Why is drum corps so weird now?

[JulesBry]

I think the days off putting on a show with just music as the storyline are way gone. There has to be a meaning now, or they risk losing points for it.

Of course, there are exceptions to this, in the present and the past...namely SCV doing Phantom/Opera in 1988 and 89.

And I think that since the 2008 season we have seen the culmination of this pressure to 1)put on a fan-friendly musical show, 2)have tough, eyeball exploding visuals, and 3)be more competitive.

I think you caught yourself, but I don't think there is a different ratio of story/non-story shows now compared to the past couple of decades. I think the difference is the effectiveness in pulling off those shows. Corps seem to have lost the ability to communicate with an audience like they used to do, and I think that is the biggest problem in DCI today.

I know it is possible to entertain an audience, get great marks, and be competitive. I've seen it done MANY times. Just not so much in the past few years.

[fsubone]

I would only take issue with one point and that is with regard to the "pendulum" comment. Why? Because the tick system didn't reward creativity or artistic design. It was much more execution over demand. When the judging system changed to the build-up system, we saw an inverse of that. So this "artistic era" is truly the first of it's kind. Sure there was anchoring of the pit, asymmetrical drill, and all that stuff...but those things didn't fundamentally transform drum corps the way the effect and visual captions have.

My thoughts are getting a bit scattered on this right now, but (to me, at least) it's very difficult to consider drum corps before "94 and after '94 to be the same animal. It changed probably more radically than at any other juncture, even though it wasn't immediately noticeable.

Guess it's more true. '94 seems to be the major turning point, in both terms of arranging and show design. But I think we did see a swing in the 1980s in terms of show design towards more artistic music. I mean, we had Cadets doing the Jeremiah Symphony, Copland, and Bernstein. SCV doing a lot of that kind of stuff, plus Rimsky-Korsakov (?sp) and Mussorgsky, Phantom doing Tchaikovsky and Dvorak. Then, in the very early 90s, it seems like it went back to entertaining shows, then '94 hit, and things changed completely.

[JulesBry]

An interesting result of this is that show designers now have a chance to make political and social statements that they couldn't make before - such as in Pacific Crest's show a few years ago which depicted the development of flight and then made (in narration) several social comments about war, etc. Carolina Crown's Bohemia show in 2004 ended up with completely meaningless beat poetry in it, but at the beginning of the year the poetry was much different, full of social commentary (which I imagine drew enough negative feedback that they changed it).

Amen! I loved the Cadets' "narration" in "An American Revival", but the mic'd stuff just sounded hokey. I can't tell you how many times I found myself saying (and occasionally shouting), "shut up and play!" Usually to cheers of agreement from the people sitting around me. People don't go to DCI to hear speeches (or synths or sound effects). They go to hear brass and percussion. Simple as that.

To me, these are not improvements. Shows are becoming more about the show designers and less about the performers. Play great music. March readable formations. Give me a guard show that looks like it's part of the whole corps show rather than a completely different production.

This is an amazingly insightful comment, and I think you've hit the nail on the head. Electronics aren't about performers. They're about designers. I say the following as an accomplished pianist/accompanist. With the exception of Crown's synth player this year, none of the synth parts I've seen/heard have even been challenging to the performers who played them. And that's a shame.

The best example I can give of how shows are becoming more about the designers and less about the peformers is pre-recorded voice and other sounds. Seriously? Amplifying the performers is one thing (which I've learned to live with); giving them electronic instruments is another (which I'm still trying to learn to live with). But bringing in audio elements that have nothing to do with the performers? I'm astonished that ever got passed - major step in the wrong direction, IMO.

Agreed. I'm still not on board with hearing things other than brass or percussion at a DCI event, but the pre-recorded crap HAS to go. What's to keep someone from recording the entire show as a sample/patch, having one person hit one key, and marching the show without playing a note? Is there anything in the rules/on the sheets to prevent this?

So I agree that it's probably pressure to be more competitive. It's also show designers wanting more freedom to do "whatever". (Did you ever read Hoppy's justification for the introduction of amps? No attempt was ever made to explain how it would improve the activity - it was all about the effects he wanted to create. The number of times the word "I" occurred in that proposal was astounding.) I get it, but I don't have to like it.

Again, great point. There is no "I" in "team", but there can be a whole lot of "me" (if you're willing to get everything backwards).

[JulesBry]

My huge change was absolutely '93-'94. MAJOR SHIFT in show design. Then it got BAD for about 5 years. I'm not sure where a shift happened in the 2000s yet. The amps were minor but the SYNTHS seem to be changing the sound even more.

On the other hand, I think 96 is one of DCI's best years ever. I wouldn't call that stretch "BAD". Though there were some stinkers in the mix.

[BigBadMadMan]

Guess it's more true. '94 seems to be the major turning point, in both terms of arranging and show design. But I think we did see a swing in the 1980s in terms of show design towards more artistic music. I mean, we had Cadets doing the Jeremiah Symphony, Copland, and Bernstein. SCV doing a lot of that kind of stuff, plus Rimsky-Korsakov (?sp) and Mussorgsky, Phantom doing Tchaikovsky and Dvorak. Then, in the very early 90s, it seems like it went back to entertaining shows, then '94 hit, and things changed completely.

Ok, musically, I'll grant you that.

[fsubone]

Ok, musically, I'll grant you that.

