acolli17 Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Every corps in DCI has no choice than to have amps. Those that don't appear to play the game...lose. Those that aren't seeming pushing the activity to something else..lose. Quite honestly, the pits are too loud. It should considered accompaniment, for most of the show. Finger cymbals should not be killing your ear drums. It's sounds un-natural to say the least. I would also like to ask about "proper technique". I would assume that outdoor playing vs indoor require different "technique" than indoors..right? Injury free technique? Hmm, I suppose the horns and drums should stop running, marching and playing then? Quite honestly, the only reason I hated the pit in corps (when I marched) was helping haul all their crap to the field and back every day. :) I think and un-amped pit is completely able to be heard. I NEVER had a problem hearing them..and that's when horn lines were loud. I guess I don't really understand what your point is with your "corps don't play the game lose" comment. Someone said this before me, but there are a lot of obvious points when the pit plays more than an accompaniment role. Look at 2005 Phantom. Their show revolved around the pit, and it was an essential character in their show. And isn't the marching technique employed by the horns and drums a type of technique designed so they can max out their ability without injuring themselves (or an "injury free technique")? Look at Jazz running - it's designed so they can travel quickly without injuring their bodies, or their playing chops. As I stated in an earlier post, look at how marching shoes are designed nowadays. They're designed to help the marchers achieve their goal without hurting anyone, just as the amps help the pit players not hurt themselves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Ten-yard penalty for spelling the corps' name as two words. This is my personal pet peeve and I'm sticking with it. Everyone, please...If you don't want my wrath to descend from the heavens and smite vast portions of the known universe, spell "Bluecoats" as ONE word. We now return you to our previously-scheduled program. *smited* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Imagine Crown's ballad in 2008 without amps, there's no way that you would have been able to hear the solo vibraphone with much clarity, especially in large stadiums like Indiana University's that year. You also wouldn't have been able to achieve the same tone quality with any other instrument utilized in drum corps. I would consider their show one of the more memorable of the decade, and without an amp, that moment wouldn't have worked. The same argument could be made for adding a miked violin or clarinet, lovely-sounding instruments that, like the vibraphone, were not designed for large-venue outdoor performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewerz Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 The same argument could be made for adding a miked violin or clarinet, lovely-sounding instruments that, like the vibraphone, were not designed for large-venue outdoor performance. and this is the crux (muahaha...first use this year) of the divide...dinos...purists...curmudgeons..whatever you want to call us, want drum corps played with instruments that WERE designed for large-venue outdoor performance. If it needs mic'd, it shouldn't be there. I'd rather NOT hear a marimba than hear a synthesizer in a drum corps setting. I'd rather hear a trumpet/sop interpretation of a violin passage than hear a violin patch...I want acoustic. I want to hear what the "kids" play...not an electronic rendition of what the kids are playing. ps...I like saxophones...I like synthesizers...I like oboes, and flutes, and bassoon...I love a screaming electric guitar..the hard thump of a 5 string Ibanez bass...I like singing...I like talking...just not on the drum corps field. There are other places for these things to exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I'd say that's a compliment, but then I realized it was pretty back-handed.... Let's put it this way, go listen to '09 Finals, a certain Copland show, and tell me if all you can hear is synth when the volume is under forte, which it is most of the show.... true. then again you can't hard half of the big push at the end when the hornline was pushing out air Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 That IS what the Cadets are doing...being creative. and I'm sure we'll disagree. funny how so many tunes of the past that had vocals in the original worked out just fine in drum corps without them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 BTW they don't amp the pit just for volumes sake but also for quality of sound sake. The instruments used in the pit Do not carry period with out mics when a horn line is blaring. The only way that you would be able to hear the pit over any horn line (Xflat) you would have to distort the timbre of these instruments and when you do that it sounds pretty harsh... Just listen to any recording pre- pit mic days. The sounds of the pit were very harsh and "bell-y". Now, we can get lush marimba sounds, more appreciable vibe and bell sounds, soft cymbal timbres, and intricate trap instruments which add new colorful percussive sounds to drum corps (whether you want it or not). Also, mic-ing the pit also has a great deal to do with technique. Not that you can't play loud with good technique, but that more advanced playing can only be achieved if the main goal is to create music and not to bang the #### out of the keyboards just to be noticed. Also, this post is not making a statement about how a pit should be balanced in drum corps. I agree with much of this minus how it ignores the balance issues that stille xist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 You just described the anything that goes crowd quite well. there i corrected that for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 There are still balance issues within various sections of the corps micced or not...and its been decades and decades of time to fix them. yeah but now half the time you cant hear those issues. and those issues were addressed by the judging community. when you still have issues at finals, you know it's overlooked. No one wants to be the guy/gal that shows balls and calls people out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Yeah, amen for a $4000 accident in the middle of tour.... costing more time and money to replace something..... which took practice time away right before a big regional..... sure dude. think of the money saved if never purchased at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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