George Dixon Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 It's funny you say this... If you had a chance to see the Cadets live yet this year (at least as of a couple weeks ago) you will know that they have their fair share of this sort of thing going on in their show, particularly the ballad. I know of at least one moment in the ballad that the horns are completely out, and the musical material (apart from the pit keyboards) is (or was) being carried by samples from the synth. In fact, I would venture to guess that nearly all of the leading corps are doing this at least a little bit in their programs now. Now this isn't some cheap trick... it's just the outcome of a music ensemble that now includes electronics. I.e. sometimes the piano is the only instrument playing in the orchestra in a given moment. But it brings up a deeper question... Is the contemporary gripe about electronics focused on ALL electronics (like the historical complaint about amplification), electronic voicing (like in the Cadets ballad) or electronic effects (much more akin to the Bluecoats)? EDIT: I guess I should also include the use of sound samples... like 20th century art music... a la the Blue Devils. Absolutely. They have a lot of electronics this year - amplification, all kinds of sampled sounds... Reverb solos & even an electronic violin A virtual soundtrack underneath a terrific drum corps show Adds a lot of depth and emotion to a great performance. IMO Nothing anyone should apologize for - some shows really call for more or less of it. They'll be judged accordingly :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Madison Scouts will be utilizing an electric rock guitar in their show this year, if I'm not mistaken. Pretty cool, imo. 'Just don't ask me what judge(s) will judge this, nor what their training, education, personal experience is with the proper ( or improper ) electric rock guitar playing, as I wouldn't have a friggin' clue. ( ..haha) Edited June 8, 2016 by BRASSO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfirwin3 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Absolutely. They have a lot of electronics this year - amplification, all kinds of sampled sounds... Reverb solos & even an electronic violin A virtual soundtrack underneath a terrific drum corps show Adds a lot of depth and emotion to a great performance. IMO Nothing anyone should apologize for - some shows really call for more or less of it. They'll be judged accordingly :) For another movie analogy... it's like that comment out there that CGI in movies ruins the film. Well... that's not true... bad CGI ruins a film. But most (if not all) movies these days have a healthy amount of computer generated effects that contribute to the quality of the movie. It's really well done when you don't even notice that it's there. Same can be said for a good or bad film score. I think that when you see a corps seamlessly integrate these electronic textures into what they are doing, it can only be a credit to them. On the other hand, when an electronic texture or voice is out of place, it's no different than an out of tune baritone, or an imbalanced drum feature. It becomes an eye(ear)sore. The bummer is that there is still that sentiment that none of this can possibly benefit a show... and I think that's unfortunate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Madison Scouts will be utilizing an electric rock guitar in their show this year, if I'm not mistaken. Pretty cool, imo. 'Just don't ask me what judge(s) will judge this, nor what their training, education, personal experience is with the proper ( or improper ) electric rock guitar playing, as I wouldn't have a friggin' clue. ( ..haha) I'm pretty sure all the "extras" fall under the pit - which literally needs its own judge anymore. Poor percussion guy isn't omnipresent :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 For another movie analogy... it's like that comment out there that CGI in movies ruins the film. Well... that's not true... bad CGI ruins a film. But most (if not all) movies these days have a healthy amount of computer generated effects that contribute to the quality of the movie. It's really well done when you don't even notice that it's there. Same can be said for a good or bad film score. I think that when you see a corps seamlessly integrate these electronic textures into what they are doing, it can only be a credit to them. On the other hand, when an electronic texture or voice is out of place, it's no different than an out of tune baritone, or an imbalanced drum feature. It becomes an eye(ear)sore. The bummer is that there is still that sentiment that none of this can possibly benefit a show... and I think that's unfortunate. EXACTLY. Good CGI - you literally can't even tell. Bad CGI screams "COMPUTER GENERATED" Same with electronics and drum corps - it works or it doesn't. Bluecoats are one of the best at it. Cadets have gotten much much better the past several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) I guess it's kind of like that old statement that I once heard... that "Vivaldi didn't write over 500 concertos, he just wrote 1 concerto over 500 times". And apparently both SCV and Crossmen are are using it as their source material / inspiration. Edited June 8, 2016 by Jurassic Lancer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 I agree with this. Last year's show theme did nothing for me. It did nothing for the show. Now, when I watched Cadets last year I was still highly entertained because I just watched music and movement. I ignored the theme, at least as much as I could. Sometimes things just don't work out. It's best to not compare shows when trying to seek answers. The other thing we have to remember is that the Cadets took 4th. Not 7th, 12th, or 20th. Clearly they did a LOT of good things. I think we lose sight of the greatness of these top corps because it's so easy to nitpick flaws in their productions. They did march some really cool drill, played a hellacious musical book, had a wonderful French Horn feature, and I really enjoyed the staging of their 2nd tune. They simply could not find the magic with that 2nd chart to make it "pop" a little more. They needed a stronger transition into the waltz, and the ending before the z-pull should have been left alone. But hey, those are just my opinions. Tell that to Cappybara. Last year's show wasn't anything like Tilt musically. The use of electronics isn't enough to make that kind of idiotic leap. Visually maybe it was a little similar, but that's true of most corps every year. Their music this year is super repetitive. As far as the Cadets go, I think the music choice could be a bit trite, but if they play it well, I'll enjoy it. Let's face it. Most drum corps nowadays can be marked as "trite" especially given licensing and copyright issues they seem to be having more often in today's drum corps. I mean hell, Crown is playing Medea for science's sake. I'm sure it's going to be great (actually from the video I watched, it's gonna be fantastic). But my point is made. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 interesting little side note: Cadets now list Cranston, RI on July fifth as an exhibition DCI schedule still lists it as a contest with Cadets on last after Phantom Regiment. . Show was to be a transfer of the usual contest at Mt. Hope H.S. in Bristol. Limited space at Mt. Hope (seating, height, space for props etc.) were drawbacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Tell that to Cappybara. Let's face it. Most drum corps nowadays can be marked as "trite" especially given licensing and copyright issues they seem to be having more often in today's drum corps. I mean hell, Crown is playing Medea for science's sake. I'm sure it's going to be great (actually from the video I watched, it's gonna be fantastic). But my point is made. Well playing great music even with a great brass line can land you anywhere bet 1-5 so let's see the show design first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Tell that to Cappybara. Let's face it. Most drum corps nowadays can be marked as "trite" especially given licensing and copyright issues they seem to be having more often in today's drum corps. I mean hell, Crown is playing Medea for science's sake. I'm sure it's going to be great (actually from the video I watched, it's gonna be fantastic). But my point is made. Hey, I've been gushing about the musical aspect of Cadets 2015. Musically it was awesome and I've always said so. I appreciate the difficulty of the drill last year due to the velocity and complexity involved, but it isn't my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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