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Are guards too good?


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Are guards "too good"? I don't know, but I'll bet that's not what their instructors tell them. :tongue:

Edited by Piper
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I agree with whoever said overwriting is problem. Which is why I am often uninterested, because a lot of work goes unnoticed.

On another note I like when there are different sections doing different things, then it all comes together for a big ensemble moment. Also I feel like a good example of a very effective guard was Crossmen 08. Opening flag work at the beginning and end of the show were great. And there was nice layering at a few moments.

Really it's all in balance. There needs to be some full ensemble moments and then some of the other stuff to keep it all interesting.

one thing that I really enjoyed was Phantom's unison dance at the beginning of the show. The girls really performed the hell out of it and it was extremely effective.

But I'm just a brass guy.

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Are guards "too good"? I don't know, but I'll bet that's not what their instructors tell them. :tongue:

Instructor to guard members..."Judy, please do that toss just a little slower. Sam, speed it up just a little. Jane, can you toss just a little higher than everyone else? Jimmy, please, on the next toss...drop the rifle. Right now everything is just so in synch it looks boring".

:smile:

Edited by MikeD
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I agree with whoever said overwriting is problem. Which is why I am often uninterested, because a lot of work goes unnoticed.

On another note I like when there are different sections doing different things, then it all comes together for a big ensemble moment. Also I feel like a good example of a very effective guard was Crossmen 08. Opening flag work at the beginning and end of the show were great. And there was nice layering at a few moments.

Really it's all in balance. There needs to be some full ensemble moments and then some of the other stuff to keep it all interesting.

one thing that I really enjoyed was Phantom's unison dance at the beginning of the show. The girls really performed the hell out of it and it was extremely effective.

But I'm just a brass guy.

<---is whoever. ;)

On your last point, that moment was one of the most artistic (if not the) highlights of the summer. Michael James is brilliant, and those guard girls were amazing...not that I ever show favoritism.

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As I was sitting in Indy last year, watching guard after guard toss and catch, I was thinking that guard is less interesting for me now. If you've seen something often enough, it loses its effect. The guards are so good that I'm shocked if there's a drop. Do you think guards need to change to a different artistic direction?

I still long for the precision guards of 70's and 80's but I have to admit the talent level of the performers now is far above that of those in the past. For years I openly voiced my opinion that there's too much dancing and prancing in today's guard work. A few years back my daughter quit the drumline and joined the guard at her high school (I almost #### myself). She went from the snareline to the guard and excelled at it almost immediately. Since my pride and joy was now in the guard I became much more aware of the amount of work it takes to put together a good guard program. Multiply that by 10 for DCI guards. When she got a contract with her first corps I actually teared up. I have much more respect for what they do now. She's still a pretty ###### good drummer though!! :thumbup:

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My thought on this topic:

"Are the guards too good"

- that they have peaked in drum corps and there is nothing 'new' left to offer us?

Is it that we have seen it before and/or done it before so its not as interesting and we only notice the mistakes now?

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<---is whoever. ;)

On your last point, that moment was one of the most artistic (if not the) highlights of the summer. Michael James is brilliant, and those guard girls were amazing...not that I ever show favoritism.

Favoritism on DCP!!!! NEVER!!!! tongue.gif

That guard was beautiful though.

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Is it that we have seen it before and/or done it before so its not as interesting and we only notice the mistakes now?

After I aged out, all I could see in any drum corps shows was the mistakes... not because that's what I was trying to see, but it just happened. Fortunately, as I put more distance between myself and my marching days (5 years now... man I am getting old) I am starting to be able to appreciate drum corps again without being so subconsciously critical.

Edited by soccerguy315
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