Kevin Meadows Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 The answer is simple. Corps aren't as loud as they used to be. Crowds aren't 'hit in the chest' with impacts anymore like in years past. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 (edited) Just listening to shows past, and crowd reactions are just so much more energetic and emotional than those of today's shows. What's with that? The answer is simple. Corps aren't as loud as they used to be. Crowds aren't 'hit in the chest' with impacts anymore like in years past. Sigh. Ask a stupid question... Peace, Fred O. Edited December 8, 2012 by drumno5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 (edited) I think you are way underestimating the drum corps fan base when you say that "not many" of them ever heard of Spartacus until Phantom played it in 2008. You may have been correct when they played it in 1981, but not 2008. Not sure where you are coming from here. Are you saying that they are more familiar with it because they were exposed to it through the 1981/82 Regiment programs, or because they are better educated and more literate with regard to the mid-twentieth century ballet repertoire? If the latter, I would take issue with your premise. I don't think there's been any kind of major groundswell of interest in the music of Khachaturian and his contemporaries among the drum corps crowd (or the population in general, for that matter) over the last 30 years or so. Peace, Fred O. Edited December 8, 2012 by drumno5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Sigh. Ask a stupid question... Peace, Fred O. How kind of you to charaterize his answer as stupid. Love, HD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 You really hit on something here. In the distant past, there were a number of individual productions, each with a starting and ending point. Then there were several seconds of dead space for the audience to react. For the most part, that doesn't happen any more. Today, instead of the equivalent of watching several film shorts set to music, we watch each corps present a full-length feature. Generally, the applause comes at the end more than in between productions, which more often than not, tend to blend into one another. It's neither good nor bad...it's just the way it is. exactly. Now, one can design their show so they have those release points, even without the dead air....it's called a transition with a slight pause, or saying just having the synth playa chord ata hold. Some do, some don't. Too often corps are in such a hurry to get to the next GE climax point, they don't give the last one a chance to be fully absorbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Regiment's Spartacus was obscure music in which not many had heard prior to them playing it, yet the crowd went Ballistic. I will concede, though, that Mike and Jeff have a point about some current music/drill 'designers' not building in crowd explosion points. you don't have to know the music....it's all in how it's presented. Many of the newer generation of DCI fans had no idea about Spartacus...the visual went a long way in telling the story. Another great example is Cadets Angels and Demons....the visual helped convey the emotion. the GE sheets have one huge thuing I feel is over rewarded...audio to visual cordination. Just going into block form #4 with loud chord and body isn't the best possible way to coordinate the impact or effect. But it's what people do anyways. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 1981/1982 shows?? but how many kids knew those shows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 How kind of you to charaterize his answer as stupid. Love, HD I figured I might get flamed, or at least chided for my post. But I stand by it. Cipher's initial question is simplistic and subjective, and (at least to me) obviously fishing for responses that support the p.o.v. that things were better in the good old days. Kevin's answer is equally simplistic and subjective, and gives Cipher just what he's looking for. Maybe I should have said: "Ask a simplistic, subjective question, worded so as to elicit a particular response..." But that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Holiday regards - thanks for the dialogue, Fred O. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Aces Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 (edited) Not sure where you are coming from here. Are you saying that they are more familiar with it because they were exposed to it through the 1981/82 Regiment programs, or because they are better educated and more literate with regard to the mid-twentieth century ballet repertoire? If the latter, I would take issue with your premise. I don't think there's been any kind of major groundswell of interest in the music of Khachaturian and his contemporaries among the drum corps crowd (or the population in general, for that matter) over the last 30 years or so. Peace, Fred O. From the previous Phantom shows. The drum corps fan base is very aware of its own history, and since Phantom themselves played this back in 1981/1982 in what became very iconic shows, people (in a general sense, but not all) seeing this at Finals that year were aware of the music already. Edited December 8, 2012 by Quad Aces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Aces Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 but how many kids knew those shows? Yes, a lot of the kids may or may not have known that Phantom did this back then (depending on how much drum corps history they know). However, IMHO, we may even be underestimating their knowledge of the history of the activity. These are the kids who are more zealous about the activity, and soak in more than others would. From my own personal experience, when I was in high school band and first experiencing drum corps, i wanted to learn as much as I could about it - and I don't think I was in the minority on this. I mentioned earlier that all anyone had to do was listen to the Field Pass from earlier that season to know that Phantom did Spartacus back then. And, let's not forget that kids are not the only ones in the audience at Finals - the audience is also made up of fans who have been following the activity for a long time and are certainly aware of the history of the activity. Again, IMHO, I think it's a stretch to say that "not many" people in the stands at Finals knew of the Spartacus music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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