How does this community feel about fielding cymbals?

[garfield]

I want cymbals in the pit because, to be quite honest, I just don't care.

It's not about musicality or anything. I just think plate lines are boring. I don't care about the billion little sounds you can make by hitting different parts and twirling your cymbals and slicing the air/jumping/ducking was cool back when...but now it's just pointless and boring.

I'm not a percussionist. I'm a band director. I appreciate the snare line/tenor line/bass line for displaying technical expertise and laying down a sick beat...but in a way that's entertaining.

That is all.

This sounds like another boring "dinos are boring and old" post.

Question: If a student became fascinated with SCV's cymbal line and wanted to introduce same to your band, would you allow it?

Are there any other musical instruments that you find boring and refuse to allow on the field? Technical expertise in the battery is good, but in a cymbal line, it's not. Interesting perspective.

I agree that it's a good thing you aren't the band director in my district. With your attitude of only using what instruments YOU like I'd lobby to have you removed.

IMO you're not a band director at all. You're just narrow-minded.

That is all.

Edited November 6, 2010 by garfield

[garfield]

re-word: I don't care about the musical abilities of a cymbal line. Perhaps if you both had read everything together as opposed to line items.

Comprehensive reading ftw.

Yes, comprehensive reading is important, but comprehensive music education is not.

Sad, very sad.

[2000Cadet]

This sounds like another boring "dinos are boring and old" post.

Question: If a student became fascinated with SCV's cymbal line and wanted to introduce same to your band, would you allow it?

Are there any other musical instruments that you find boring and refuse to allow on the field? Technical expertise in the battery is good, but in a cymbal line, it's not. Interesting perspective.

I agree that it's a good thing you aren't the band director in my district. With your attitude of only using what instruments YOU like I'd lobby to have you removed.

IMO you're not a band director at all. You're just narrow-minded.

That is all.

Man you guys are something else. Why does he have to be narrow-minded because he finds Cymbal lines boring?

I wonder how many people who were cut from drum lines were excited to march cymbals instead. Anyone know of any? I'd seriously like to know.

Edited November 6, 2010 by 2000Cadet

[skajerk]

[edit: Never mind. It's not worth it.]

Edited November 6, 2010 by skajerk

[ggab704]

Man you guys are something else. Why does he have to be narrow-minded because he finds Cymbal lines boring?

I wonder how many people who were cut from drum lines were excited to march cymbals instead. Anyone know of any? I'd seriously like to know.

Close to none due to the connotation that people like you put out there that "if you suck you play cymbals"

[garfield]

Man you guys are something else. Why does he have to be narrow-minded because he finds Cymbal lines boring?

I wonder how many people who were cut from drum lines were excited to march cymbals instead. Anyone know of any? I'd seriously like to know.

Oh my, yes, Tekk, I've known many kids who were tickled to death to march the cymbal line. In HS our cymbal player wanted to march tenors and, after losing the position, became enamored with plates and never tried out for tenors again. She built a monster plate line over 4 years that included four different sizes. The band director allowed me to write the drum line music and I fully used the different cymbal voices in all of director's music choices for all 5 years during which I wrote.

Then, at Ohio State, one of the cymbal players was a snare player in HS who was cut from snare at OSU. He made a spot in the cymbal line and he (and his parents) were tickled to death. He was adopted into the plate line and went on to march 5 years, the last three as lead of the plates. He loved it.

I've taught several HS drum lines and I've only had one member who quit the band after being cut. All the others were happy to get a spot in cymbals or pit. I had one kid who I wanted to move from cymbals to #1 bass and, after two shows, he hated it so much despite being very good with mallets, that he threatened to quit altogether if I didn't put him back on cymbals.

I've got more such stories, and I'm sure other percussion teachers have many as well.

There's a mystique about cymbals that most kids get into right away and, once they get it, they rarely want to do anything else.

Edited November 6, 2010 by garfield

[ggab704]

Oh my, yes, Tekk, I've known many kids who were tickled to death to march the cymbal line. In HS our cymbal player wanted to march tenors and, after losing the position, became enamored with plates and never tried out for tenors again. She built a monster plate line over 4 years that included four different sizes. The band director allowed me to write the drum line music and I fully used the different cymbal voices in all of director's music choices for all 5 years during which I wrote.

Then, at Ohio State, one of the cymbal players was a snare player in HS who was cut from snare at OSU. He made a spot in the cymbal line and he (and his parents) were tickled to death. He was adopted into the plate line and went on to march 5 years, the last three as lead of the plates. He loved it.

I've taught several HS drum lines and I've only had one member who quit the band after being cut. All the others were happy to get a spot in cymbals or pit. I had one kid who I wanted to move from cymbals to #1 bass and, after two shows, he hated it so much despite being very good with mallets, that he threatened to quit altogether if I didn't put him back on cymbals.

I've got more such stories, and I'm sure other percussion teachers have many as well.

There's a mystique about cymbals that most kids get into right away and, once they get it, they rarely want to do anything else.

Must be due to location? around here there are very few kids that enjoy cymbals. I was really excited to find so many kids going only for cymbals this winter season for me.

[ggab704]

EDIT:accidental double post.

Edited November 6, 2010 by ggab704

[2000Cadet]

Close to none due to the connotation that people like you put out there that "if you suck you play cymbals"

Oh boy. I didn't suggest that if a person sucked, they'd play cymbals, but if you chose to take it that way, so be it. Take a minute and consider what I'm asking before you shut me down as being ignorant, condescending or any other insult you can come up with.

All I'm saying is some people think cymbals are God's gift to drum corps, and some people think marching cymbals are boring. Nothing wrong with that. Doesn't automatically make someone ignorant or closed-minded because they feel that way.

[ggab704]

Oh boy. I didn't suggest that if a person sucked, they'd play cymbals, but if you chose to take it that way, so be it. Take a minute and consider what I'm asking before you shut me down as being ignorant, condescending or any other insult you can come up with.

All I'm saying is some people think cymbals are God's gift to drum corps, and some people think marching cymbals are boring. Nothing wrong with that. Doesn't automatically make someone ignorant or closed-minded because they feel that way.

We are not saying it because you dont like them, but a lot of what you say is more then just "I dont like cymbals on the field."