to control that takes effort. You can make the effort or have someone else do it for you. (this is what I tell my students anyway...)

As for Dr. Beat... Dr. Beat gave me a lobotomy. Problem is... 90%+ of the music we hear in public today was created with a click track. If you have any hope of working as a professional musician (aside from live orchestra work), you MUST be able to play well with a click. But here's the thing... An experienced musician knows how to play AROUND the click, not only on the beat but slightly before or after it depending on the style of music. The click is not meant to be a slave driver or groove spoiler, but rather a guide or map to where the theoretical beat really is. SOME OF THE GROOVIEST MUSIC YOU'VE EVER HEARD WAS MADE WITH A CLICK TRACK. It's been that way since the late 60's. But, when Dr Beat starts hitting your robotic phrasing button, it's time to learn how to use it instead of it using you.