cixelsyd Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The phrase would be slightly more elegant if you substituted "fewer" for "less". Except that "fewer" only conveys one of the two meanings I had in mind. Not only do we have fewer corps... should this trend continue, the remaining DCI groups will no longer be "drum corps". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snare_guy_83 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Drum corps doesn't "evolve" (loaded word) or change on its own. People change it. In DCI, that would be the corps directors. Those people can make mistakes. Sometimes other people try to stop those mistakes; sometimes the same people who voted for a change decide to change back later. And those people don't make their decisions in a vacuum (although, per cixelsyd's intelligent post, they may not be fully informed, or they may be influenced in ways even they don't recognize). Since the corps directors have cited the opinions of the audience in support of certain changes (along the lines of: young people listen to music that makes extensive use of electronics all the time in the daily lives, so our shows should incorporate them), it behooves fans to make their opinions known. Why discourage agency? One corps director in January tried to prevent this year's recaps from being made secret. Your statement suggests no one should be complaining about the lack of recaps. Is that your position? No, I was not discussing recaps in this post. You took "evolve" a bit more literally than I did. I was pointing out the change in the activity over time and people complaining about the current state. Every decade the activity has changed, so my question is why are people so upset about it. Do I miss the mid 90s to mid 2000s style of DCI? Of course. Do I appreciate the innovation and creativity over the past 10 years? Absolutely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I wonder, though, if drum corps wouldn't be worse off if it didn't follow the money in the way you describe. This question has been explored before on this forum. You already hear a post or two in this thread inferring that any lesser alignment with the marching band activity would have led to greater/quicker losses. Of course, we have no way of knowing what would have happened if activity leaders had ever committed their business and creative resources to the mission of promoting and preserving drum and bugle corps, instead of an activity loosely defined by euphemisms like "the competitive musical sport". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I feel as sorry for people who can't enjoy older drum corps shows as for those who can't enjoy newer drum corps shows. (Hate, really? I mean, "Harmonic Journey" is a fine show, but then so is "From a New World . . . into a New Age". And you've "not had any problems with the use" of drum corps' newer elements? No corps has ever screwed up with synthesizer or amplified voice?) I didn't live through the 60s or 70s, but I've watched enough tape to at least understand and appreciate it. However, If you watch several corps in a row arc it up as part of their show (ballads), i think it loses its impact. Of course, as much as seeing everyone arc up, is as lame as seeing every corps squat and twist bend their legs at a hold. Its now predictable. We used to know there was a ballad coming up, look, here comes that arc. We now know a hold is coming up... oh look... there's the dog squat, there's that dancy fancy soft shoe. Yep, we've seen every corps use the same dozen or so body moves you can do with a horn in your hand at this point. Its no longer new, or creative. But each has their place. Old school stuff still had great lines being played and great groups doing amazing things with only a valve or two, as well as driving home that the activity is about precision. New school stuff still has great lines and arranging, but made this an activity to watch as well as listen to. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKSuperman Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Except that "fewer" only conveys one of the two meanings I had in mind. Not only do we have fewer corps... should this trend continue, the remaining DCI groups will no longer be "drum corps". I'm sorry, but this is a idiotic post. DCI groups will no longer be "Drum Corps"? Unless they add woodwinds in, it'll still be Drum Corps. I vote that we change the name from Drum & Bugle Corps to Drum & Brass Corps so people will stop #####ing about the whole "2 valve" thing and that "DCI isn't what is used to be". If you don't catch the sarcasm, you take yourself way too seriously. It's funny though. People say you gotta roll with the times, but they never start rolling. A stick in the mud is just a stick in the mud, and when the winds of change start to blow, you're still just a stick in the mud not going anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStainGlass Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I feel as sorry for people who can't enjoy older drum corps shows as for those who can't enjoy newer drum corps shows. (Hate, really? I mean, "Harmonic Journey" is a fine show, but then so is "From a New World . . . into a New Age". And you've "not had any problems with the use" of drum corps' newer elements? No corps has ever screwed up with synthesizer or amplified voice?) I have friends that love the old stuff. They put it on in the car on the way to Indy 2 years ago and I almost fell asleep while driving. There are literally Madison shows in the 70s that have 9 screamers playing whatever the hell they want (Star Wars show). I was behind the Cadets in all of their years of narration that everybody ragged on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 No, I was not discussing recaps in this post. [...] I was pointing out the change in the activity over time and people complaining about the current state. Every decade the activity has changed, so my question is why are people so upset about it. Well, one change in the activity this year is the elimination of recaps. It's the change that's getting the most attention and complaints right now, so I seized upon it as an example of why it is perfectly legitimate for fans to grumble about aspects of DCI they don't like. The reason that some people complain about some changes is that some changes are indeed for the worse. Why should people praise what they don't like? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 I have friends that love the old stuff. They put it on in the car on the way to Indy two years ago and I almost fell asleep while driving. There are literally Madison shows in the 70s that have nine screamers playing whatever the hell they want (Star Wars show). I was behind the Cadets in all of their years of narration that everybody ragged on them. Naturally you're entitled to your opinions, and I'm not here to tell you what you should or shouldn't like. That said, it is a truism in drum corps that fans tend to like most the shows/years that introduced them to the activity and only slowly come to appreciate the work of other eras. And also that we all risk becoming dinosaurs and having later generations trash what we like. Don't be surprised twenty years from now when people who first encountered drum corps in the 2010s tell you that they can't stand "Harmonic Journey" and other 2000s shows! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 It's funny though. People say you gotta roll with the times, but they never start rolling. Who says that? And can't they be wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 A stick in the mud is just a stick in the mud, and when the winds of change start to blow, you're still just a stick in the mud not going anywhere. Is it better to be a stick in the mud or a leaf in the wind? Probably neither. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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