Drumline Battle tells the story of DCI

[Blackstar]

I've watched several videos of different drum battles, in America and overseas. The thing that I noticed is the different in drumming between the top 12-15 corps and everyone else. The "big boys" simply cram as many notes as they can into a performance. The other corps try to entertain. Take the Crossmen Genesis battle. Sure the Crossmen were more proficient and better but Genesis tried to play and entertain the crowd.

Take a look at E-Sarn vs Zone Teen Drumline which appeared on national TV in Thailand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmQ2ay0P8Ss. How do you think any of the top 12 corps would go over on America's Got Talent or any TV sow outside of a DCI telecast? I know, I know. Drum corps is not for everyone and most people can't appreciate the nuances of the activity. But don't you think oi drum corps was more accessible to more people it might be a better activity.

[Kamarag]

I've watched several videos of different drum battles, in America and overseas. The thing that I noticed is the different in drumming between the top 12-15 corps and everyone else. The "big boys" simply cram as many notes as they can into a performance. The other corps try to entertain. Take the Crossmen Genesis battle. Sure the Crossmen were more proficient and better but Genesis tried to play and entertain the crowd.

Take a look at E-Sarn vs Zone Teen Drumline which appeared on national TV in Thailand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmQ2ay0P8Ss. How do you think any of the top 12 corps would go over on America's Got Talent or any TV sow outside of a DCI telecast? I know, I know. Drum corps is not for everyone and most people can't appreciate the nuances of the activity. But don't you think oi drum corps was more accessible to more people it might be a better activity.

I thought E-Sarn was the most entertaining thing, percussively, we saw all night at Finals.

[ranintothedoor]

I've watched several videos of different drum battles, in America and overseas. The thing that I noticed is the different in drumming between the top 12-15 corps and everyone else. The "big boys" simply cram as many notes as they can into a performance. The other corps try to entertain. Take the Crossmen Genesis battle. Sure the Crossmen were more proficient and better but Genesis tried to play and entertain the crowd.

Take a look at E-Sarn vs Zone Teen Drumline which appeared on national TV in Thailand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmQ2ay0P8Ss. How do you think any of the top 12 corps would go over on America's Got Talent or any TV sow outside of a DCI telecast? I know, I know. Drum corps is not for everyone and most people can't appreciate the nuances of the activity. But don't you think oi drum corps was more accessible to more people it might be a better activity.

Agreed... I think the nuance should be sacrificed for entertainment in the DLBattle venue/circuit. Growing the activity from the ground up needs to get kids and the general public HOOKED! DCI would do well to recruit HBCU and high school show bands to get their drumlines to participate or at least do exhibitions. If you hold the DCI lines up at the beginning of DLB's early years as models of what the "best" should look like, then nothing will change.

[fsubone]

Biggest problem with your argument: Time spent practicing. Crossmen aren't going to take two hours a day out of their rehearsal to work on Drumline Battle stuff, they're buy working on their actual show. Genesis has an easier summer schedule, so can take time to work on that stuff. And I doubt if a lot of the other Drumline Battle groups are attached to high level World Class corps. The schedule means that they can't take the time to go work on their "entertaining" Drumline Battle show when a good showing there does nothing for Finals Week. DCI isn't going to go to a corps and say, "You did well at Drumline Battle, we're going to bump you up a few places." that would be stupid. Corps would rather keep their drumline together in practice in order to make the actual competitive show be as good as it can be.

[CrownStarr]

Who says it has to be full of top-level World Class drumlines? My impression was that SoundSport and Drumline Battle were aimed more towards independent groups, alumni corps, Open corps, etc - people who don't have to also keep up with the intensity of a full-time World Class summer tour.

[Stu]

Biggest problem with your argument: Time spent practicing. Crossmen aren't going to take two hours a day out of their rehearsal to work on Drumline Battle stuff, they're buy working on their actual show. Genesis has an easier summer schedule, so can take time to work on that stuff. And I doubt if a lot of the other Drumline Battle groups are attached to high level World Class corps. The schedule means that they can't take the time to go work on their "entertaining" Drumline Battle show when a good showing there does nothing for Finals Week. DCI isn't going to go to a corps and say, "You did well at Drumline Battle, we're going to bump you up a few places." that would be stupid. Corps would rather keep their drumline together in practice in order to make the actual competitive show be as good as it can be.

Biggest problem with your argument: If what you contend is true, then a very big reason BD placed 2nd in percussion at Finals is because of the two-hours per day it took for them to prepare and rehearse their Percussion Ensemble which placed first in I & E; and the reason the BD brass placed 3rd in Brass at Finals is because it took them two-hours per day to prepare and rehearse their Brass Ensemble which placed first in I & E. Here is the real deal: Those preparations and rehearsals for I & E were not that time-consuming and draconian, and it did not affect their Finals scoring one iota. Much of what could be accomplished for DrumBattle preparation could occur on laundry days by just adding fun showmanship gimmicks to already prepared material such as the street beats and non-show related encore materials.