Emergence of the Front Ensemble

[garfield]

Light moves faster than sound; when the front ensemble watches the same drum major as the corps (specifically drumline who is the real center of pulse) which moves around the field at constantly changing distances from the drum major, the sound that the front ensemble produces reaches the stands earlier than the sound of the rest of the corps, creating ensemble tearing. With the exception of specific cue points, or situations where the corps is compacted to the front of the field (which is almost never), the FE listens to the corps and plays with what they hear, or more specifically the center of the FE listens to the drumline, and communicates tempo out to the rest of the FE (through bobbing and choreographed preparatory movements) so that they are all using the same tempo source, and not individually evaluating the sound that they are hearing from their own stationary point, which may be 20 yards away from another FE member.

A FIXED sound source and a MOVING sound source can not use the same fixed sight driven communication, when the distance from that source can vary so greatly, as the time that it takes the sound of the corps to reach the front ensemble will be constantly changing depending on staging....because science.

Oh, I thought you were going to describe something new. I appreciate the refresher on the physics of sound and the time correction to avoid ensemble tears - we can also discuss the efficacy of the battery playing "on top of", or "below" the beat to adjust for their distance from the podium - but let's instead talk math, and specifically related to your contention that the FE pulses in time with the "center" of the FE.

Most pits are spread across the front from 30 to 30, so the approx max distance from the center is 20 yards or so. If the battery is on the 50 at the back sideline all members of the pit hear the battery at the same time and they are, in fact, focusing as a group on a single sound source. But lets say that the battery is on the front sideline over at the side-2 10 yard line. The battery would be heard by the marimba at the side-2 30 yard line first, by the center approx 0.04 seconds later, and by the marimba on the side-1 30 yard line approx 0.04 seconds later. That's approx .08 seconds delay if the battery is on the front sideline.

While I naturally agree with your science and the need for the corps members on the field to adjust their advance or delay tempo to attempt to prevent ensemble tears (for reference, the time delay of the battery from the back sideline to the FE is approximately 0.142 seconds) the notion that the pit has to, or even CAN for that matter, adjust to a delay of 0.08 seconds across their fixed ensemble is simply irrational and borders on silly.

I would contend that even Bluecoats, whose front ensemble each had earpieces to correct for time delay, likely had greater than .08 seconds timing error across their ensemble, and that any other FE is going to be greater than the 0.08 seconds out of time even if they can actually see their center out of their peripheral vision. If the goal of pulsing is to sync the FE with the battery then it seems to me that the FE will never be in time with itself if simply because of the vagary of where the actual downbeat-bottom of the center's bobbing actually is! Staff should instead train everyone in the pit to listen back accurately.

But, if the goal is to put on a visual show then, well, bobbing and weaving is one way to get simultaneous demand credit, I guess.

Because...math and human frailty even among the best musicians.

Edited September 1, 2016 by garfield

[luv4corps]

Light moves faster than sound; when the front ensemble watches the same drum major as the corps (specifically drumline who is the real center of pulse) which moves around the field at constantly changing distances from the drum major, the sound that the front ensemble produces reaches the stands earlier than the sound of the rest of the corps, creating ensemble tearing. With the exception of specific cue points, or situations where the corps is compacted to the front of the field (which is almost never), the FE listens to the corps and plays with what they hear, or more specifically the center of the FE listens to the drumline, and communicates tempo out to the rest of the FE (through bobbing and choreographed preparatory movements) so that they are all using the same tempo source, and not individually evaluating the sound that they are hearing from their own stationary point, which may be 20 yards away from another FE member.

A FIXED sound source and a MOVING sound source can not use the same fixed sight driven communication, when the distance from that source can vary so greatly, as the time that it takes the sound of the corps to reach the front ensemble will be constantly changing depending on staging....because science.

Two threads merge. Very informative. Thank you.

Edited September 1, 2016 by luv4corps

[snare_guy_83]

The pit does not/can not watch the drum major....because science.

What if they are the only section to start a new movement? Does science cover that?

I'm sure you if looked at that FEs from this year you'd see memebers watching the Drum Major. I don't believe its as cut and dry as "does not/can not".

If so, I guess my experience in a front ensemble with instruction/direction from Mike McIntosh and Richard Saucedo goes against "science".

[MarimbaManiac]

First, your comment was that the FE shouldn't need to communicate because they can all see the drum major, which was an erroneous statement and the focus of my original comment that I clarified here.

Second, it's not just "listening accurately" but also interpreting what is being heard and making decisions to adjust for the ensemble. One person making those decisions is more efficient than 15 people making their own decisions and trying to reconcile those with the group. Having one person set the tempo for the FE and then communicating that out to the group creates a hierarchical foundational structure for the front ensemble that is fixed and doesn't change when the corps moves from side 1, to side 2. By visually communicating the "official" FE tempo out from the center (much as a snare line communicates out from the center), the ensemble establishes one tempo that can then be fit into the corps tempo, making troubleshooting and cleaning a much easier process (because cleaning ensemble problems is easier when there are 3 centralized tempi, than 150 individual ones).

But ya know...I've only been performing in and teaching front ensembles for the last 20 years or so.

[MarimbaManiac]

If the goal of pulsing is to sync the FE with the battery then it seems to me that the FE will never be in time with itself if simply because of the vagary of where the actual downbeat-bottom of the center's bobbing actually is! Staff should instead train everyone in the pit to listen back accurately.

Also regarding this:

Obviously you've never trained in a front ensemble. The style/technique of the bob/nod/etc. and the count structure/expectation of preparatory movements are VERY clearly defined in rehearsal, and integrated into the warmup routines from day 1. Most instructional teams have individualized techniques that define stance, proper movements, count structure and type of preparations and releases from instruments that they carry through different ensemble and across activities for many years. BD for example has the same communication technique and approach to the instrument that is taught across all three corps.

