Recent age-out has spot-on takes

[Jeff Ream]

1 minute ago, Lance said:

Yep.  That's what I meant by "counts the most on judging sheets".

 

 

oh my rant on this has been building. music may be 50% of the sheets, but it's 30% of the commentary

[OldCorpsGuy]

Eh. This pisses me off only because I have made all these points in various places and get called things I won’t repeat here. 🤦‍♂️🙄. Now feel free to get off my lawn. 

[greg_orangecounty]

Many, not all, of the O.G. generation agree with this young person.   

[cixelsyd]

On 5/1/2026 at 12:23 PM, Lance said:

I'm just bracing myself for pitch correction to start making its way into live sound engineering for shows.  I feel like it's inevitable.  

But it could only really be used on trombones or synthesized sounds.  What effect could it have on valved brass or marimba/xylophone?

[Jeff Ream]

On 5/1/2026 at 4:10 PM, Fred Windish said:

Help me out here.

Is it really progress when your product continuously morphs into something we already have on the shelf from other manufacturers?

Not to me. 

 

Drum corps has been changing since day 2. The changes do seem to come faster and be bigger but honestly look at say 2009-2010 when a lot of the changes people complain about weren’t in place or utilized as they are today. Attendance was lower at the bigger shows. Well for dci. DCA was higher but that’s a different story. 

[IllianaLancerContra]

On 5/1/2026 at 4:10 PM, Fred Windish said:

Help me out here.

Is it really progress when your product continuously morphs into something we already have on the shelf from other manufacturers?

Not to me. 

 

I don’t understand why DCI seems intent on removing all the stuff that made Drum Corps unique within the marching arts. 

[cixelsyd]

16 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

The changes do seem to come faster and be bigger but honestly look at say 2009-2010 when a lot of the changes people complain about weren’t in place or utilized as they are today. Attendance was lower at the bigger shows. Well for dci. 

Actually, 2009 was the first year for:

• electronic instruments in DCI
• indoor championship

[cixelsyd]

36 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I don’t understand why DCI seems intent on removing all the stuff that made Drum Corps unique within the marching arts. 

I have been pondering that question for 100 years.  It appears that it is the instrument/equipment suppliers who have lead that trend throughout the entire past century.

[Fred Windish]

3 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I don’t understand why DCI seems intent on removing all the stuff that made Drum Corps unique within the marching arts. 

That’s pretty much the point I was making.  We already had extreme high level scholastic marching bands, like BOA.  Why emulate that?

Drum corps was a unique experience. Meaning a limited variety of instrumentation, brass and percussion only.  Despite that, our earlier corps would marvel audiences by closely matching the original composer and arrangers. We created our own sound effects, through brass and percussion, not by pushing a button.

As always, loud was good. It came naturally, not by pushing a button.

We had stronger audience engagement because we tended toward offering a pleasing melody, not little pops and short fanfares. Our audiences KNEW what a perfectly straight company front was, and also flawless curves and circles. Why?because those moments lasted for a long enough time to evaluate and embrace.

Oh, well. Growing old does this to a fellow!
 

😄
 

 

Edited May 5 by Fred Windish

[rollinthrurolls]

3 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I don’t understand why DCI seems intent on removing all the stuff that made Drum Corps unique within the marching arts. 

Because no one wants to watch that anymore? Not trying to be rude, etc, but that is how most feel. I would have never got into the activity if it still looked like it did 20 years before.