That's more of the point I was going for. Since I spend a lot more time listening to the older shows instead of watching them, (takes up less space on the iPod), I notice more the musical changes than the visual changes, but that's just me. I'm sure if I sat down and watched every single show from 1983-1995, I'd see the visual changes over those years, but I can hear it in the music as well, that's what I meant more by the artistic pendulum swings.

[AlbertBAC]

Anyone remember all the crap Phantom Regiment got in '03 for all that body movement?

Less than a decade later and we see way more than that in almost every show.

Phantom may have gotten more crap for the mere fact that they didn't really move much or effectively in 2003

Change is good I see nothing wrong with the way drum corp is going. Times have changed get with it.

I am *with it*, trust me. I'm a fairly liberal guy when it comes to music, artistry, etc, but it's painfully obvious that drum corps has changed A LOT just since the time that I marched, and that wasn't even that long ago!! That's my actual point. I got off the bus and it zipped on really fast.

[fsubone]

Phantom may have gotten more crap for the mere fact that they didn't really move much or effectively in 2003

I am *with it*, trust me. I'm a fairly liberal guy when it comes to music, artistry, etc, but it's painfully obvious that drum corps has changed A LOT just since the time that I marched, and that wasn't even that long ago!! That's my actual point. I got off the bus and it zipped on really fast.

It's just different perspective. When you were marching, (and when I started marching), it looks different than when you're on the outside looking in. Your corps used quite a few props, namely the arches in '06, and the easels in '07. It's just a different viewpoint when you're watching it from the stands. Three years really hasn't changed all that much in DCI, sure, we have synths now, but it's not like people are using hoverboards and saxophones. I know when I was marching, summer and corps exists in it's own little microcosm, independent of the outside world.

[jjeffeory]

I would only take issue with one point and that is with regard to the "pendulum" comment. Why? Because the tick system didn't reward creativity or artistic design. It was much more execution over demand. When the judging system changed to the build-up system, we saw an inverse of that. So this "artistic era" is truly the first of it's kind. Sure there was anchoring of the pit, asymmetrical drill, and all that stuff...but those things didn't fundamentally transform drum corps the way the effect and visual captions have.

For me, the stark difference that's most noticeable in that time frame I mentioned previously is the arranging. That's the most glaring shift. Well, most glaring immediate shift, at least. There are two very different Blue Devils corps, for instance. There's the PRE-'94 BD and the POST-'94 BD. they are two radically different beasts. Watch '93 and '95 back to back and tell me that's the same corps. The arranging is radically different between the two in just 2 YEARS. They went that direction and everyone else (for the most part) followed in their foot steps. Wayne Downey and the BD arrangers single-handedly changed drum corps.

My thoughts are getting a bit scattered on this right now, but (to me, at least) it's very difficult to consider drum corps before "94 and after '94 to be the same animal. It changed probably more radically than at any other juncture, even though it wasn't immediately noticeable.

Bingo!

It's the style of arranging! The change happened Pre-'94 and Post '4 BD.

It's probably why I do NOT care for BD '94. That's really the show that changed the arranging style for all. I'm not sure if it was influenced by Star and Cadets '93, but probably a bit.

...and the DCI activity has never recovered from this.

[perc2100]

I haven't really watched any shows since I aged out in 2007, and now that I'm watching current shows on the DCI Fan Network I'm pretty shocked by how much things have changed. It's the amps, it's not the electronics and synths, I actually like all that stuff. But the uniforms, the show designs, everything, wtf is going? It seems like every corps now does a "brooding and mysterious" preshow, and everyone is doing A LOT of dance movement as opposed to actual marching. Am I just the old fart that I despised back when I marched? Why can't we go back to the days of Summertrain Blues Mix and Frameworks :-(? I know when I was marching we were already on the path to Bando-dom, but man is the top 12 in bando territory now.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "weird." The only thing I can really understand, is when you mentioned uniforms. While some corps have changed in the last five ish years since you aged-out, there aren't too many 'weird' uniform designs that I see. Crown might come the closest, with a uniform design that is close in concept to a WGI uni design.

But as far as show designs, I think there are a lot LESS brooding show designs this year than in past years. We have BD doing Burt Bacharach, Cavaliers doing 'extraordinary' things, Crown doing Queen & other rock music, Phantom doing Romeo & Juliette, Blue Stars doing Bourne Identity stuff, Blue Knights doing concert band standards, BAC doing a popular Broadway musical, and Madison Scouts doing R&B music! Cadets might be doing something considered 'dark' (though it's really a good vs evil type show and I think the light side is represented as much as the dark side), as are maybe SCV and Bluecoats. But I think most corps in Finals this year are doing 'brighter' shows.

I guess in answer to your question

Why can't we go back to the days of Summertrain Blues Mix and Frameworks

, the simple answer is because DCI has been there/done that and must move past that in order to evolve. Kind of like why the Oakland A's can't go back to the 'moneyball' era: everyone else in MLB has caught on to that formula, and if the A's want to get back to winning pennants they must find a new formula in order to be competitive.

Also, I think that a) DCI has been in 'band territory' now for a LONG time: since far before you started marching. And b) design trends seem to be cyclical. Over the years there seem to be swings of way esoteric show designs, where designers are stretching themselves to design 'deep' shows conceptually, and then years that swing to fan-friendly type show designs. I think that right now the pendulum is closer to the fan-friendly side than the esoteric side, and if some of the scuttlebutt is true about changes of the sheets for the next year or two, we might see the pendulum swing even further into audience friendly territory.