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Blue Devils and Mics


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Ok, as a working jazz musician, I can tell you that your impression is wrong. Assuming that there was a rhythm section on stage with him consisting of bass drums and piano, there is no way a single saxophone can compete with them and make music. Different types of instruments have different abilities to project.

Anyone who plays an instrument well knows that there is a general comfort zone dynamically on that instrument where it is easiest to play. There is room to move dynamically within that comfort zone, but if you get to the loudest or softest range of the instrument, it becomes extremely difficult to to play well. Obviously a great player can play outside of the comfort zone, and likely will in a given performance, but in order to give the best performance possible, the majority of his playing will be within that zone.

Now, having explained that concept, consider the different instruments on stage. With no amplification at all, who do you think will be the loudest within that comfort zone? You guessed it. The guy with the giant sheets of metal that he's striking with a stick will be louder acoustically within his comfort zone than anyone else on stage. Next would be the saxophonist, followed by the piano, and then the bass.

Being a good band leader, the saxophonist probably wants equalize those dynamic differences so that everyone can feel comfortable and be able to think about the music, and communicating, rather than worry about playing loud enough to be heard, or soft enough to not cover anyone up. Sure, you could tell the drummer to play really quietly, but then you limit his ability to respond to you by forcing him to play below a certain volume level at all times. You could tell the bass player to play out, but then you're forcing him to play at fortissimo all the time. If you give the quieter instruments a little boost, then you put everyone on equal footing. If they want to play extremely softly, then can, and everyone will be able to match it. If they want to play very loud, they can, and everyone will be heard. Now the group can make music, instead of playing way out of their dynamic comfort zone just to balance the ensemble.

As for the Saxophonist's "not having to work so hard", that's a very common phrase among working musicians. Don't take it so literally. And if you don't feel like you get your moneys worth if a musician hasn't blown out his chops by the end of the night, then please, do us all a favor, and stop going to our gigs.

As a saxophone player, couldn't agree more.

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Wow, another theme of, "If you don't like it leave or don't go."

Edited by Mello Dude
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This isn't about the Blue Devils, just about the effort of making the audiences DC experience better.

I know that the ideas you describe are given with that intent stated. Thank you for that.

But let's be candid here....A&E was not added to drum corps to make the audience's experience better. There was a whole lot of talk about making the experience better for designers, judges, and corps members....but the audience was addressed as an adversary even in the written proposals for these rule changes, which urged DCI to "move on in the face of vocal disagreement" with the fan base. (And as a result, some of that audience has moved on.)

It is nice that we can discuss attempts to make the audience's experience better now. Bear in mind, though, that for some of us who thoroughly enjoyed the acoustic experience, we see these potential improvements as merely making the situation "less worse" than it was eight years ago, before A&E.

I mentioned BD only to recognize their clear strategy in that direction....not to gain an advantage, but to increase the audience enjoyment. Your response generally, was: "that's absurd, if they have it, it's an advantage".

Let's call a spade a spade. If it increases audience enjoyment (including the green-shirted portion of the audience), then it's an advantage. What's wrong with saying so?

The problem is when rule change campaigns develop double-speak, like we had with so-called "any-key" brass. Some raised concern over judging preferences compelling corps to replace their equipment in order to stay competitive. To get the proposal to pass, proponents hastily insisted that Bb/F would just be an "option", and different key horns would be accepted as stylistic variations between corps. Once the rule passed, the story changed.

You and some of the other posters on this thread might get bilious when you see anything electronic on the field, but newer fans don't have that burden and more and bigger visual and sound experiences are becoming necessary in a "sensory overloaded" society. In other words....go BIG or go home! :rolleyes:

You might be surprised how many fans came to drum corps because it wasn't overloaded with electronic sounds. But you are one of those "newer fans", after all. Do you know when the other "newer fans" will show up? We could really use their support right now.

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Wow, another theme of, "If you don't like it leave or don't go."

Yeah, pretty much. We're out there doing our best to put out great music for people to listen to. If a few audience members really think that they know better how to do that, then I'd rather they just not show up, because their attitude spoils it for the people who are there for the music.

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Yeah, pretty much. We're out there doing our best to put out great music for people to listen to. If a few audience members really think that they know better how to do that, then I'd rather they just not show up, because their attitude spoils it for the people who are there for the music.

It's like the hecklers at a comic show: EVERYBODY HATES THEM (but I think a lot of hecklers come to DCP to vent :tongue:)

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Yeah, I know, this happens with rock bands all the time but there are a few electronic acts that I only saw once because too much of the sound was canned, felt like they hit the start button and just sang over it – so I never bothered with them live again because it wasn’t really live, better to just buy their records. Some of the pre-shows strike me that way, 110 musicians on the field and you’re playing me a tape ?

:spitting:

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Yeah, I know, this happens with rock bands all the time but there are a few electronic acts that I only saw once because too much of the sound was canned, felt like they hit the start button and just sang over it – so I never bothered with them live again because it wasn’t really live, better to just buy their records. Some of the pre-shows strike me that way, 110 musicians on the field and you’re playing me a tape ?

For the Win! +1 :thumbup:

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As an old timer I am against amps period. The only reason why I mildly liked the Cavaliers soloists last year was that it did at least add some more "Madness" to the show. I feel it wasn't mic'd to purely add volume because the solosits couldn't project. No one (yes, no one and I've heard them all) could project to that degree to help with the affect the corps was trying to present at that part of the show.

With that said I long for the day that amps are done...... but, I think they will be with us forever. Yet, another nail in the "When Drum corp was drum corps" coffin.

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I don't think I could disagree more strongly. If drum corps is going to get attention from those unfamiliar with it, it's going to be because of what's *different* about it than all the electronically enhanced audio and video society is constantly exposed to. Someone's first drum corps show *is* a sensory overload of the kind you can't find anywhere else. That's been true for decades.

The addition of canned synth voices and atmospheric effects that you hear in every other medium begs the question of why we go to see a drum corps show anyway. I come to enjoy hearing the live brass and percussion sounds combined with the amazing visuals. Hearing the pit through the PAs can be fun, but is not worth paying for a ticket. Hearing synth sounds I can make at home are definitely not worth paying for a ticket.

The brass hits are still there in between the synth segues, but a lot of the pro-electronics posters seem to be okay with the idea that someday they might not, and we could just let the corps play at a level that would maximize tone and preserve chops, and then just have the loudspeakers push the volume (this is the argument for amping the pit, right?). If that ever happens, it really will be the end of my days of buying drum corps tickets.

And this is the age old dilema on DCP: The difference in perspective of those that have a frame of reference for the past and those that don't. I dare say that if some of the traditionalists (dinos :rolleyes:) on DCP saw a live Tarpon Springs High School BOA show...they would hyperventilate and need medical attention. But those young band members in the audience go nuts! So....what to do.....do we embrace technology with the goal of making DCI performances as visual and listenable as possible or dance with "the guy what brung ya".....our father's pure, untouched brass and percussion.

I will only add that it gets tiresome when posters continually reference "ticket buying and the threat of the demise of DCI, etc" to emphasize their point....I hear this enough from the gang in the other DC (the one in Washington). Suffice to say, I'm up for anything that a corps has to show me if it works, while you and others may not be. But I have no intention of threatening my support of this remarkable activity for any reason!

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