JimF-LowBari Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Right... so why do they have solos in drum corps? Because its the easy way out? come on... A vibe player has the right to play by himself as a color guard person has the right to spin by herself. Every performer has the right to be heard at the appropriate volume (or seen in the CG case). It's ONLY FAIR. And this can only be achieved with amplification? Or haven't they been heard right until a few years back... and only in the DCI area of DC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 But as for your other point about defining attributes: up until the use of synths, creating all sounds acoustically WAS a defining attribute of drum corps. (amplification is not sound creation, so pit amps still work in this context) It's not too late to reinstate that defining attribute. I've been engaging in online drum corps discussions since the days of Prodigy and Compuserve. I can say with certainty that online (as well as in the stands and pretty much everywhere else) the term "acoustic" wasn't used to define drum corp until electronics entered the discussion in the mid-00s. It's only retrospectively that it's become this essential attribute to some. Or let me put it this way. We probably can agree that it's the sound that matters, right? So if it's the sound that matters, can we also agree it's the sound that matters, not something else? HH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Right, cause the drum corps activity would move along just swimmingly without audiences... What if... now I'm just being devils advocate here... what if... drum corps... weren't... judged... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 ...If those kids already view drum corps as the "Rock Stars" what is the justification for adding A&E to attract them? Wait. Justification? Why justification? Why must it be justified? Questions like this feel worthy of religion, not marching band. Like monks and rabbis must weigh the impact of change on our everlasting souls. Drum corps in 1981 marched in the Garden of Eden. Drum Corps in 2011 is contemplating crossing the river Styx. Neither George Hopkins nor Dave Gibbs was complicit in drum corps' original sin. Corps like Bridgemen made it less traditional. Corps like SCV made it less rigid and more contemporary. Electronics is just one more change. There is no sin here, so no justification is necessary. Electronics weren't an option in 1981. They are a viable, even attractive one, in 2011. So we're (WE ARE) using them. HH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 A change of direction... In my original post quoting the rules change proposal to allow A&E, Hopkins said that the kids in the marching band stands look at drum corps as the "Rock Stars" of marching music. I posed the question (and no one has yet addressed it): If those kids already view drum corps as the "Rock Stars" what is the justification for adding A&E to attract them? Here's a few answers: http://www.drumcorpsworld.com/articles.cfm?ID=791 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (fyi the judge isn't the elephant in the room -- the poor balance on the electronics is the elephant. your question should be "who's willing to admit they SEE the elephant in the room" anyway...) IF ( criteria for balanced sound is on the sheets AND judges are trained to recognize it AND judges are ignoring said issues because they fear to bring them up) { // THEN DCI has much bigger problems than electronics; } :-) well, the problem is, the judges do what the corps ( aka DCI) tell them. that right there is a huge issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 And therein lies the problem. "Appropriate" sure is a broad term, isn't it? Is the use of a lot of block chord, bass heavy synth placed very loudly on top of a full brass chorale push appropriate or not? At what point does a judge say "that's covering up much of the brass and I can only imagine there are flaws there that are being masked, so I'm docking them a bit." That's just one example of the elephant in the room that Jeff keeps bringing up but still nobody talks about it. And, since it's just a "guideline," (and an extremely, EXTREMELY vague one at that) then judges really don't have to do anything at all to judge electronics. Maybe someday the judges will actually bring the issue up in the sheets enough to create questions around the possible over-use of electronics. I don't see it happening yet, but I'm willing to see what Cesario's review of the judging system brings about in terms of discussion and changes. (if we ever get to hear about it) see above post about the judges bringing the issue up. here's the thing folks.....this is a competitive activity. if it's on the sheets, people will use it because they don't want to be competing at a disadvantage. putting it on the sheets may as well be a mandate, because, to paraphrase Jeff Fiedler, who wants to compete with one arm tied behind their back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well I guess that's the kind of mentality that will get things better huh? see above posts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 A change of direction... In my original post quoting the rules change proposal to allow A&E, Hopkins said that the kids in the marching band stands look at drum corps as the "Rock Stars" of marching music. I posed the question (and no one has yet addressed it): If those kids already view drum corps as the "Rock Stars" what is the justification for adding A&E to attract them? because he feels they are used to it from their HS band experience. here's the thing...more bands out there do not use it than do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I can't speak for the judges, but in 2009, I was on the J. Birney Crum video deck with the World Championship commentators right in front of the press box and I vividly remember Crown's show (and the reaction from those on the deck) that night. (The only other show I so vividly remember from 2009 Allentown was SCV.) None of us up that high picked up on any problem as mentioned and we were talking about the brass blend, so I'm guessing the judges right behind me didn't hear that as well. Is it possible in such a scenario where the effect you describe spreads out and not way up to the top of the Allentown stadium? I dunno, I wasn't that far below you and I couldn't hear the brass at times. and given how amps are placed, usually facing in, I doubt the sound is going that far out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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