Growth of pits over the years

[idontwan2know]

Not sure about DCA but it really looks like the DCA have duplicate mallet instruments out there that are not really needed.

Back in the 80s we had 1 Vibe, 1 Marimba, 1 Zylo, 1 Tymp player and someone to cover toys. Heard the parts real well without any electronics as well.

For the exact same reasons you need more than 1 trumpet, mello, baritone and tuba.

[JimF-LowBari]

Not all the instruments are the same though, even if they look similar. There are marimbas and xylophones and vibraphones. No one has 10 marimbas.

Oh great I caught Hell in the past when I called them "bells". Now marimbas ain't right.

OK, <turn on Cletus the slack jawed yokel voice> them there things the guys and gays smack the dickens out of....

"smack the dickens" - reference to improper technique which this horn player can't see the difference either.

[JimF-LowBari]

For the exact same reasons you need more than 1 trumpet, mello, baritone and tuba.

Ahh.... but should we hear them pit thingees as much as we hear the horns?

Not what you said but the thought hit me.....

[Jeff Ream]

Ahh.... but should we hear them pit thingees as much as we hear the horns?

Not what you said but the thought hit me.....

Depends on how the staff wants it coming out. It's less likely to see a horn line playing long runs up and down the scale while hauling their ##### off, and the pit fills that void. So say while you listen to App Spring, when you hear the symphony version, you hear those runs often in the strings at the same time you hear say thebrass playing the main melody. Same approach is used for scoring the pit.

I mean when you hear the brass, should you just hear the leads, or the 2nds and thirds too?

[JimF-LowBari]

Depends on how the staff wants it coming out. It's less likely to see a horn line playing long runs up and down the scale while hauling their ##### off, and the pit fills that void. So say while you listen to App Spring, when you hear the symphony version, you hear those runs often in the strings at the same time you hear say thebrass playing the main melody. Same approach is used for scoring the pit.

I'll keep that in mind when (WHEN!) I get my DCA CDs and think the pit is too loud.

#### now I owe you a cold one......

I mean when you hear the brass, should you just hear the leads, or the 2nds and thirds too?

Who the Hell cares about the leads.... unless it's Ritchee Price or Joey.

[Tuokaerf10]

Oh great I caught Hell in the past when I called them "bells". Now marimbas ain't right. :tongue:/>

OK, <turn on Cletus the slack jawed yokel voice> them there things the guys and gays smack the dickens out of....

"smack the dickens" - reference to improper technique which this horn player can't see the difference either.

If you really want to fry your brain, there are different sizes of mallet instruments by octave size, many different mallet choices, marimbas can have rosewood or synthetic bars, etc. it's hard enough getting a high school trumpet player to remember their horn, not to mention a marimba player with 5 different sets of mallets :).

[JimF-LowBari]

If you really want to fry your brain, there are different sizes of mallet instruments by octave size, many different mallet choices, marimbas can have rosewood or synthetic bars, etc. it's hard enough getting a high school trumpet player to remember their horn, not to mention a marimba player with 5 different sets of mallets :).

LMAO... just remembered I rode on the drum truck for 5 years. Can image the line of grief someone would have caught if they forgot something and "assumed" it would be on the truck. But truck WAS a lot smaller then.... (refurbished refridgerator van).....

And speaking of expense..... now we have semis to haul the stuff around....

Edited December 18, 2012 by JimF-LowBari

[Tyler C.]

xylos, especially with glass mallets can be heard 4 counties away, it's the nature of the instrument. but the growth in marimbas and vibes being used was to allow for more depth in the parts...you may think they are all playing the same notes, but often they are not...within pit scoring today you can get melodic, counter melodic and harmonic parts all going at the same time. Sure, sometimes they may be unison or in octaves, but not always. Plus one marimba can be at the top end, while another in the middle, and one dowing the low end...all doing the above. One way to think of it is this Jim:

Why does a corps need 2/3 bari parts or 2/3 sop parts?

/thread

Maybe this is a generational thing, but it seems like the senior members of DCA are used to the pit being a subordinate ensemble in the total musical package, because from my perspective, I don't see why pits shouldn't be used as they are today.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Tyler C.

[drumcorpsfever]

LMAO... just remembered I rode on the drum truck for 5 years. Can image the line of grief someone would have caught if they forgot something and "assumed" it would be on the truck. But truck WAS a lot smaller then.... (refurbished refridgerator van).....

And speaking of expense..... now we have semis to haul the stuff around....

That reminds me about George Carlin and his view on "stuff". I wonder what he would say about today's drum corps hauling stuff all around the country?

Edited December 18, 2012 by drumcorpsfever

[DCAwilloutliveDCI]

The OP prefaces his post with "not trying to make this a generation gap argument..." and then proceeds to make a generation gap argument.

Frontline equipment has expanded in quality and quantity greatly over the last 20+ years. In quality, because the hope is to give the performer a legitimate education that can have transfer value to their HS or college ensembles, and also because the equipment design has matured in its quality of tone production. If you have a crappy sounding baritone or a nice sounding baritone, which one are you going to choose? Frontline quantity has expanded because it's no longer simply a 2nd tier voice. It contributes in meaningful ways all throughout the program, just as the brass and batterie does. Part of the reason for amplification is the fact that most pits still fail to cut, unless they commit to a harsh, bright timbre like hard plastic mallets on xylophone.

There's no going back to one valve horns and Mylar heads and symmetrical drill and the tick system and whatever part of your 'hey day' you miss. Legitimate sized, legitimate sounding frontlines are here to stay.