Time In Corps Take Away From Music Studies?

[JimF-LowBari]

Got the idea from Nancis Letter to GH and response from Stick Stack..... I'm not a music major, never did a tour and only played trombone (no fingerings for heavens sake) so I have no idea on this. Sooooo, let's open up the phone lines and see who calls in. :P

Seriously, Stick Stacks comment was about non-brass players who take time away from their instruments to do a DCI tour. SS said it took him a while to get the chops back up after tour was over. I can understand that for all WW, keyboard, voice students but I'm wondering if the same thing applies to brass and percussion majors.

Let's face it brass and perc folks, if you do the same piece over and over and over again after a while you really don't pick up new skills. And if you were working on improving on your skills or learning new ones with an instructor at home you just broke that off for a few months. And after you pick up again it does take a while to get back to where you were before to start improving again. Been there, done that as my old private trombone instructor was a HS band director who took loooong breaks over the summer.

Yes you do learn new skills with a corps and learning from new instructors with different ideas always helps. But wondering if anyone did had problems getting back into the swing after tour on their horn or drums.

Edit: Question for people who have done full tours recently. How long does it take to prepare for and do the tour? And did stopping your usual studies for that period of time put you behind what anyone else was doing?

Edited May 19, 2006 by JimF-xWSMBari

[tubawarrior]

i would think you would have to realize that the techniques you learn in a drum corps are mostly geared towards outdoor playing, and while some things translate to the concert hall, not everything does. It would be up to the individual to store the lessons from before the season, and when you go back to the indoor setting, pick and choose which lessons (from classroom and field) work best for you overall....even discuss different ideas with your private instructor and come to an agreement of what works best for you.

Edited May 19, 2006 by tubawarrior

[BariEuph]

for me the biggest adjustment was from the small shank of the marching baritone to the large shank of my euphonium....adjusting the air flow, etc. also, the different mouthpiece used was a slight adjustment.

[JimF-LowBari]

Hmmm, didn't think about adjustments for indoor/outdoor and different mouthpiece/instrument. The only constant for me going from trombone to P/R bugle was I used the same mouthpiece, and the horn instructor in 79/80 wanted to change that. IOW, it was more like learning to play two totally different instruments instead of adjusting between the two.

Glad for the posts about ideas I never thought of. Is there even time during a tour to work on your other instruments or is there no time at all?

[lauralee]

As far as my vocal studies go, I practice all the time ;)

[madscout96]

Yes, there's always going to be a "catching up" period after tour is over. But that's temporary, even if it takes you a few months. The experience you get in drum corps stays with you forever.

Drum Corps offers a REAL LIFE performance experience to people 21 and under. Like, an actual gig where people pay to see them perform. Except the performers don't get paid, of course, but the experience is that of a real gig. You're out there performing every night for people who paid good money to see you, and you've got to be professional and give them their money's worth! The four walls of your practice room just isn't the same.

[Iplaytimpani]

For me, I have the only change I have to make is when I return to the concert hall, to remember that I'm in the concert hall, not on the sidelines. I feel lucky to be a timpanist in DCI as it also my main thing in concert season, although like all PERCUSSIONISTS, we do it all. But for me, there is a slight adjustment back from the outdoor world. But the techniques and things are all the same, which I'm very thankful for. Just one persons perspective here.

[lauralee]

But for me, there is a slight adjustment back from the outdoor world.

Yeah, there are times I get told I'm way too loud. Also, I have to change certain things about my breathing in my lessons. However, I'm not really sure if that's a given or just my euphonium instructors personal prefrence. I just do what he tells me and it works. I do keep the same type of mouthpiece. Good stuff...