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One thing I can say is that the way BD rehearses compared to some other corps tends to be a lot more systematic. For example, Wayne keeps years and years of detailed logs of temperature, humidity, elevation, etc. and observations of how those environmental conditions impact horns in terms of intonation and tone quality. This lead to a system of notching tuning valves, where he'd record which notch for each slide for each horn kept things best in tune for specific conditions. This system based on years of data and retained knowledge allowed the ability to compress some of the time it takes to do some things.

There are similar systems in place for just about everything the corps does... compressing a lot of time required for routine activities... freeing up time to be able to focus on unique aspects.

Because they have retained the same staff for so long (most of the staff in place now was there when I was there 20 years ago... what other corps can you say that about???) is why they have clear systems in place and why they rehearse the way they do. Also, the staff isn't trying to figure out how to work together.

It really is about continuity. If other corps were able to retain the same staff for so long, to retain the same knowledge and develop detailed systems, they would probably rehearse in very similar ways.

There's the ticket right there. While I don't agree with the notching system (I think it doesn't give enough wiggle room player to player) it's a system and it works across the line.

And having the same staff for 20 plus years is a huge contributor to how successful they are. When you have the same people working together, you know exactly what they can go do and can't do, and what kind of results they can get out of the kids, so you can design a show that will maximize that potential year in and year out. If you look at the most successful corps in DCI, they were and are the most successful when they have consistent staffing for years at a time.

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A bit OT...

Everyone says that Apollo 13 is the beginning, but isn't the INITIAL impact the beginning of the dubstep tune Doomsday by Nero (also used in the Borderlands 2 Trailer):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW7qO_wpfvk

(It may be from somewhere else, too...)

That one's pretty easy to hum. :devil:

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Hmmmm, if you can't hum:

Say a Little Prayer (2011)

Then I kinda feel for you...

Downey's arrangement of Say a Little Prayer was not the most hummable. Not even sure how to triple-tongue while humming... or would that be triple-glottal-stop? :devil:

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. For example, Wayne keeps years and years of detailed logs of temperature, humidity, elevation, etc. and observations of how those environmental conditions impact horns in terms of intonation and tone quality. This lead to a system of notching tuning valves, where he'd record which notch for each slide for each horn kept things best in tune for specific conditions. This system based on years of data and retained knowledge allowed the ability to compress some of the time it takes to do some things.

I thought that was Jack Meehan, not Wayne.

Not as applicable now, when you change horn inventories every other year, but in our day, when the horns stayed around for years? Oh yeah.

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Not as applicable now, when you change horn inventories every other year, but in our day, when the horns stayed around for years? Oh yeah.

I had a new horn each year I marched. They tuned and marked each horn before I ever touched it.

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I had a new horn each year I marched. They tuned and marked each horn before I ever touched it.

True....but NOT the case when I marched.....before you were born!

I've no idea how old my sop or uni were...7 years at most for the horn, 9 at most for the uni (especially the tunic)...but I'd guess my horn lasted through the 89 season, since they moved to 3 valve sops in 90....'course, the 2 valvers probably went to the B corps as the 3 valvers came on line.

In a sense, you were spoiled by having new brass every year....back in the day, that was NOT what happened....but it DID give more time for a specific horn's peculiarities to come out.

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