What has Drum Corps done that is creative?

[MarimbasaurusRex]

Reading an article by Stuart Rice on marchingresearch.com...

http://www.geocities.com/marchingresearch/ricsym95.txt

He states:

"Drum corps do not make music in the true sense. They borrow it. In fact, there is are not

many things that drum corps do not borrow. The uniform comes from the military, and changes

to them have come by way of borrowing as well. "Flag swinging," as it was known fifty years

ago, came from signalling, a practice imported from Europe. Rifles and sabres, of course, were

not originally invented for aesthetic effect. Without football fields (most of them compliments

of schools and colleges), there would be nowhere to perform. Given these facts, one may

conclude that there is nothing drum corps truly own. Just various adaptations of the creative

contributions of others."

It's an interesting, although academic read, and it may help to at least skim the article before responding.

Trying to think of things that drum corps has really created or caused to be created. There is a kind of crafty creativity in the flower arranging sense of musical arrangement and drill. But, nothing has been created at all. It's just reorganized. True creativity runs deeper, making something new exist where there was nothing before. Arrangement of existing elements may still be regarded as creative, but only when the result is so much greater than the sum of it's parts that the original elements tend to disappear and the greater whole shines through as something distinctly new.

This is what attracted me to drum corps in the 70's. Although an arrangement of borrowed elements, drum corps was greater than the sum of it's parts, and in sound and style became something that had never existed before.

Let's try putting some elements of drum corps to the creativity test.

Creative or not creative? ---

Drill Content - I can think of a few moves within designs that would probably pass as creative, but it's very rare. It's quite a feat to create a series of moves that really becomes "something else" for a moment. I think Cavies more recent box drills might pass the test (of all things, a BOX). The motion becomes something greater than 64 guys in a box. Retinal retention or whatever, it's really never been seen before.

Music - There have been a few original compositions and as such a powerful medium it's surprising there haven't been more. I'd really like to see a drum corps reach out to a composer of stature and commission a piece. No band guys, I mean REAL composers. Schifrin or Glass or Reich or Adams or somebody, even Jay Chattaway would be a breath of fresh air. All those guys have their price and they all have phone numbers. Any takers? BD? Cadets? Y'all think you're so progressive, let's see the goods! :)

Musical Arrangements - Arrangers are working in a more compositional style these days, weaving lines together like variations on a theme. It's fancy flower arranging, but still flower arranging. Are there any arrangements that create something obviously greater than the sum of their parts? Or are they all a process of distillation? Of the arrangements that seem to pass the creativity test, they sometimes don't pass the boring test.

Performance - Mostly not creative. Performers do what they are choreographed to do (or try at least). Rarely is a performer asked to improvise or contribute much of substance creatively. Exceptions? Fortunately, performers still bring a creative spirit to the field and "create" their show every night, but I'd like to see something more.

Color Guard design - Drum corps led the way for a while but it seems to be all about WGI. In hindsight, the curved flag pole might qualify as creative, but maybe that happened somewhere else first. I don't know guard very well, help me out here!

Uniforms - This is a hard one. While they borrow military or other elements, some designs combine things in such a way that they are really distinctive. SCV comes to mind. Maybe a few of the recent BD uni's (minus the shako)?

G horns - If not creative, unique. Not created by but maybe created for drum corps. Did the military use G bugles in ensemble? If not, G brass might pass the creativity test (if not the slotting test).

Bb horns - not.

Mellophones - ?? It's a distinct color all it's own that didn't exist outside of drum corps.

Mylar heads - Invented for marching. Who had them first?

Kevlar - Gotta say yes. Kevlar heads were made for drum set first (I had one of the original mesh prototypes), but nobody used them. Pretty sure corps had them before bands.

Marching keyboards - Maybe. Xylophones were carried horizontally during the black plague along with that whole "bring out your dead" thing, and they are sometimes carried that way in Africa. But, did drum corps people know that? They just took keyboards and harnessed them up. It might pass the test.

Marching Tympani - Maybe yes. Even the Huns never carried them with straps around their necks, and the divided parts were a new way to play tympani.

Pit percussion - not.

Woodwinds - not.

Amplification - not.

Electronics - not.

:)

Was there anything creative about SCV's show last year? (I liked it either way) Was Cadets show creative? BD?

The things I think about on a Sunday morning. I'm ready for some football!

[madscout96]

The things you say about drum corps could be applied to pretty much every idiom of musical performance. Everyone borrows from those who came before them, as well as borrowing from their contemporaries. Has been done for a really really long time. But here's what I think drum corps originated:

Color guards spinning flags that weren't just to show the identity of their unit, but also to portray the mood or feeling of the music being played. Remember back when guards had just 1 flag for the whole show, and they used the same flag every year?

