WikkieTikkie Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) Hi! I'm working on a paper right now about drum and bugle corps. I think that the music of a drum corps is very unique and complex in some way, however, I do not really know how to explain a lot about the music of a drum corps. Could someone help me with it? Where can I get useful information? Grtz WT Edited March 1, 2011 by WikkieTikkie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasboot Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I posed this question back in November. Here are two of my really useful sources http://www.middlehornleader.com/Evolution%20of%20the%20Bugle.htm http://www.oocities.com/marchingresearch/bonsym97.txt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 First person to mention science wins! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmlkmen Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 If you are taking it strictly from a field show perspective- and not standstill or parade type perspective..Thesis: Music to Movement. I think this is what makes it most unique, and likely how I would begin to explain it. Possibly elaborating on how someone can move at 180 BPM's while playing... All Brass, no woodwind or strings being second. G and Bb horn/sound is possibly TMI, in trying to explain it uniqueness. Percussive elements, a whole other element of music- if you want to go there. Vignettes from the Fan Network through various years might help for information. There are several good ones with interviews from designers and arrangers. I think a great one is Wayne Downey's 1993 vignette. He describes the instrumentation of the horn line, as well as several measures of the opener that are displayed on the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My advice: Avoid terms such as "unique" and "complex" which obscure rather than describe the drum corps sound. Pick words that illustrate what you heard or explain the components of the ensemble and its output. For instance, one of the distinguishing characteristics of the drum corps sound is the mass of brass and drums. It's rare anywhere to hear a couple of dozen trumpets at once. Drum corps has a couple of dozen trumpets among 60 or more brass. That sound is notable for the absence of winds and strings. The massed drum might not be quite so rare. The combination of massed brass and percussion is. Anyway, just some thoughts. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'd mention the toolkit of unique, idiomatic musical ideas and arrangement techniques that drum corps arrangers draw from. The way they're incorporated perfectly with the instrumentation, in both the brass and the percussion, that's what drew me in. Also bring up that uniform, enormous sound that the best corps strive to produce, and the divergence from band or orchestral approaches that allows them to achieve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Alright, I'll be the first to provide the correct answer: GEORGE HOPKINS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 the power and the passion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 the power and the passion yeah, the power of the amps and the passion of the designers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrajedi8 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 (edited) There is very little that makes drum corps a unique activity anymore. It is still very special to those that participate in it. But as far as unique, not so much. Edited March 2, 2011 by contrajedi8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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