HOOKEDBYLEGEND78 Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Has anyone watched "The Sing-Off" the last few weeks on NBC? It is an acapella singing group competition, with this being year #2 of the show. I missed the first year, but loved most of what I heard/saw this year. Why do I bring "The Sing-Off" up in this thread? It's a group-based musical competition based primarily on vocal abilities, arrangements, and to a lesser extent - choreography. The reason I like this show is similar to what drew me to drum corps - unique brass choir & percussion sound/performance/arrangements, and done with passion and zeal. Acapella groups are not covered up with instruments, and drum corps is better TO ME not covered up by amplified voice/electronics. I like instruments - but not in what is to be an acapella singing setting (the reason Cheryl Crowe's performance on The Sing-Off was mis-placed in my opinion, as she used 2 guitars). I like amped vocals/electronics/amplification - but not in a drum corps setting. Mike Boo posted a link to an oversized barbershop singing group doing "76 Trombones" a while back on DCP. It serves as another good example of how entertaining and exciting acapella can be (without insturments)- just like drum corps can be (without electronics and amped vocals). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 With all due respect and full sincerity, I hope you learn to love drum corps as it is in Bb, amped, mic'ed, visual and all. I say this because your hope and vision for the activity are surely in vain. We'll no sooner go back to G or any other of your priorities than we'll march the pit or require the color pre.The past has passed. You're entitled to fond memories of the past. I hope you enjoy those. And I hope you enjoy modern drum corps too. I do. I hope as well you might allow me and those like me to enjoy modern drum corps - it's not asking too much. It's obviously time to quote Chesterton again: - - - - - - - - - - Obviously a man ought to be saying, 'I have made an electric battery. Shall I smash it, or shall I make another?' Instead of that, he seems to be bewitched by a sort of magic and stands staring at the thing as if it were a seven-headed dragon; and he can only say, 'The electric battery has come. Has it come to stay?' - - - - - - - - - - Or perhaps Faulkner? - - - - - - - - - - The past is never dead. It's not even past. - - - - - - - - - - I shall hold out hope that corps will escape their bewitchment, realize that just as they chose to amplify, they can also choose to not amplify, and turn back. It's not too late, yet. As for the rest of your comment, you obviously haven't been reading my posts. (And why should you?) So let me note that I'm the fellow who wouldn't object to woodwinds -- as long as they couldn't be miked. I have no problem with Bb bugles, sedentary pits, or the non-presentation of colors. And I have always thought of drum corps as a subset of marching bands. And I have believed that both marching band and drum corps should be acoustic since I first saw a band mike a flute on the sideline, more than twenty years ago. The fundamental nature of drum corps requires the production of a big beautiful sound outdoors, and amplification is a dirty shortcut to "big" -- though as the many people dissatisfied with the "thunderous goo" (not my term, you know) will attest, "beautiful" remains elusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 amps dont help Mike when you cant hear them past a certain point. as stated before, the Cavies mic'd trio was a big moment in their show last year...and me on the 35 couldnt hear them. now at Allentown, I sat in the sweet seats...I could hear them fine. so if you want to amp this stuff, it needs to be just as audible for people outside the 40's as in. It is...I've sat as far down as the 20 yard line and had no issue hearing all elements of the corps in attendance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 That's the point is NOT new at all. MBA has been doing crap like this for years decades...and doing it marginally better IMHO. There is nothing new about amping, mic'd brass/vocals..been done. Want to be unique and not another marching band..step up to the plate and be different..be a drum corps. It is relatively new in DCI....and long overdue IMO. Multi-key was not new in that sense either, but it was not legal before, so yes, it was new when introduced to drum corps. Using timpani before DCI existed was not new in that sense, but it was new to drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Because it sounds better. Because amps are corked bats. Because "any bloody fool can pull a trigger". Because the sound wasn't broke before 2004, but got "fixed" anyway. Because the fix seems to have been misleadingly justified on the grounds that it would lead to smaller, less expensive pits. Because tolerable but unneccessary miked xylophones and timpani and bland or occasionally annoying singing have now been supplemented with often ghastly synthesized bass -- a "thunderous goo" that detracts from the brass sound. Pits sound much better with amps. They are not 'corked bats'...they are another tool to make corps sound better, as they do. Timpani miccing is helpful to the sound...a lot. Synthesized bass below the tuba range is great. It helps the overall corps sound without detracting one bit from the individual sections. Annoying singing? I have not heard any of that, just great micced singing like Crown 04 and Cadets 06. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Synthesized bass below the tuba range is great. It helps the overall corps sound without detracting one bit from the individual sections. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mello Dude Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 It is...I've sat as far down as the 20 yard line and had no issue hearing all elements of the corps in attendance. Yet, you can't seem to hear the synth doubling Tuba parts...why is this Mike? Untrained ears perchance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mello Dude Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 (edited) Because it's easier to train an entire line of musicians on Bb, and it's cheaper, and EVERY SINGLE ANSWER THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP BEFORE! It's a venue issue, not an instrumentation issue. Musicians should be able to play an instrument in any key..that is if they are any good. Trumpet players especially as you are pretty much required to play in a ton of keys for your major. Actually, it's really not cheaper, easier possibly, but not cheaper..and this has been brought up before as another myth busted. Well, if it isn't an instrument issue (which science, my Db meter, and plainly good hearing can dictate G's were louder and carry better)..and I highly doubt venue issue, then are you claiming that the musicians on the field can't do the job? Or is their another excuse that we are missing here? BTW, pretty rude to use a shutup icon in a forum...just saying. I don't think in my 10 years marching corps (and we had MANY more shows back then) I ever heard we had an issue being heard or hearing ourselves play. Edited December 25, 2010 by Mello Dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mello Dude Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Win +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassEXPERT Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Musicians should be able to play an instrument in any key..that is if they are any good. Trumpet players especially as you are pretty much required to play in a ton of keys for your major. Actually, it's really not cheaper, easier possibly, but not cheaper..and this has been brought up before as another myth busted. Well, if it isn't an instrument issue (which science, my Db meter, and plainly good hearing can dictate G's were louder and carry better)..and I highly doubt venue issue, then are you claiming that the musicians on the field can't do the job? Or is their another excuse that we are missing here? BTW, pretty rude to use a shutup icon in a forum...just saying. I don't think in my 10 years marching corps (and we had MANY more shows back then) I ever heard we had an issue being heard or hearing ourselves play. It is not a matter of G versus Bb. Corps like the Cadets and Crown which capitalize on volume and impact are even tamed by the oil can. It is simply a matter of venue - every other stadium works just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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