DCI Scoring methodology

[Stu]

1 hour ago, cowtown said:

A horn line can be out of tune yet tuned together but if one horn is out of tune to the horn line, tic.

But how out of tune, as in wave length, does the horn need to be in order for it to be classified as a Tic? 1 wave length out of tune, 2, 3,...?  And if you have a judge with perfect pitch, who actually can notice A440 from a slightly sharp 441, would it not be fair for that judge to place any variation in pitch he/she hears down as a Tic?

[Jeff Ream]

On 7/30/2017 at 4:58 PM, MikeRapp said:

When did I say judging was easy?

I don't get why so many fans are so defensive about discussing judging. It's central to the entire concept of DCI. Questioning things doesn't make you stupid or unfair. I don't know how much judges know about shows before and after events, that's why I am asking questions.

i'm not defensive. your tone seems to indicate you suspect sinister plots afoot.Sure, judges can screw something up once ina  while, they're human. I've regretted a call or two in hindsight.

[Jeff Ream]

On 7/31/2017 at 11:00 AM, mjyaub said:

It's all subjective, personal favorites, and political. Based on no real "science" at all.

incorrect but you're free to feel that way

[Jeff Ream]

On 7/31/2017 at 10:19 AM, Jim Schehr said:

No doubt they're special people. I have a few questions related to direct or indirect relationships in the pageantry community?

Do any DCI judges receive compensation directly from any DCI corps organization through (consulting fees, direct hire, marching band circuits/band, or WGI participant) affiliated with that organization? These things are not always easily discerned. Do judges supplement there income in any manner besides being a DCI judge from any DCI organization they're judging? Are there any processes currently in place to monitor improprieties?

 

as mentioned before, judges are to report any affiliations. it's so easy to be caught anymore if they were to derive income from a corps, I cant imagine someone would be dumb enough to try. While it's up to the judges to be honest, dont think the mothership doesnt snoop around double checking

[MikeD]

22 hours ago, cowtown said:

To an extent it was objective, some judges use to map out the music and mark the tic relative to it’s position and assigned to the section. In after show breakdown our caption head would be ‘that’s where you blew this part’. We could line a lot of tics with our performance

Not prefect for sure, but you a good idea of where you lost points. Corps designed shows around not tic-ing, it’s not as mysterious of some like to pretend

But deciding that the spot deserved a tick was a subjective decision...plus in a group tick, how MANY tenths to assign was also subjective.

[c mor]

2 hours ago, MikeD said:

But deciding that the spot deserved a tick was a subjective decision...plus in a group tick, how MANY tenths to assign was also subjective.

Group-tick, a particularly nasty phenomenon...

[snare_guy_83]

I reread this article from last year and I'm still confused on how they have defined the judge's roles and its correlated with how the corps are actually being scored right now...
http://www.dci.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=33500&ATCLID=211086489

"There are three parts to GE, the intellectual, the aesthetic, and the emotional."
So nothing about musical or visual demand?
How do these 3 parts fit into "Repertoire" & "Performance" numbers?

[ftwdrummer]

7 minutes ago, snare_guy_83 said:

I reread this article from last year and I'm still confused on how they have defined the judge's roles and its correlated with how the corps are actually being scored right now...
http://www.dci.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=33500&ATCLID=211086489

"There are three parts to GE, the intellectual, the aesthetic, and the emotional."
So nothing about musical or visual demand?
How do these 3 parts fit into "Repertoire" & "Performance" numbers?

Generally, you'd think musical and visual demand would show up mostly in the performance captions (visual and music), right?

Edited August 3, 2017 by ftwdrummer

[snare_guy_83]

11 minutes ago, ftwdrummer said:

Generally, you'd think musical and visual demand would show up mostly in the performance captions (visual and music), right?

For example I'd like to think that Bluecoats Quad feature where they are at 5 yard spacing would also fall under Music GE

[jwillis35]

22 hours ago, Stu said:

But how out of tune, as in wave length, does the horn need to be in order for it to be classified as a Tic? 1 wave length out of tune, 2, 3,...?  And if you have a judge with perfect pitch, who actually can notice A440 from a slightly sharp 441, would it not be fair for that judge to place any variation in pitch he/she hears down as a Tic?

No musician I know can hear the difference between a 440 A or a 441 A.  I believe it takes 4 or 5 cents sharp or flat before you hear the difference. And even then you actually get a nice chorusing of the sound (a thickening effect) when one trumpet plays an "A" at 440 and another at 434.  The sound is actually pleasing. As you approach 10 or more cents in either direction it then becomes more distorted. 

That said, my read on judges is that they are not hell-bent on perfect intonation within a brass line. I believe blowing the horns the proper way -- with good tonal control and balance, excellent articulation, good dynamic control and contrast, and musical phrasing -- are more important than being perfectly in tune. I have heard championship brass lines with minor intonation issues here and there. Now if a brass line is out of tune a lot in a show, or even just a few times but it's very obvious, then that usually reflects on a number of things. These things include staff training, how the corps tunes, articulation and breathing techniques, embouchure control, quality of instruments, demand of the music (range, key, volume, technique), and obviously the experience level of the players.  In cases like this the judges may ding the corps in both content/construction (in other words to apply blame to the creators and teachers) and also in the achievement sub. 

Edited August 3, 2017 by jwillis35