JimF-LowBari Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) You see, drum corps for paying fans is entertainment, not always just a great cause, educational endeavour etc....they want to go to shows, and be entertained for their hard earned $$$ that they pay. It must be in the local water.... or Three Mile Island..... Yeah... that's it... I go to things to be entertained and forget my troubles for a while and enjoy myself. If I'm not entertained I don't go. I don't wish harm to the organization because I'm no longer entertained, I just quit attending the events. And the list of no longer attending includes events at our local High Schools, most local sports and few others that fell off as our tastes changed. Sum##### you just want me to owe you a beer at Annapolis..... Edit: And more On Topic: I'm enjoying the smaller corps and Minis more and more. Think it's a combination of the wider range of how the shows are presented and something different from "here's the next full corps filling the field". Edited August 14, 2012 by JimF-LowBari 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Edit: And more On Topic: I'm enjoying the smaller corps and Minis more and more. Think it's a combination of the wider range of how the shows are presented and something different from "here's the next full corps filling the field". Hmmm...taking nothing away from the smaller corps and minis, because they are indeed enjoyable, if you look at the WC top 5 (to pick a few) you see radically different takes on what drum corps shows can be. The above makes it seem like the big corps are all pretty much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) Hmmm...taking nothing away from the smaller corps and minis, because they are indeed enjoyable, if you look at the WC top 5 (to pick a few) you see radically different takes on what drum corps shows can be. The above makes it seem like the big corps are all pretty much the same. I can see why it could be taken that way Mike but not totally the intent. With corps that are full sized there are different types of shows and "personalities" of corps. But for drill at least it's still trying to fill the field (in the most effective way). But with the smaller corps (remember my side of the fence defines smaller as 65 members or less) there is the question of will they try to use the whole field and sound like a full size corps or use the middle more in drill and not try to "volume like the big boys". Then there are the "not full" corps that are unbalanced in some voice or between guard/horns/perc. That is interesting to me as it's a throw back to my day in the lesser corps circuit to see how the corps handles the imbalance. Some folks want a full sized corps without any apparent issues. With me, how the issues are handled makes things more interesting. Edit: My fav Class A corps usually comes out with 15-20 horns. The show and presentation is so effective I usually think there are a lot more members until I start counting and ---> You'd never know only 2 or so people are covering each part. Edited August 14, 2012 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) I can see why it could be taken that way Mike but not totally the intent. With corps that are full sized there are different types of shows and "personalities" of corps. But for drill at least it's still trying to fill the field (in the most effective way). But with the smaller corps (remember my side of the fence defines smaller as 65 members or less) there is the question of will they try to use the whole field and sound like a full size corps or use the middle more in drill and not try to "volume like the big boys". Then there are the "not full" corps that are unbalanced in some voice or between guard/horns/perc. That is interesting to me as it's a throw back to my day in the lesser corps circuit to see how the corps handles the imbalance. Some folks want a full sized corps without any apparent issues. With me, how the issues are handled makes things more interesting. Edit: My fav Class A corps usually comes out with 15-20 horns. The show and presentation is so effective I usually think there are a lot more members until I start counting and ---> You'd never know only 2 or so people are covering each part. Gotcha...I figured something along those lines. I love smaller groups too...being on staff with a small marching band (our total including guard is in the 50's) I like to see how the corps use the field. We try and limit the size for much of the show, and expand out sporadically when it makes sense musically (e.g. a percussion or WW predominant spot in our show where the directional aspect of the brass is not as important). We also use props at times to "shrink" the field visually. Edited August 14, 2012 by MikeD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breezemont Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Im sorry, but people that post these long goodbye letters along with their tales of woe are just looking for attention. Everyone who posts on forums is looking for attention. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 It must be in the local water.... or Three Mile Island..... Yeah... that's it... I go to things to be entertained and forget my troubles for a while and enjoy myself. If I'm not entertained I don't go. I don't wish harm to the organization because I'm no longer entertained, I just quit attending the events. And the list of no longer attending includes events at our local High Schools, most local sports and few others that fell off as our tastes changed. Sum##### you just want me to owe you a beer at Annapolis..... Edit: And more On Topic: I'm enjoying the smaller corps and Minis more and more. Think it's a combination of the wider range of how the shows are presented and something different from "here's the next full corps filling the field". you can buy the old man one at prelims Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 you can buy the old man one at prelims And he can pick the brand..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 And he can pick the brand..... they don't serve Strohs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 When I read the beginnings of the Open Letter to DCI I was preparing to head out to my 27th consecutive finals. My first reaction was that I feel sorry for JulesBry. Really sorry, because your timing is horrible. Now that I've arrived back home, completely saturated with drum corps, I see that the JulesBry's thoughts are shared by 40+ people who took the time to green+ the letter's point. I presume that those 40+ people are now gone from drum corps. So what, I say. Big deal. You all have terrible timing. Any serious fan of the activity who's been watching realizes that DCI is, structurally, at one of its lowest points in history. It is usually these times when significant change happens, usually instigated by the most serious thinkers and doers of the activity. This is the bottom, not the top, of the direction DCI's future holds. Those of you who are bolting are probably the ones who sold all your stocks in 2008. Your timing is terrible. There is great and serious change coming to DCI. While it's undeterminable to presume the future is all sun flowers and puppy dogs, those of us who hang around are going to witness something new. What's next in the DCI saga is NOT death, quite the contrary. The players whose lives breath drum corps daily all recognize the importance of the next steps, and what's planned will likely be a day recognized and discussed like the birth of DCI and the 2010 great attempted mutiny of the G8. Those of you who buy the JulesBry's sentiment and agree to the extent of leaving - which I suspect JulesBry never intended to do as much as get those feelings posted to DCP - will miss what's next. Don't be fools. It's still a great adventure. I still feel sorry for the lemmings who bolt, and my post is an attempt to exercise my writing style and convince you to cool your jets and just watch. You're about to see a fun show INSIDE the activity that will likely match the one we saw on the field last night. Don't buy the baloney. Your corps need you, the activity needs you, and you know you really want to stay and see the Great Change happen. Well, stick around... I'm trying, but I didn't go to one show this year, choosing to participate through the FN. My friends who I have traditionally gone to shows with will not go anymore because they HATE the direction of shows. Still holding, but with less participation each year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 FWIW, I green-plussed him because I agree with most of his complaints, and I appreciated that he was willing to spell it out along with the consequences. I am also majorly turned off by the electronics elements, particularly pre-recorded music and voice and bad synth patches (which account for 90% of all synth patches) myself, and I think some aspects of the judging mechanism could use a somewhat bolder kick in the pants than the new sheets amounted to. I don't plan to bolt anytime soon. But if we start seeing pre-recorded voice in *every* show, or a much-expanded role for the synth section, or an intrusion of pre-recorded music into the actual shows, I think I too will lose interest over time. The fact that these kinds of things are on the upswing is very troubling. All that said, I'm hopeful about your promise that something is a-brewin'. I can't imagine anything likely to happen that I would actually be excited about, however. That's why I gave the green plus too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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