DCI BOD Drama....more to come?

[chaddyt]

woodwinds aren't as outdor friendly as brass, so you're going to have some heft instrument related costs as well. And since 90% of the tour is outside....plus you have to add in staff costs.

I'd like to see the mad dash to cover the clarinets when a sudden downpour erupts.

They're also more fickle to tune. And don't project nearly as well as brass. So in order to get a balanced sound out of the ensemble, the woodwind section will be proportionally larger than the brass. Unless they're mic'd which makes it even worse.

If the survival of drum corps depends on adding woodwinds, then the activity is already dead, and I'd rather see it die a dignified death than have to bastardize what it once was, only to succumb to the same eventual fate.

[JimF-LowBari]

Trying to respond to charlies post about lot of todays shows are recycled 80/90s shows but quote and cut-n-past not working.

Question I have is are the corps reproducing the shows as in complete numbers or using the "chop-n-bop" style that seemed to be coming into style about the time I stopped going for various reasons. For us folks who remember the complete songs being played I wouldn't call it reproducing anymore than I'd say differing styles of arranging the same song are the same..

Not arguing if this is a major reason or not. Just bringing up a question.

Note: I'd always say rising costs are a major killer but have a bias towards that after seeing corps, shows and possible a entire circuit fold due to this.

Edited December 16, 2013 by JimF-LowBari

[IllianaLancerContra]

So I guess they dont like repeated and timeless classics from the 80's and 90's... is that what try are saying? Because I feel that's at least 75% of the repertoire nowadays.

Web I hear that music is the number one reason I just feel that it's complete hogwash... Corps are basically reproducing the exact music other corps did in the past and people still complain... Like what music SPECIFICALLY don't they like?

Les mis? Medea/Adagio? Nimrod? Bald mountain? Phantom of the opera? Christmas music? What else?

without specifics I don't buy it. The music and show designs I feel is not the problem. It's people's perceptions of the past and "their" version of drum corps and nothing can effectively change that if you aren't open to it.

Speaking for myself, what I don't like is seemingly endless variations of 2-bar snipits of melody followed by power chords w/ chromatic 16th note runs by the pit. Repeated over. And over. And over.

But, your milage may vary.

[Fran Haring]

One could argue that forcing football to include figure skaters on the field could bring in the figure skating crowd to watch the NFL, but it'd be hard to say it would be an improvement to the game of football.

It very well might improve the level of finesse.

[charlie1223]

Speaking for myself, what I don't like is seemingly endless variations of 2-bar snipits of melody followed by power chords w/ chromatic 16th note runs by the pit. Repeated over. And over. And over.

But, your milage may vary.

Okay, now I need to press this. I don't exactly know Anyone that likes this description of music and its a reiterated phrase on DCP that is not specific either. Is there a specific example of this occurring in any of the 2013 productions and can you pin point exactly where that is?

I'd be happy to share with you examples of shows this year that are neither chop nor bop.

Edited December 16, 2013 by charlie1223

[N.E. Brigand]

In marching band contests, I've never seen a "mad dash" to cover the clarinets when it rains. Just like a drum corps, the band keeps playing.

[chaddyt]

In marching band contests, I've never seen a "mad dash" to cover the clarinets when it rains. Just like a drum corps, the band keeps playing.

I'm speaking more in terms of rehearsals. Obviously, if you're in the middle of a competition, you're not going to just all out stop. But due to the nature of the instruments, it's my understanding that they're more prone to damage from the elements than brass. That was my experience in teaching marching bands. If it was raining during rehearsals, the woodwinds get their instruments covered.

[charlie1223]

I'm speaking more in terms of rehearsals. Obviously, if you're in the middle of a competition, you're not going to just all out stop. But due to the nature of the instruments, it's my understanding that they're more prone to damage from the elements than brass. That was my experience in teaching marching bands. If it was raining during rehearsals, the woodwinds get their instruments covered.

Drum corps have managed to use probably even more sensitive electronic equipment and percussion instruments in the pit with all the elements so I would put woodwinds in that same category.

Edited December 16, 2013 by charlie1223

[SkyRyder_FMM]

DCI did a study a few years ago, and if I remember correctly, the majority of people in the stands are either current students, recent alums, or friends and family of the performers. Legacy fans are about 1/3 of the live audience base (though I suspect they'd be the majority of the on-line viewers).

If those numbers are right, then it's possible that Hopkins may be correct in believing that expanding the instrumentation expands the audience base. But that isn't, in and of itself, a compelling reason for making a drastic change to the nature of the activity. One could argue that forcing football to include figure skaters on the field could bring in the figure skating crowd to watch the NFL, but it'd be hard to say it would be an improvement to the game of football.

Or said differently, would having more corps mean more kids on the field, with more parents, relatives and family members in the stands? The simple answer is yes. The survey cited above is not the first of its kind, and they have all said the same thing - a significant percentage of the attendance at shows are family members and friends of marching members. Audience decline (particularly at Championships) can partially be attributed to a reduced number of corps.

[charlie1223]

Trying to respond to charlies post about lot of todays shows are recycled 80/90s shows but quote and cut-n-past not working.

Question I have is are the corps reproducing the shows as in complete numbers or using the "chop-n-bop" style that seemed to be coming into style about the time I stopped going for various reasons. For us folks who remember the complete songs being played I wouldn't call it reproducing anymore than I'd say differing styles of arranging the same song are the same..

Not arguing if this is a major reason or not. Just bringing up a question.

Note: I'd always say rising costs are a major killer but have a bias towards that after seeing corps, shows and possible a entire circuit fold due to this.

Well, i guess now I'm trying to figure out what constitutes a chop and bop arrangement. Is a song that skips the second verse? Or shortens a lengthy development? And I'm going to look back to see how "complete" the numbers were BITD.

I'm sure whatever reasons you had to leave were real and legitiment to you. But I'm not 100% convinced that those that believe music/arrangement were the number reason aren't being more influenced by the nostalgia of their early drum corps experiences which will nearly always pale in comparison to the present.

Plus at no other time in the history of DCI drum corps do we have fans that have been fans for decades long... (and fans that can say they havent been fans for decades aswell) So, it really begs the question whether drum corps is such a progressive art form that really to love it longer than a decade requires you to also be into progressive art forms.

Edited December 16, 2013 by charlie1223