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Grandpa's Allentown Synopsis


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and the Bridgemen Alumni truly appreciate the stalwarts that stuck it out in the torrential rain. We had a blast and loved having those fans cheering and clapping in the downpour.

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Right there with you Heather. VERY MUCH appreciated the folks that did stay, they are why we do this. I had a blast, the corps had a blast, and judging from their reactions, the very wet fans had a blast. Can't wait to do it again...

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Just back after around 11 hours on the road. This isn't intended to be a show review, I'm sure others can do a better job than me on that front. I just wanted to keep my promise to check in with my general impressions and commentary on the state of the art.

......

Final verict.

There are many points where I have to grit my teeth, or am ready to cheer, only to have that enthusiasm sucked out of me by the goo. Including it in the show is a grave disservice to the kids on the field. However, I don't think those cringe moments are enough to keep me from going back next year. Walking around the busses in search of some kids who we know are marching was like coming home. I know this place, these smells, these sights. I have missed it for far too long. I'll be back, DCI, but with reservations. Please don't take my concerns, or my continued support, for granted.

Grandpa,

Thank you for a straight-forward and honest post about your experience. I recall from your posts in other threads that you had approached this trip to the show with some trepidation. I am glad that in the end, you found yourself reconnecting with DCI in a positive way despite your difficulty with the direction you have perceived DCI to be going in during the past few years. I hope that that connection remains for you.

I posted in another thread that I do not see A&E as being either the death or the savior of drum corps. I think it can have it's place, but there may be some difficult growing pains along the way as corps learn to fit it into their performances with skill and in ways that are at once pleasing and true to the uniqueness of drum corps. Like yourself, I think that currently, things are in phase of overuse. I sometimes make the analogy to graphic art and photography where many of us had to learn that just because the new tools of Photoshop allowed us to over-saturate colors, it didn't mean that we should. Sometimes learning to wield a tool with a sense of subtlety takes going through some "rough" periods.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences.

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Thanks Jim.

I'm not sure this is a tool that should be or needs to be used at all.

I can't think of one instance where I felt the effect couldn't have been created with traditional instrumentation, and lots where I fervently wished they had not bothered at all. I would be quite happy if they disappeared next year, but DCI never seems to take my advice on these things!

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You know what I think really bothers me the most? It's not knowing for sure if the sound I hear is coming from the kids in the hornline, or from a pre-programmed sound file. Sometimes it's obvious, with those horrible goo notes I described above. The rest of the time, I'm not sure. What that the hornline or was that the synth? It's almost like watching the olympic athletes and wondering if that was a natural, human performance, or an artificially enhanced one.

I really don't like that ambiguity. It cheapens the whole performance, in my view....

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You know what I think really bothers me the most? It's not knowing for sure if the sound I hear is coming from the kids in the hornline, or from a pre-programmed sound file. Sometimes it's obvious, with those horrible goo notes I described above. The rest of the time, I'm not sure. What that the hornline or was that the synth? It's almost like watching the olympic athletes and wondering if that was a natural, human performance, or an artificially enhanced one.

I really don't like that ambiguity. It cheapens the whole performance, in my view....

I understand that feeling. To me that is one of the indications that things are overdone.

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I understand that feeling. To me that is one of the indications that things are overdone.

I spoke to a couple of Crossmen staff who came into the stands to watch their corps perform. Really great guys, and I asked them about exactly this question. They said they had greatly pared down the synth backup of the tubas, etc, and that the member playing the synth was a returning vet who said up front he didn't want to be playing sound effects or augmenting the tuba sound the whole show. It seems they worked with his suggestions. One of them said something to the effect of "with Crossmen, when you hear tuba, it's really tuba." I was glad to hear that.

It was an interesting chat. I had enjoyed Crossmen immensly, and the information these two guys shared with me after their performance gave me some insight as to why.

Edited by Grandpa
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You know what I think really bothers me the most? It's not knowing for sure if the sound I hear is coming from the kids in the hornline, or from a pre-programmed sound file. Sometimes it's obvious, with those horrible goo notes I described above. The rest of the time, I'm not sure. What that the hornline or was that the synth? It's almost like watching the olympic athletes and wondering if that was a natural, human performance, or an artificially enhanced one. I really don't like that ambiguity. It cheapens the whole performance, in my view....

Couldn't agree with you more. The discussions about, "Who has the loudest hornline," seems ridiculous to me since electronics are the steroids of modern-day drum corps.

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I spoke to a couple of Crossmen staff who came into the stands to watch their corps perform. Really great guys, and I asked them about exactly this question. They said they had greatly pared down the synth backup of the tubas, etc, and that the member playing the synth was a returning vet who said up front he didn't want to be playing sound effects or augmenting the tuba sound the whole show. It seems they worked with his suggestions. One of them said something to the effect of "with Crossmen, when you hear tuba, it's really tuba." I was glad to hear that.

It was an interesting chat. I had enjoyed Crossmen immensly, and the information these two guys shared with me after their performance gave me some insight as to why.

My hope is that this would become the prevailing approach for corps as we progress down the line. For me, its a lot like trying to create a gourmet meal; a little of the right spice can accent the natural flavors of the dish. Too much and the spice becomes over-powering and all one can taste. Right now, I think the cooks are still learning, and still have a ways to go until they get the A&E "seasoning" figured out.

Thankfully, things aren't such that I no longer want to come to the table and enjoy the meal being offered. :smile:

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