IllianaLancerContra Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 (edited) Well... synthesizers are extremely underutilized in drum corps. To think a synth is any easier than a brass or percussion instrument is silly. To make real music on them... takes real talent. For example... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv5f5P5VbIc Would love to see stuff like that in drum corps... those tunes... that type of synth usage. I did not say it was easier. But, if we don't need "kettle' tympani, why do we need brass bugles? Heck put all the instruments in the pit & march 130+ guard. Edited March 17, 2013 by IllianaLancerContra 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 28,000 people watched Madison play "Malaguena", Spirit play "Sweet Georgia Brown", and BD play "La Suerta etc" as concert numbers in 1980, plus another few million on live tv. Just playing, rather than marching, for 3 or 4 minutes in a 13 minute showdidn't make their shows less appealing; if anything, the evidence might point in the opposite direction. THIS WHile I do love drill, I liked when a corps could basically settle down and play hard tunes with lots of black notes that made more sense than running through Arbans page 285. < old man grumbles outloud> 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 One change? dump sound sport and drum battle and bring back I&E to finals week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c mor Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Electronics are NEVER going away. They actually SAVE corps money. A set of timpani cost $12,000 - 15,000. Then there is the cost to haul them around. Most corps are replacing timpani with synth at a fraction of the cost, and while the costs of timpani are actually increasing, the costs of electronics is actually going down. Well, I guess you're also assuming I'm in favor of grounded pit equipment. :smile:/> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c mor Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Make drum corps a television friendly product. At present, it is not. See page 51 at link below. http://www.drumcorps...zines/feb_2013/ . Actually, with respect to the O.P. question - Changing the shows to a TV format would be the single greatest factor to increase exposure, participation, & revenue. With TV ads funding the activity, the finals' prize money could be substantial. Might cancel the non-profit status though... Shows would be designed in 4 minute segments to allow for commercials. Would you cut shows to 8 min total, or make them 12 min shows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) Shows would be designed in 4 minute segments to allow for commercials. Would you cut shows to 8 min total, or make them 12 min shows? No television show cuts away at 4 minute intervals. Programs could still be 9 minutes with two-minute commercial breaks during a two-hour specialty broadcast or cable show. But 2 hours would probably be the maximum length of the show, if you wanted it live, so the corps would need to be able to strike and set up their shows faster than they do now, you'd only be able to show the top 6 or 7 corps from Semis, and DCI wouldn't have the luxury of the interminable wait before Finale that they do now at Finals. All in all, having to tighten up the live show to fit television standards would be a boon to the live audiences too. Less waiting for something to happen. Edited March 18, 2013 by Slingerland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Actually, with respect to the O.P. question - Changing the shows to a TV format would be the single greatest factor to increase exposure, participation, & revenue. With TV ads funding the activity, the finals' prize money could be substantial. Might cancel the non-profit status though... Shows would be designed in 4 minute segments to allow for commercials. Would you cut shows to 8 min total, or make them 12 min shows? IIRC, shows were cut from 11.5 - 13 min to the present length back in the mid 1980s for reasons connected to the television broadcast - it made the entire show shorter for stations that showed the complete 12 corps, and allowed an additional corps to make the top-6 broadcast (changing it from a top - 5 to a top - 6) for the stations that choose to go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c mor Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 IIRC, shows were cut from 11.5 - 13 min to the present length back in the mid 1980s for reasons connected to the television broadcast - it made the entire show shorter for stations that showed the complete 12 corps, and allowed an additional corps to make the top-6 broadcast (changing it from a top - 5 to a top - 6) for the stations that choose to go that route. Leads to a general question: So, if drum corps was already set up for, and broadcast on tv, why didn't it become wildly successful and expand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Leads to a general question: So, if drum corps was already set up for, and broadcast on tv, why didn't it become wildly successful and expand? It used to be on PBS. In the 70's and 80's it would be shown live; during the 90's it evolved to a highlights show. Supposedly fans would pledge during the pledge breaks, but when time came to send in the $$ they would stiff the station. In later years, it was broadcast on ESPN2; this was somehow subsidized in-part by DCI. In recent years it apparently has not made financial sense to DCI to continue to pay for the broadcast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) It used to be on PBS. In the 70's and 80's it would be shown live; during the 90's it evolved to a highlights show. Supposedly fans would pledge during the pledge breaks, but when time came to send in the $$ they would stiff the station. Even the donations that did come in declined to a point that PBS found other telecasts that brought in more money. Currently Central PA is moving from Doo-Wop reunions done at a theater to clips of 60s TV music shows (2 weeks ago was Hullabalu(sp?)). In later years, it was broadcast on ESPN2; this was somehow subsidized in-part by DCI. In recent years it apparently has not made financial sense to DCI to continue to pay for the broadcast. Thought it was paid for by DCI and the advertisers and ESPNs biggest risk was two hours that no one would watch the channel. I'm picturing DCI asking ESPN "How much do you charge for a 2 hour infomercial". And yes, what DCI gained from the telecast wasn't worth the $$$ that could have gone to other palces. Edited March 18, 2013 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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