Original compositions. Not just for the brass, but for percussion as well. Drumline cadences, etc... But even original compositions borrow rhythm patterns, harmonic sequences, and other ideas from other compositions. Take John Williams for instance. In the Star Wars (ep. IV) soundtrack alone you can hear the influences of Stravinsky, Holst, and many others.

How about marching shoes! The corps had a need, the shoe companies helped them out!

OK Lions/Cowboys 2nd half just started...

[Dave]

I think there's way too limited an idea of what is "creative." That is to say, just because something isn't 100% original doesn't mean it isn't creative. If that was the case, then very little music is creative since almost all music is influenced by something that came before it. Just because a drill move isn't something that sticks out and gets a name attached to it, doesn't make drill writing less creative of an exercise. And the idea that one key is more creative than another is just silly. You don't have to be the original source for an idea in order to be creative; it's what you do with an idea that makes creativity. Just ask any arranger.

[DCfan48060]

Drum corps is more than the sum of its parts. That's where you find the original creativity.

[NeMeSIS MiNd]

Concerning the football field issue. What about Japanese drum corps? Don't they use some sort of grid raither than a football field? I believe that grid is specific to Japanese drum corps alone and not other sports, etc.

[kevingamin]

Concerning the football field issue. What about Japanese drum corps? Don't they use some sort of grid raither than a football field? I believe that grid is specific to Japanese drum corps alone and not other sports, etc.

Japanese drum corps, like the Yokohama Inspires, usually compete indoors on a basketball court-sized area. I'm not sure what coordinate system they use to plot their drill sets.

[boilerman_05]

Here's a pic of Pride of Soka. It looks like they are on some sort of 3x3 grid. Not much room to work with there. I would love to see a video so I could see how they move.

Edited November 20, 2005 by boilerman_05

[dmfootworks]

Drum corps is one of the most creative musical idioms in existence in my opinion. I think "creative" is a misnomer here. What I believe you mean to say is "What has drum corps done that is original?"

[Phirefenix]

Interesting read. Though I can't help but think that this is written from a somewhat less than neutral view. Though that's just my opinion. Overall, that article lends a rather pessimistic opinion of 'choreographed marching'. Personally, I think plenty of creativity exists in drum corps. In a sense that this article conveniently left out. Despite the limitations of the instruments, the venues we perform in, the other factors that make a performance happen in less than perfect situation for what I believe the author believes is proper musicality we put out some incredibly musical moments. As far as his breakdown of marching, that was quite thorough. Though he rarely touched on how that all applies to the shows that happen in todays drum corps.

Leading me to believe once again that this article makes more than one or two assumptions. Most notable that I could see, being that marching ensembles in his mind are the less evolved, uneducated, ######## child of modern music. I know that the music corps performs has no chance of holding a candle to what a professional orchestra plays. Though in todays corps, the educational aspect is greater than he makes it out to be. Drum corps has developed many into a higher level of musical understanding. I believe that school based music education often doesn't create the same care and attention to musical literature as corps do. That was the case with my high school, and with other schools I've been involved with in a teaching capacity. I always try to bring a sense of great focus on how the notes are played beyond being the right rhythm, and pitch. Musical expression IMO, is a form of expression that when achieved shows one to be a true musician. This is undoubtebly achieved in corps. Done in the fashion that we are performing for our audience. Connecting with them in an emotional capacity.

Furthermore, his breakdown of corps, and band seems to focus too much on it's origins reaching back into the 1800's, and the early half of the 1900's. A bit dated, though possibly because that works in his favor. Modern corps has little resemblance to it's military roots. Drill has gone from military related drills, and routines followed by drum corps of old to a T with regards to it's origins in the army etc... Though that is less than evident today minus the occasional company front. Drill now takes on the capacity of expressing the music in a visual sense. He acknowledges this by referring to drill as a 'language' which I found quite clever. By and large, corps today has moved beyond the strictly regulated drills because the demand of the music rose. More valves, new key horns opened up possibilities for more expression. Thus the visual package needed to follow. Beyond the era of the 50's and 60's the author ignored this shift. I once again may be paranoid, though I think it really is written to serve his purpose. Why not? He's entitled to his opinion. SO that's my 2 cents.

[howl711]

If you mean what original & creative thing has drum corps done that has gone beyond the bounds of the idiom?

Nothing.

Nothing wrong with that. Drum corps is great. Just not popular.