cixelsyd Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 If you took 50 random people off the street and showed them a G7 corps and a top historically black show band, 50 people out of 50 would prefer the band. DCI no longer has a universal appeal: it's for the hard core. Once you let open Pandora's box by adding the syths, you might as well consummate the marriage and allow anything the band director desires. If you allow 300 members like WVU marching band that can increase gate, produce more alumni to ensure the stands are filled in the future. DCI is in limbo and should take that final step. The corps want woodwinds, the staff want woodwinds, so no sense in being frustrated by anything stupid and reactionary like tradition. It's still drum corps if you allow sousaphones, clarinets and oboes! Drum Corps is not about instrumentation: the addition of synths, narrative drama, and guitar proved that. How does that help? If you showed your same "50 random people" a top BOA band and a top show band, would they choose any differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 ...Your analogy is similar to the Seven's belief that they must look, smell, and feel like band in order to attract kids and, therefor, drum corps must court the band directors in order to get kids to tryouts. I disagree with the premise entirely... Of course you disagree with it. The seven surely disagree they must must "look, smell and feel"! Everything about the G7 discussion seems to get exaggerated (even by those who aren't usually prone to exaggerations). Fretting about ranks of flutes and clarinets among the mellos and baris might help score debating points but there's not basis in fact to think that's the vision. We all know Hopkins has proposed expanding instrumentation more than once. We all know about the fateful PowerPoint nearly a decade ago that used the words "drum corps is marching band" (or was it "marching band is drum corps"?). But that's kind of it, isn't it? The synths some despise so much aren't being used to add bassoon and bass clarinet voices are they? Where's the worry? Woodwind anxiety was always overwrought. The marching band gremlin has has been scaring the drum corps community for as long as we can remember. Gibbs, Fiedler and Hopkins may or may not be imagining a sax solo in a jazz number one day. If that happened, it wouldn't ruin drum corps any more than the bad intonation and bad forms of certain corps did. If they're thinking that drum corps ought to embrace the similarities it has with marching band more than the differences, they're not going to ruin drum corps. What might ruin drum corps more surely is envisioning the future as a snapshot from the past. HH 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Our current audience is well aware that drum corps is different from marching band. Always has been. Yes. All 200,000 of that "current audience" who ponied up money for a drum corps event or item last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 I agree with you that all the corps (OC and WC) would be better off under one umbrella now. But if there are groups who want to do something other than drum corps, DCI is probably not the place for them to do that. I'm not sure why the differentiation is necessary. As others have said...it is all marching band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 How does that help? If you showed your same "50 random people" a top BOA band and a top show band, would they choose any differently? The point is there should no longer be any limits to the creative impulse. Maybe integrating elements of show band should be allowed. After the synths, etc., what's the difference? Maybe narrative could extend into adding rappers? A Weezy show? Why reproduce the same tired ideas of the past to a declining audience? Even the Dino's don't come anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 We all know Hopkins has proposed expanding instrumentation more than once. We all know about the fateful PowerPoint nearly a decade ago that used the words "drum corps is marching band" (or was it "marching band is drum corps"?). But that's kind of it, isn't it? The synths some despise so much aren't being used to add bassoon and bass clarinet voices are they? Where's the worry? If I recall correctly, the rules specifically prohibit use of woodwind samples, and that is why we do not hear those sounds coming from synths at DCI events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 I'm not sure why the differentiation is necessary. As others have said...it is all marching band. It is mostly you saying that. And if it becomes true one day, then the differentiation will go away. In the meantime, it appears that the member corps prefer to make that distinction - otherwise, DCI would have changed its name and marketing terminology long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 If I recall correctly, the rules specifically prohibit use of woodwind samples, and that is why we do not hear those sounds coming from synths at DCI events. Wow! I had no idea - no idea the state of affairs was that malignant. I mean, who's going to know? Who's going to know whether that "thunderous goo" is a bass clarinet or regular kind? Or care? HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 It is mostly you saying that. And if it becomes true one day, then the differentiation will go away. In the meantime, it appears that the member corps prefer to make that distinction - otherwise, DCI would have changed its name and marketing terminology long ago. Yes, I say that...but so have others...it is not 'mostly me'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 I have been on this forum for some time. Yes, it is mostly you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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