The Evolution Of The Pit

[susantaylor40]

As many of us old pharts can remember, the old adage was "If it goes on the field, then it must be carried." However, I can remember the "birth" of the pit. Out of necessity, Ventures had grounded their entire drum line in the late 70s because they were unable to recruit enough drummers to field a "proper" drum line, and they paid for it. I also remember teaching a pit in 80 that consisted of 2 keyboards and 5 tymps being played by one individual ( still love ya Harry, you old perv). However, that year I marched on a 4 person tymp line on the field. Can anyone remember the LAST time that they saw any corps carrying tymps and/or keyboards on the field, and what corps that would be?

I know that I've been called insane for carring that huge lump in front of me for as many years as I did, but it is what I did, and I personally loved it.

[mobrien]

Don't remember seeing any tymps carried after 81. PR had a tymp line that year, but they were in the minority (maybe 27th as well?). Almost everyone else had stationary concert tymps that year.

82 was the last year i remember anyone carrying keyboard instruments, save for a few special occasions like garfield 84 and Star 91. Everyone seemed to have grounded and 'pitted' them by '83...

Edited August 9, 2004 by mobrien

[PRfan353]

Lets not forget Phantom putting the Pit back on the field so to say in 93.

[geneseo_bari_87]

I'm pretty sure 27th Lancers had a marching tymp line in '83. That was my first year and I remember thinking "What the heck are they DOING?"

Garfield had marching keyboards in '84 for at least a small portion of the show. You know the part, where the 2 keyboard players and the contras were playing that really fast stuff with loud interjections from the rest of the drums and horns. I was sitting at the base of a microphone stand on the left side of the field for their encore in Atlanta and those keyboard players were marching right at me. A thrill I'll never forget! :)