MikeN Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I shoot from the hip, direct and tell it like it is... since when is being objective,honest and direct become "trolling"... ... um... good job? Mike utterly absurd.... the "delusional" dilemma of the over inflated sense of self worth syndrome that happens to so many people who justify their obsessive interest. (rolls eyes) you have a lot to learn then again,its okay, a lot of band people arent familiar with sports & fitness. is quite absurd and demeaning do you understand what it takes sloppy and dirty is never entertaining. perhaps instead of putting so much effort into the uniforms, they ought to look at designing a good show and trying to play clean. strongly disagree with such an asinine proposal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (rolls eyes) you have a lot to learn and no DCI doesnt favor the well financed... the well financed has the advantage due to their staff choices, etc. Yes, I remember when people loathed Star of Indiana because of their financing, not realizing that there were countless corps with the same financial ability... Star simply did it better, innovated and changed the activity due to HARD WORK AND GENIUS...not money... there is no "dci conspiracy" that they sit in a room and decide to pick on one corps over the other... its a very equal requirement... if you cant manage the tour they set out for you, you're not meeting your part of the bargain... its a league .... and part of doing business means fulfilling the contractual agreements which also help your corps stay afloat (which is now more difficult than ever due to the extraordinary costs of this activity) Hark! Herald the trumpeteers! Proclaim it across the land that we have an EXPERT in our midst! This post is so naive and misinformed, while being posited as fact, that it's almost embarrassing to respond. But I'll throw a little troll-bait out there just to keep the entertainment going... DCI doesn't do anything. The corps are DCI, and a group of seven of them (led by The One) tried to capture the entire activity exclusively for themselves to the explicit expense of all the others. The budgets of the seven allowed them (well most of them) to afford the highest paid, most qualified (and truly outstanding!) staff and designers and, in fact, their presentation claimed that it was their budgets that allowed them to be the innovators that drew the majority of fans to drum corps shows anyway. "So, who needs the rest?!" (I paraphrase). Good golly, you'd better re-read the history of Star and analyze your viewpoint. It was, in fact, the money that Bill Cook graciously threw "down the rat hole" of that corps that allowed it to progress from a dead start to national champs in a record number of years. The comments weren't about their shows or their designers; the castigation was directed at the fact that they bought their way into drum corps with Bill Cook's money. (Many minds have changed or altered in those viewpoints over the years since.) Star didn't "do it better" (well, one year they did). Star had the money to buy the top talent. BTW, would you please name for me a few of the "countless" less-than-a-decade-old corps that had the same financial "ability" as Star? Not the ones that had been around for decades before Star, but the ones who started with Star's bankroll yet failed because they didn't "do it" as well as Star? Do you even understand how DCI works? All of your mumbo-jumbo about "...the tour they set out for you...", and "...the bargain..." and "...the contractual agreement...". Is it possible that the activity has grown so much more expensive because of the changes made to DCI? (Ahem, can you name The One who has made the vast majority of the rules change proposals and, for extra credit, tell me which position his corps holds in the ranking of financial balance sheet profitability? I've always wanted to know those answers. Someone should do a study or something, say, of the corps' 990's, so we could all learn about the financial strength of each corps and the activity overall. Would you be so willing to do that for us? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I think part of the "less" notes in brass books is because people realized that cramming notes didn't always lead to clean playing. In a lot of those recordings, there are errors that come from them trying to cram as many notes into the book as they can. So designers started utilizing the pit more, in order to give the brass a chance to play cleaner in the long-term. At least that's my read. And you're right that there is more to difficulty than just notes. While Crown this year and last year are extremely hard for their technical prowess, BD this year and SCV 2009 are on the other end of the spectrum, where harmonic and dynamic challenges are what made their brass books so difficult. As long as the judges and crowds can see what is being achieved, then everything should be okay. I think part of it also is due to visual demands. you just can't hope to play some of those old notier books flying around the field Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 "If the activity wants to survive...then it needs to evolve" Having read this in a thousand postings over the years, I still am left wondering - How does one define "survive"; and how does one define "evolve"? If 10 corps exist ten years from now, has the activity survived? And what types of changes constitute evolving? Absent any in depth discussion, it just seems to be a trite phrase people throw around. And, again for the benefit of Mr. St What's-his-name... The activity has changed in many profound ways over the last decade - some would claim "evolved" - and yet the number of corps dwindles and claims of financial ruin if nothing is done run rampant. What, exactly, has the last decade's "evolution" of drum corps saved of the activity? Forget the posturing about the next ten years. Instead, look back at the last 10 as a historical record of the efficacy of the "evolution" in saving drum corps from dying. The proof is there if one is willing to acknowledge it. (Not directed at you, Mr. HockeyDad with a band director's picture...