Why now is better than before, new better than old

[Kamarag]

I love this "discussion" but boy is there some bad information being thrown out here. What makes you think the 75th show had drill that was "too hard to clean" -- it really wasn't one of their harder drills.

The hardest thing I've ever seen Cadets do, bar none, was the last 45-460 seconds of the West Side Story show from 2009. That drill was bananas.

[Jeff Ream]

I love this "discussion" but boy is there some bad information being thrown out here. What makes you think the 75th show had drill that was "too hard to clean" -- it really wasn't one of their harder drills.

actually many public offerings from the organization themselves said so, especially the ending....not too hard to clean, just incredibly hard. After several viewings, many posters added the too hard to clean part and looking at the results by the end of the year, they were right.

[George Dixon]

The hardest thing I've ever seen Cadets do, bar none, was the last 45-460 seconds of the West Side Story show from 2009. That drill was bananas.

Not seeing it. In fact that ending drill is essentially a watered down version of the 2008 ending drill. 2007 drill was much harder as well. Just imo of course

[George Dixon]

actually many public offerings from the organization themselves said so, especially the ending....not too hard to clean, just incredibly hard. After several viewings, many posters added the too hard to clean part and looking at the results by the end of the year, they were right.

It was clean at the end which is why the did so well in visual and I don't recall the many public offerings as I guess you do. I frankly disagree even if Hopkins himself was trumping it as such. Not a huge deal regardless.

Edited July 18, 2014 by George Dixon

[Kamarag]

Not seeing it. In fact that ending drill is essentially a watered down version of the 2008 ending drill. 2007 drill was much harder as well. Just imo of course

I saw it every night for a couple of weeks. Coupled with that they were playing, 08 and 07 weren't that close.

[George Dixon]

OK!

[GlassmenBtone]

Any hornline going against a hornline in the 80s is hard to compare. I would think that since the activity was more popular nationwide the talent would have been better over thirty years ago. Not to mention they were louder. Jesus were they louder.

[JimF-LowBari]

I'd say with more people in corps in the 80s the average talent was lower. Look at it this way, think of the people who miss the cut with corps today. Back then more of them would be with other corps. Also since it was a lot cheaper to be a member it was easier formore people to try to join. Average with DCA has gotten better with less corps and members.

Years back MLB toyed with the idea of dropping 2 teams because the talent had been so diluted with teams having to fill the roster somehow. For some reason that idea died with the commish found a team he had ties to (Brewers?) was on the chopping list.

Note: Thinking more than just the top 12 here.....

[JimF-LowBari]

Oh yeah louder.... style of play and horn construction.......

s/ guy who played piston/rotor (70s), 2v (80s/00s) and 3v (00s/10s).... all in G.

[ThirdValvesAreForWimps]

The talent level of the average brass player in the 1980s was terrific; I know because that's when I marched. However, there are two differences with respect to talent today: (1) First, the worst players on today's brass lines are better than the worst players on a 1980s brass line. (2) Second, the best players in the 1980s were better than today's best players. As proof, I offer the soloists from the 1970s and 1980s against today's soloists. I'm sorry, but the quality just isn't there today and this is predictable as modern band directors are more concerned with self-esteem instead of developing musical superstars. Today's high school bands, both indoor and outdoor, have substandard soloists and this translates to drum corps.

Don't get me wrong and don't misquote me either: The modern brass sections are terrific and the musical arrangements are generally better than they were thirty years ago. I still enjoy seeing a live show but to compare today's brass lines to those of the 1970s and 1980s is impossible due to disparate instrumentation and, well, the lack of volume. What's missing today is the raw emotion associated with stand-shaking volume! It "got" an audience and hooked them forever because it was different than any high school or college band. Today, well, things aren't all that different and I think this is what frustrates older fans to some extent. The other difference is physicality of the players and I fundamentally disagree with those who believe we who marched in the two-valve era were either out of shape or somehow less physically capable than today's players. We didn't spend our lives in front of video games. We went outside, played, ran, and got in shape naturally. Were our lungs better? Yes. Did we have to jazz run? No -- and I'm glad. We didn't need microphones either. Just sayin'.

I got to play with as well as stand in front of the best brass lines in bugle history in competitive situation and I wish I could take all of today's players and younger fans on a time warp so you could hear for yourselves what those 1970s-1980s brass lines sounded like. Contrary to the claims of some, those brass lines did not sound crass, "like butt," nor was anything "overblown." Those brass sections were loud -- extremely loud -- but the ensemble sound was very transparent and every part could be clearly heard. A modern Bb/F line is also very good, transparent, and every part can be heard, but most lines I hear are mellophone-heavy and trumpet-light. The volume isn't there -- and that's okay. It is what it is.