Edited September 1, 2016 by MarimbaManiac

[xandandl]

If the front ensemble performer taps the side bracing of this machine, I guess that would make it a percussion "instrument" which would then circumvent the electroics' restrictions and allow so many possibilities and opportunities to amaze the audience and befuddle DiCarlo and the onfield judges. Imagine.

http://blog.ctnews.com/techblog/2016/08/30/this-gadget-lets-you-record-your-own-holograms/

[garfield]

First, your comment was that the FE shouldn't need to communicate because they can all see the drum major, which was an erroneous statement and the focus of my original comment that I clarified here.

Second, it's not just "listening accurately" but also interpreting what is being heard and making decisions to adjust for the ensemble. One person making those decisions is more efficient than 15 people making their own decisions and trying to reconcile those with the group. Having one person set the tempo for the FE and then communicating that out to the group creates a hierarchical foundational structure for the front ensemble that is fixed and doesn't change when the corps moves from side 1, to side 2. By visually communicating the "official" FE tempo out from the center (much as a snare line communicates out from the center), the ensemble establishes one tempo that can then be fit into the corps tempo, making troubleshooting and cleaning a much easier process (because cleaning ensemble problems is easier when there are 3 centralized tempi, than 150 individual ones).

But ya know...I've only been performing in and teaching front ensembles for the last 20 years or so.

My battery experience goes back 40 years so, while I appreciate your experience, we can dispense with the "mine is bigger" justification. Besides, you may have been teaching crappy FE's for all 20 years! (I kid, really.)

Despite your rationale and description of your teaching techniques, you can't defend against the math that 8-hundredths of a second is simply not cleanable across a typical FE. And your notion that cleaning one "center" is easier than cleaning 15 members makes no sense when you realize that you are, by definition, cleaning 14 people who are each, in fact, making their own decision about where the center's downbeat is; Is it when the knees get <here> or when the rear-end gets <here> or when the shoulders get <here> or when the head gets <here>? And lest you suggest I'm nitpicking, I'll remind you that you're contending you can clean away a maximum of 0.08 seconds audible delay with a pulsing body part!

Further, you ignore the fact that a good staff teaches the battery to play on top of the beat to attempt to overcome the .14 second maximum delay from back to front and have it's sound reach the sideline at the same time as that the FE is playing. If the battery is taught correctly, is reading their distance to the podium accurately, and is playing accurately on top of the beat to compensate, you FE guys can concentrate on playing quality with the knowledge that, as soon as the mallet hits the keys, the battery sound is at the podium.

Further, because the typical attack duration of a horn is much longer than the sound of a stick hitting a drum head, the corps can simply focus on the center of the pulse - the battery - and there will be a nearly imperceptible timing error between all the members on the field, and the "mass" of sound will reach the sidelines together at very close to the same instant the mallet hits the keys.

In other words Mr. FE expert ( ), don't worry about pulsing. Instead, just listen back because the battery's got you covered.

[Eleran]

(for reference, the time delay of the battery from the back sideline to the FE is approximately 0.142 seconds)

[garfield]

Also regarding this:

Obviously you've never trained in a front ensemble. The style/technique of the bob/nod/etc. and the count structure/expectation of preparatory movements are VERY clearly defined in rehearsal, and integrated into the warmup routines from day 1. Most instructional teams have individualized techniques that define stance, proper movements, count structure and type of preparations and releases from instruments that they carry through different ensemble and across activities for many years. BD for example has the same communication technique and approach to the instrument that is taught across all three corps.

And you're going to try to convince me that all of this technique can overcome a max timing delay of .08 seconds? Seriously?

We're not talking about stance, proper movements of the hands, count structure (we battery call it "sub-dividing"), or preps or releases. We're talking about pulsing to center the tempo. All of the things you listed here might be considered proper playing technique, but only prep for the note (i.e. the distance from the mallet bead to the key) is designed to affect stroke timing.

Obviously you've never taught a battery about stick height and compensating stroke speed.

Oh, and the FE watching the DM is the only plausible solution if the battery staff is teaching to compensate for the distance to the podium, so my original contention still stands. Sorry, I left that out of this retort post.

Edited September 1, 2016 by garfield

[MarimbaManiac]

Battery is not FE, and the experience in both sections is completely different.

Even IF the battery is attempting to compensate for their distance from the drum major (which is not always the case), it's almost never completely compensating for the difference since they are usually moving towards or away from the FE as they are playing, making adjusting for that difference nearly impossible. So adjustments need to be done in the front ensemble, and they are usually done at the center and communicated out. Listening through the hornline and interpreting what the drumline is doing isn't easy, and it's better done by one or two people rather than interpreted individually.

What's hilarious to me is that you are blithely dismissing the work that FE designers and instructional staff have been doing for decades based on your own erroneous assumptions. The system that has been created was born out of a generation of trial and error and fine tuned using each teams individual styles. Yes, when students play in the same style using the same preparatory techniques they can very clearly read the communications from the person next to them. Yes they can tell when exactly the pulses hit their ictus or when the person next to the is going to attack by watching the bend of their elbow/wrist/etc. Yes this is worlds easier and clearer than individually listening through 80 horns back to the snare line for a specific rhythmic pattern. Your dismissal of pulsing as as simply "entertainment or over-performance" doesn't distill the accuracy of these facts.

So you focus on keeping the drumline clean so the center has something clear to listen for, and the FE will focus on how best to respond to that.