Toughest section of a corps to march

[MagicBobert]

Everybody works their butt off, just in different ways.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Just for the record, a pair of 20"s weighs more than a euph. I had some euph players see if it was true, and they agree.

AND you have to constantly move the cyms around, which tires your muscles out 10x faster. And cymbals players usually have to have the crazy drill and at some corps, learn 2 ways of marching. Both horn sliding and crabbng. So I would vote tenors and 20" cymbals have it the hardest.

[xelanosa]

Gee, let me see. I would imagine most people would answer whatever they marched as the toughest. I haven't read many of the posts on this thread, but I can easily see this thing going in that direction. We should have a new vote with the stipulation that you can't vote your own section.

But of course everyone knows that snare drum is truly the hardest to march. :P

[dpcj2]

Having played soprano in corps, drum major in college and bass drum briefly in high school... I'd say hornline was the most difficult. Although the contra is the heaviest, I think those people playing euphonium probably have it the toughest. DM can get very tiring but its not quite the same. (more of a plain old muscle pain) You can breath however is easiest for you. Bass drum was fairly heavy and visibility is an issue but I always thought the tenor players had it worse. Those things were much heavier. So I'd say hornline (b/c of the breathing issues), percussion, then DM. All can be very difficult.

[Rage]

Wow. It's pretty obvious which caption spends the most time on DCP.

[ssorrell]

All positions in the corps are physically demanding. You wanted opinions, and I've given mine...in MY experience, being the DM was the most physically demanding. You have the right to have a different opinion, but my opinion is certainly no joke.

When my corps rehearsed, sometimes the brass marched their drill while playing half volume. Sometimes they marched and sang their music. Sometimes they played attacks only. And of course towards the end of rehearsal, they played full volume run throughs. During all of the above, I conducted at 100%.

"Waiving" one's arms for hours every day can be just as exhausting as holding a horn up...it was for me. My heart rate could get just as high as anyone else's on the field after a run through. You have the right to disagree, but unless you've held more than one position for a Div 1 corps, you can't make a fair comparison.

[kstein]

Hey Steve,

All my experience in Div 1 was as a DM and it was physically demanding (but man, did my arms look great!). However, I always felt the toughest part of the DM job was the mental exhaustion - having to be "on" at all times for all people.

When I look at the difficulty and speed of drill being performed today, as well as some of the more demanding charts, I'd have to give a nod to the lower brass players as having it toughest. My early years as a baritone player (valve/rotor, of course) were exhausting, but the music and drill I was doing at that point in time pales in comparison to what they're doing now.

We got so skinny each Summer when we marched (but "dinners" of watermelon and popcorn will do that to you, after rehearsing all day!), but today's members truly seem fit...and I think they need to be.

Let's be honest; everyone works physcially hard except those darn pit people...and they at least have to lug that equipment in and out of the truck.

Cheers!

Karen

[Roark1]

Laziest = Lead guitar. :P

[tubamann]

The mistake alot of people make here is that a contra just rests on your shoulder. The back of the horn does. You hold up the front end, including all of the tubing, valves and bell. Besides that, at attention/ horns down, they are a nightmare! Why do you think that Contra lines do the cool ripple thingy with the horns to the ground? Because the ####### things are so heavy!!

Edited May 23, 2006 by tubamann

[jonnyboy]

Bass drums, especially # 5, and the Contra Section! :P

Bass drums look heavy, but tenors are WAY heavier. Just ask to put them on once and you will get the idea.

Colorguard. We do everything full out... every time... all day. Hornline and drumline get rehearsal blocks without playing and blocks without marching. There is no air-only or bopping for the colorguard. :)

I'm sorry, what corps is this? I haven't seen too many guards going "full out" 100% of the time. Lots of running though, and more running to set up equipment in rehearsals....ugh.

Baritones have it the worst I recon, followed by Contras, Tenors and the big Bass (if is really big....like a 32" or so). Cymbals need more respect, those things will kill you after 12 hours (or even one hour).

Lots of tough jobs in Drum Corps....I would even say the mental demands of snare, tenor and drum major along with the pressures of a lead (first chair?) horn player, and a guard captain can be very mentally challenging. Don't forget the Pit, very challenging to focus on just playing all summer, as well as loading the trucks. Oh yea.....the Pit has to march honor guard in parades, I love watching those kids dying by the end of five miles!