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkjazzaxe Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 baseball has bigger diamonds, new batting rules, new RBI classifications, roster restrictions, touring restrictions...bats are now weighted differently than they were 30 years ago, the ball is different design, rules about uniforms and field gear,practice,etc. stadiums are designed for maximum ticket sales (night) and televised rights as well (its all about money, not about the sport and definitely not preserving the sport)... nascar,nfl fifa (the biggest sport association and organization in the world), etc. have all transformed and evolved.... perhaps you might want to challenge using another comparison or example; this one (sports) is weighted against your plight...then again,its okay, a lot of band people arent familiar with sports & fitness. I hear you, but the essence of those activities (sports) remains the same. Allowing amps to supplement corps sound and add volume is akin to adding motors to bikes in the Tour de France, thus totally changing the game. Or, perhaps we will allow laser sights on golf putters, or springs on basketball shoes to allow the guys to dunk from half court. Those types of things change the actual nature of the activity and make it into something different. Getting back to members today vs. yesterday, as someone who has seen the activity from every angle, I don't see kids wanting or mandating these changes that frankly take away the unique identity of the brand and/or water down the human element. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I know kids who recently marched/still march, heck I am not that old- marched just prior to Bb coming on board. I also recently served on the board for a world class corps. None of the kids I know/knew want drum corps to be just like marching band. Debate me all you want, but I don't know anyone in the activity that won't quickly correct someone who calls their corps a "band"- that aspect hasn't changed. The recent drastic changes to drum corps haven't been pushed by the kids, or the audience for that matter. As far as current vs former members, one thing that has changed is the integration of electronics/computers/processing into popular music. Its hard to find any popular music now that isnt highly processed. Kids now have grown up hearing auto-tuned robotic voices, heavily pitch/time corrected tracks, the use of machines to replace live musicians in the studio. I can understand their easier acceptance of synths and electronics, they don't see them as being "fake" as much as people do who came up when it was all accoustic. That said, most kids I know don't like the use of electronics as a crutch- especially using power amps/synths to add impact and volume. Its like using a Dr. Beat to supplement the drum line, and I feel most kids see it this way and just play along with what the design team mandates. That's what frustrates me with all of it- the changes don't seem to stem from member or fan demand. and pop music as it were still isn't really being utilized despite the grand proclomations. it's still a lot of the music of dead white guys or current concert composers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (rolls eyes)... some people are just thin skinned and live in their little bubble of pink frosting cupcakes...LOL I shoot from the hip, direct and tell it like it is... since when is being objective,honest and direct become "trolling"... oh, wait.. that's the new "American way"... everyone is sensitive and soft....walk on egg shells.... or you could back up your "bluntness" with facts, names etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 And, again for the benefit of Mr. St What's-his-name... The activity has changed in many profound ways over the last decade - some would claim "evolved" - and yet the number of corps dwindles and claims of financial ruin if nothing is done run rampant. What, exactly, has the last decade's "evolution" of drum corps saved of the activity? Forget the posturing about the next ten years. Instead, look back at the last 10 as a historical record of the efficacy of the "evolution" in saving drum corps from dying. The proof is there if one is willing to acknowledge it. (Not directed at you, Mr. HockeyDad with a band director's picture...) A band director? "A" band director? Surely you jest when you gaze upon the likeness of THE band director. So old that he farts dust. So old that Nixon was in the White House when he became the band director. So old that he just finished his forty-fifth year as director there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkjazzaxe Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 baseball has bigger diamonds, new batting rules, new RBI classifications, roster restrictions, touring restrictions...bats are now weighted differently than they were 30 years ago, the ball is different design, rules about uniforms and field gear,practice,etc. stadiums are designed for maximum ticket sales (night) and televised rights as well (its all about money, not about the sport and definitely not preserving the sport)... nascar,nfl fifa (the biggest sport association and organization in the world), etc. have all transformed and evolved.... perhaps you might want to challenge using another comparison or example; this one (sports) is weighted against your plight...then again,its okay, a lot of band people arent familiar with sports & fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Evolution usually means change for the better or change to suit ones environment. But change for the sake of change does not equal evolution IMO..... And no idea how we can decide what one these changes are.... Just on the subject of this particular metaphor and the question of how valuable it is for discussing drum corps, it may be worth noting the actual process of evolution occurs when random changes turn out to favor the success of one individual over another, and the successful individual passes on the beneficial change to its offspring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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