Death of the Cymbal Line

[ptr250]

with pits being able to cover any needed cymbal parts you really don't need cymbal lines anymore and can have 1. more brass, or 2. more guard.

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I have never been a fan of the pit. They don’t march! In most cases they rehearse on their own and don’t seem to be part of the corps. All too many times they are over balanced. They were used as an excuse for amps. The instruments are expensive, take up a lot of room on the equipment truck, have to be carted on and off the field and more often than not play the difficult passages to cover up for a weak horn line. They clutter up the sideline and don’t add anything visually to the show unless you are sitting right in front of them. Although I don’t feel they should be eliminated I do feel they should be restricted. How about three members and five instruments max. The extra spots could go into the battery.

[bradrick]

However, it doesn't translate the same on the field most of the time.  I would rather see more brass march.  I'll go to WGI to see great cymbal lines doing great things.

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Wow...

A guy who marched cymbals in a very competitive DCI corps and he'd rather see brass marching. That is kinda surprising IMO... I believe that he feels that way. But it's still not what I'd expect.

A few quick WGI questions: (I know relatively nothing about WGI these days so excuse my ignorance if these seem like "duh" kinda questions.)

-- If no corps are marching a cymbal line, would that affect the quality of the cymbal ensembles at WGI?

-- Where is the expertise going to come from if not from spending a season on the field with two cymbals and hyping on your drum corps show? (I've never seen a marching band cymbal line that could compare to a Top 12 corps'. But that doesn't mean they aren't out there.)

-- Are there other cymbal ensembles at WGI that are not in any way affiliated with DCI corps? And if so, how do they compare to the kinda showmanship and excellence of a DCI cymbal line?

[bradrick]

I have never been a fan of the pit. They don’t march! In most cases they rehearse on their own and don’t seem to be part of the corps. All too many times they are over balanced. They were used as an excuse for amps. The instruments are expensive, take up a lot of room on the equipment truck, have to be carted on and off the field and more often than not play the difficult passages to cover up for a weak horn line. They clutter up the sideline and don’t add anything visually to the show unless you are sitting right in front of them. Although I don’t feel they should be eliminated I do feel they should be restricted. How about three members and five instruments max. The extra spots could go into the battery.

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This is not really a response or rebuttal because he has some valid points. But the above post did inspire me to share this:

In the two DCI corps that I had the privilege of marching with, I can honestly say that the pit may have been the hardest working part of the corps most of the time. Yes there were the times when we were out in the sun cleaning the drill and they were setup somewhere in the shade practicing. But during all four years of my corps days and the one when I was teaching, the pit was always the last ones to eat, shower, finish loading the equipment and get to have a snack after the show, etc. If the corps doesn't really have enough food or time for the people who show up last, it was usually the pit who didn't get to eat. If there's barely enough time for a shower after the run-through, the pit didn't get to shower. While everybody else had free time, the pit was stranded moving and dealing with all the pit equipment.

I just watched video from a SCV standstill from 90. And after I had already dropped off my contra, changed out of my uniform and gone back to an air conditioned bus, the pit was barely starting to take all the marimbas, etc. apart and load them.

I appreciate how much effort and sacrifice it took to put all of that stuff in our shows.

Edited September 13, 2005 by bradrick

[tempotantrum]

Check out the WGI cymbal lines in the independent class.

That's where it's at.

[ptr250]

Clarification

I never said or intended to say the pit didn’t work as hard as or harder than any other part of the corps. Only that they seem to be separate- not part of the whole. Before the change in retreat I noticed that most pits didn’t even assemble on the field with their corps while the scores were announced.

[DrumCorpsFan27]

Cymbals on the field are about more than crashes. The visual aspect is what makes them really interesting.

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[Bluefan]

Wow...

A guy who marched cymbals in a very competitive DCI corps and he'd rather see brass marching.  That is kinda surprising IMO... I believe that he feels that way. But it's still not what I'd expect.

A few quick WGI questions: (I know relatively nothing about WGI these days so excuse my ignorance if these seem like "duh" kinda questions.)

-- If no corps are marching a cymbal line, would that affect the quality of the cymbal ensembles at WGI?

-- Where is the expertise going to come from if not from spending a season on the field with two cymbals and hyping on your drum corps show? (I've never seen a marching band cymbal line that could compare to a Top 12 corps'. But that doesn't mean they aren't out there.)

-- Are there other cymbal ensembles at WGI that are not in any way affiliated with DCI corps? And if so, how do they compare to the kinda showmanship and excellence of a DCI cymbal line?

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Yes, I know, it surprises me too. I do love a cymbal line on the field and I am not saying that their sound gets lost on the field. I just feel that the majority of the time, more brass is more effective and thus lends itself to the competitive nature of this activity.

Regarding your indoor questions:

1. Not necessarily. WGI, especially in the past couple years, is growing rampantly. There are many people involved in WGI that have never marched and never plan to march drum corps and they are still musicians and performers of the highest caliber.

2. There are a number of excellent high school cymbal lines, and I'm sure there are many more I am not even aware of. Further more, the cymbal techs for WGI are just as good as any in DCI (in many cases, they are the same people). Players regardless of prior experience are able to learn a lot in WGI and become the best performers possible.

3. I'm not sure what you mean by this...do you mean are there any cymbal lines in WGI that have no cymbal players nor techs that have ever done drum corps? I am not sure of that answer. I think Music City Mystique's cymbal tech never marched corps and they have a fabulous cymbal program year after year.

[Michael Boo]

Cymbals on the field are about more than crashes. The visual aspect is what makes them really interesting.

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But how often can they be utilized throughout the show? A lot of music doesn't rationalize using cymbals, and then you've got them stuck out on the field doing nothing. I love the look of the cymbal lines when they make musical sense, (some previous SCV and Crown lines come to mind), but increasingly, the music of many corps doesn't justify that many marchers carrying crash cymbals through an entire show.

Now what might be kind of neat is if in a really loud piece of music where mallets can't be heard, the mallet players could pick up crash cymbals and go out on the field for the appropriate piece of music, given fans a cymbal line fix. Just a thought.

[bradrick]

Now what might be kind of neat is if in a really loud piece of music where mallets can't be heard, the mallet players could pick up crash cymbals and go out on the field for the appropriate piece of music, given fans a cymbal line fix. Just a thought.

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If they picked up cymbals and performed that loud music section as well as some previous "SCV and Crown" lines, (looking as good as if they had been doing nothing but cymbals all summer) it would definitely be bonus G.E. Percussion. And hopefully the caption that is supposed to give credit for demand too! But I'd really want to see it be the kind of full body work, artful performance that I'm used to seeing from full time cymbals.

I'd take that over no cymbals at all.

I could see it being a part of a show that the crowd totally hypes on. "Oh watch this! The pit comes out on the field and does some amazing cymbal work!" Maybe even during a drum solo where the cymbals sometimes stand in front of the snares like "ride cymbals" for the snares to play on. The drum solo could end with a cymbal feature! At the moment when they'd normally just go back to the pit once the snares are done, they could turn around and steal a little of the spotlight from the battery and really show off for the crowd.

I'd buy a ticket just to see that! b**bs

[KevinSop85]

How about on the softer parts of the show, or parts that don't require the loud crashes, the cymbal lines put down their cymbals and pick up some other percussion instruments to march around.

Like BD's Snare line marched those tiny cymbals and triangles in 04.

How about a salsa section of a show(maybe Madison)...the plates could trade in their cymbals and pick up some miraccas and cow bells and such...could be a cool stereophonic effect.

Just a thought...

BTW: I LOVE SCV's CYMBAL LINE...SOO Freakin INTENSE