Cappybara Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 3 minutes ago, Treefidy said: I've definitely been exposed to other stuff. Marching and playing at anything over 6 to 5, or 8 to 5's at high tempos while props are moving around you and playing a DCI top 12 hornbook, is extremely difficult. Lunges, squats, plies, and swaying of any sort, are EXTREMELY simple to do while playing, no matter WHAT you are playing. I have not marched ANYWHERE near DCI level, but let me tell you, from my experiences in both high school and college band, it is MUCH harder to play consistently with good tone and without the sound coming out of your horn "fluctuating" when you are performing body movements rather than marching. Once you have the right marching technique down, it really doesn't matter what tempo you're going at. When you march, it is a consistent movement. Body movements and dancing though? There's a big range of movements that you have to be constantly be accounting for so that it the sound coming out of your instrument isn't affected. And if you're actually trying to sell the dancing, well, it requires a lot more physical exertion than you think. Watch a horn cam video from BD in the past few years (all of which BD has been accused of parking and barking) and I doubt you'll find a single one where the member isn't completely out of breath following a body movement visual. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treefidy Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Just now, Everyfan said: Except that marching is what we were all trained to do for months and years before making a top corps. Many of the other movements (especially in unison or a coordinated cascade timing) are much more unnatural to brass players. And baseball players have trained to hit baseballs their entire lives. It doesn't make it any easier to hit a 98 mph tailing fastball from Clayton Kershaw... As a Hornline member, your hip movements don't have to look like that of a dancer, they just need to be unison and look fluid... Those two things don't make playing an instrument any harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 1 minute ago, Treefidy said: And baseball players have trained to hit baseballs their entire lives. It doesn't make it any easier to hit a 98 mph tailing fastball from Clayton Kershaw... As a Hornline member, your hip movements don't have to look like that of a dancer, they just need to be unison and look fluid... Those two things don't make playing an instrument any harder. Here's a little exercise for ya. Pick up an instrument, play an excerpt, and march. Then, do the same thing and perform the body movements instead. See which one affects the sound more. Unless your marching technique is absolute ####, I bet the body movement is going to affect the sound quite a bit more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treefidy Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Cappybara said: I have not marched ANYWHERE near DCI level, but let me tell you, from my experiences in both high school and college band, it is MUCH harder to play consistently with good tone and without the sound coming out of your horn "fluctuating" when you are performing body movements rather than marching. Once you have the right marching technique down, it really doesn't matter what tempo you're going at. When you march, it is a consistent movement. Body movements and dancing though? There's a big range of movements that you have to be constantly be accounting for so that it the sound coming out of your instrument isn't affected. And if you're actually trying to sell the dancing, well, it requires a lot more physical exertion than you think. Watch a horn cam video from BD in the past few years (all of which BD has been accused of parking and barking) and I doubt you'll find a single one where the member isn't completely out of breath following a body movement visual. I stopped caring when you mentioned you've not marched anywhere near DCI level. DCI marchers are far superior athletes to that of your average high school/college band member. Body movements are no more difficult for them to learn than marching blocks at 8 to 5s. Edited August 1, 2017 by Treefidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treefidy Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Just now, Cappybara said: Here's a little exercise for ya. Pick up an instrument, play an excerpt, and march. Then, do the same thing and perform the body movements instead. See which one affects the sound more. Unless your marching technique is absolute ####, I bet the body movement is going to affect the sound quite a bit more I've literally done both in a top 3 DCI Corps... It's harder to get 80 hornline members to do body movements in unison than it is to do it yourself and not play with perfect sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Treefidy said: I stopped care when you mentioned you've not marched anywhere near DCI level. DCI marchers are far superior athletes to that of your average high school/college band member. Body movements are no more difficult for them to learn than marching blocks at 8 to 5s. I guess I stopped caring when I realized you're a condescending pri*k ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ not gonna even bother anymore, let's just agree to disagree. Edited August 1, 2017 by Cappybara 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treefidy Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Just now, Cappybara said: I guess I stopped caring when I realized you're a condescending ##### ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ not gonna even bother anymore, let's just agree to disagree. I'm not being condescending. I just find it funny you are commenting on something you've never actually done... Think about that for a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 4 minutes ago, Treefidy said: I stopped care when you mentioned you've not marched anywhere near DCI level. DCI marchers are far superior athletes to that of your average high school/college band member. Body movements are no more difficult for them to learn than marching blocks at 8 to 5s. They most certainly can be. Not all "body movement" is an arm swing of leg sway. Many forms of choreography involve the rapid shifting of the body's center of gravity, movement through space without "marching", pushing the limits on body flexibility, or doing all of that in combination. And that's just the physical demand. We haven't even scratched the surface of intellectual demand, or the combination of the two (something the Blue Devils in p[articular are famous for). Marching dot to dot at fast tempo may very well require stamina (and surely can get the heart rate up), but that doesn't make it "hard" any more than running a race it. It's simply a single skill. Now, that fast marching sometimes can involve intellectual demand, but it normally really doesn't (for most corps anyway). Any yea, I've both performed and taught this stuff at the highest level (for those that care). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everyfan Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 4 minutes ago, Treefidy said: I'm not being condescending. I just find it funny you are commenting on something you've never actually done... Think about that for a second. Okay. I'm commenting on it, and I HAVE done it. I second everything Cappy said. Now will you bother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treefidy Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 1 minute ago, Everyfan said: Okay. I'm commenting on it, and I HAVE done it. I second everything Cappy said. Now will you bother? Have you? When and where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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