kyushujet Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) Saw The US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps at the Texas State Fair today (10-08-2012). Very entertaining and just so great to hear drum corps again in the off season. After their performance, the crowd was able to interact with the members, and I was able to meet up with 2 Trooper alumni. Also met a former Madison Scout as well. One of the highlights of the show was when the drum major spoke to the crowd and read questions that were written down by the audience previous to the start of the show. In 2 of the questions read, the person asked about the "Marine Band" and the drum major got testy and said, "This isn't a band, it's a Drum and Bugle Corps!" Loved that! Oh, and by the way, The US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps uses 2 valve G bugles. If it's good enough for them, should be good enough for DCI! Edited October 9, 2012 by kyushujet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 ... The US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps uses 2 valve G bugles. If it's good enough for them, should be good enough for DCI! But they're Marines. They're capable of more than the average mortal. Granted, the average drum corps member is capable of more than the average mortal; but still, they're Marines. That makes them more capable to the nth degree. I've spoken with my friend, director Brian Dix about the 2-valve G bugles and he's stated the corps keeps using them because of the tradition of G and also, the fact that they do take somewhat more effort to control and play in tune. (We go out to breakfast every DCI World Championships, but that got thwarted this year due to the transportation issue.) That helps add to the mystique and the challenge, and everyone knows the Marines love a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BozzlyB Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 But they're Marines. They're capable of more than the average mortal. Granted, the average drum corps member is capable of more than the average mortal; but still, they're Marines. That makes them more capable to the nth degree. I've spoken with my friend, director Brian Dix about the 2-valve G bugles and he's stated the corps keeps using them because of the tradition of G and also, the fact that they do take somewhat more effort to control and play in tune. (We go out to breakfast every DCI World Championships, but that got thwarted this year due to the transportation issue.) That helps add to the mystique and the challenge, and everyone knows the Marines love a challenge. Soooo...pretty much anyone who marched a pre 1992 (or whatever year the switch came) brass line has Marine grade capabilities. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Soooo...pretty much anyone who marched a pre 1992 (or whatever year the switch came) brass line has Marine grade capabilities. We all have some "Marine grade capabilities." But putting those abilities together in such a way as to qualify as "Marine grade" typically doesn't happen to those of us on the outside. It's possible I have the ingredients in my house to make an exotic culinary dish, but if I was to try putting it together, it would come out like something I wouldn't want to eat. The individual demands on each member of the USMC D&B Corps are very extreme. It reminds me of the demands, even more so, on the individual members of Disney's Future Corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 One of the highlights of the show was when the drum major spoke to the crowd and read questions that were written down by the audience previous to the start of the show. In 2 of the questions read, the person asked about the "Marine Band" and the drum major got testy and said, "This isn't a band, it's a Drum and Bugle Corps!" Loved that! "The president has the Marine Band.... the Commandant has the Marine Drum Corps" Colonel Truman Crawford If I recall correctly...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 God bless 'em. I played at the State Fair a few years while they were there, but I never got to go over to see them. Finally saw them perform after DCI Finals in 2008. Just good, solid drum corps. Fun to watch. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfever Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 One of the highlights at the Indy Championships in 2011 was seeing the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. God bless our Marines! G bugles are part of the tradition of the corps and couldn't see them ever playing anything other than G bugles. If Chuck Norris had a drum corps, it would be the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps! Semper Fi!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 One of the highlights at the Indy Championships in 2011 was seeing the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. God bless our Marines! G bugles are part of the tradition of the corps and couldn't see them ever playing anything other than G bugles. If Chuck Norris had a drum corps, it would be the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps! Semper Fi!!! If? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I've spoken with my friend, director Brian Dix about the 2-valve G bugles and he's stated the corps keeps using them because of the tradition of G and also, the fact that they do take somewhat more effort to control and play in tune. Man... someday I'd love to sit down with Major Dix. I've met him briefly at a couple of shows I've worked... but never had much of a chance to chat. After all... he's a transplanted Jersey guy, like me. I think he is arguably the best in the business, as a teacher and arranger. That corps' horn line is the most in-tune marching brass section I've ever heard, anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Man... someday I'd love to sit down with Major Dix. I've met him briefly at a couple of shows I've worked... but never had much of a chance to chat. After all... he's a transplanted Jersey guy, like me. I think he is arguably the best in the business, as a teacher and arranger. That corps' horn line is the most in-tune marching brass section I've ever heard, anywhere. Feel free, if you're at the DCI World Championships, to get ahold of me and find out when we're meeting for breakfast. I wasn't aware he was from New Jersey. I was first introduced to him by DCI brass judge Dallas Niermeyer, with whom Brian did his student teaching. Dallas introduced him to Col. Crawford and the rest, as they say, is history. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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