CrunchyTenor Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I have no problem with changing to keep up with technology and industry advances. Free-floating snares, for example, have been a vast improvement over what came before. That's not at issue. How? The only thing free-floaters achieved is cranking down Kevlar heads without exploding the lug casings. Not everyone likes the sound of Kevlar, or the physical ramifications produced until we figured out a different technique for playing on them. I played a section of 82 BD for a friend who owned a music store once. He said, "That was mylar?!?!" Sounded tight and clean to him. What's at issue is the fundamental changes to the activity. Amplification and electronics have transformed drum corps from a purely acoustic activity to a hybrid acoustic/electric environment. That was a big change, IMO. Now I'm in total agreement! Garry in Vegas 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) sounds like a good idea. Maybe they should have woodwinds in the TOC performances. edit: also, obligatory: "George Hopkins" Edited June 19, 2012 by soccerguy315 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CQuinn Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Wow.... For a guy who knows how to run such a successful drum corps he sure doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. ####... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadMadMan Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 How? The only thing free-floaters achieved is cranking down Kevlar heads without exploding the lug casings. Not everyone likes the sound of Kevlar, or the physical ramifications produced until we figured out a different technique for playing on them. I played a section of 82 BD for a friend who owned a music store once. He said, "That was mylar?!?!" Sounded tight and clean to him. Garry in Vegas Eh, I'm a brass guy. I was winging it. But I don't mind the sound of kevlar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFZFAN Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) Yeah, yeah. You rattled the cage again, George. It happens every about every eighteen months or so when you aren't getting enough attention on dci.org or elsewhere. The tired refrain about "Woe is drum corps without woodwinds" from him is no better or more forward thinking than the "drum corps was better in the 70s DINO RAWR!" outlook. Same unwillingness to change, same resistance to listen to any other viewpoint than your own. Work with what you have and stop making excuses for what you don't. Experiment within the art form you already have: that means don't play Christmas shows with the typical opener-ballad-drums-closer format. Work with experimentation with voicing, sizing (60 member color guards, antiphonal brass, etc) and so forth. Learn to go back out and "zag". It can be done now. Easily. It's simple: put up or shut up: add them, and go exhibition if you really believe in it that much. I know it's been discussed before by him and Gibbs both, but neither wants to take the step away from the relative safety of DCI. It's not going to easily pass for a long while within DCI . . .so there's your option. Take it or leave it, but, for the love of God, stop being the annoying kid in the corner arguing that Star Trek is cooler than Star Wars with everyone. Why why why can't I give you a "Green" for this post!!!??? Edited June 20, 2012 by SFZFAN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) Take it or leave it, but, for the love of God, stop being the annoying kid in the corner arguing that Star Trek is cooler than Star Wars with everyone. Why are you picking on Star Trek? Because Harry Kim played the Clarinet and Captain Picard learned the Ressikan flute after he was hit by that beam from the probe? Just to let you know, Janeway played the Contra on Rigel 3. Edited June 20, 2012 by LincolnV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Just to let you know, Janeway played the Contra on Nigel 3. +1 billion, my friend. Well played. Also: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 there is a greater attachment by alumni in drum corps than in the band world. Granted, there are fewer corps now than say 30 years ago when DCI was still gaining ground, but in the band world it's a revolving cast of parents thatmakes up an overwhelming majority of parents. go to DCI shows, and take out the diehards, atmajor shows especially, and the audience shrinks. A lot. Parents can travel week in and week out in most cases to see kids perform in bands. they can't with DCI. Hell, many kids don't even have a chance at a home show when they march. still havent answered the question...the die hards as you call them , us , whoever arent going to be here forever ..the so called die hard from the 70s is not the die hard of the 90s etc etc. I agree with the fact its not all bandos BUT sooner or later it may be and the part I was asking about was will the NEW die hard have less connections to the past as well as the importance or lack of importance to WW or anything else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) I have a comment to make about drum corps I would like all generations to think about. I marched in a national caliber corps in the early and mid-60s. My generation added plastic heads, Swiss rudiments, rudimental bass drums, bugles with valve, rotary, and or slide. The next generation added their progress, etc. Although a lot of DC marchers think drum corps has been ruined, we all led that ruination along its path then. We could be still using rope drums with calf heads, straight bugles, American Legion or VFW judging rules. Please be careful when you judge the next generation because we were that "Next Generation" at some point! Mitch you are 1000% correct. I have a drm corps family that dates back to 1947 to today..I have rel,atives that as soon as the 70s started say the same...its not drum corps...the problem is many decide on their own what progression means and where the dividing line is...and all couldnt be more wrong...if you look back most every poster will decide that their decade is cool but not the next , well that can be an endless path. I dont care if its the 50s up to now one can find something that chaged the face of the activity forever and I say thank God because if we didnt in one form or another drum corps wouldnt exsist today....yeah yeah the fundamental argument, whatever ! change is change...and not bad...JMO Edited June 20, 2012 by GUARDLING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarimbasaurusRex Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 It's simple: put up or shut up: add them, and go exhibition if you really believe in it that much. I know it's been discussed before by him and Gibbs both, but neither wants to take the step away from the relative safety of DCI. Hear hear. Stepping away from the safety of DCI is something none of them have the nuts to do. I've always been a progressive type. When I was marching we would talk of 3D drills with jet packs, even thought amplification would be fine if you could carry an amp and have your sound come from where you were physically on the field. Drum corps needs to move forward and I appreciate GH's desire to move things in some kind of direction away from stagnancy. But saxophones aren't going to save anything. Like any other business, you have to define your market and then try to give them what they desire. But, the corps/band world is led by individuals with their heads buried in the cloistered corps/band scholastic world. It makes the scope of their viewpoint far too narrow to foster any truly meaningful change. People want to see something amazing. They want to see home runs at the ball park. They want to see great touchdown catches on the gridiron. The question is, what does the general audience think is amazing? Is it a saxophone or a mic on a player? Of course, not. I'm not sure I know the answer. But, some people do and they are making scads of money doing it, see Blue Man or Cirque or even, dare I say, Lady GagGag. Their answers are not the same as an answer for drum corps, but I do believe there IS an answer out there somewhere. Drum corps do amazing things. But, they are not necessarily the things people want to see. If drum corps ever figures out what people want to see from them, look out. Because the potential is there for something HUGE, and I think we all feel that. It will take stepping away from the safety net of the "activity." Build a show, a REAL show. Not 10 minutes of generic sameness from one group after another, but 90 minutes of amazing. Let your audience (not parents and other band directors) dictate what's cool and what's not and let the chips fall as they may. If you build it and make it really cool, they will come. Put up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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