Jump to content

Woodwinds or no woodwinds?


Woodwinds or no woodwinds  

315 members have voted

  1. 1. Should DCI ever incorporate woodwinds?

    • No, never, not any time for any reason
      282
    • Well, maybe for solos only
      15
    • Yes, bring them on in, let's be like everyone else
      18


Recommended Posts

1) All of us recognize their important contribution to marching band activities but they do not, have not, and never will belong in the drum and bugle corps activity.

2) Logistically, they are not designed for the rigors of daily use and abuse in the drum and bugle corps activity

3) They would provide no serious volume, a key component to our activity

4) Kids who march woodwind instruments during the marching band season, enjoy crossing over to drum corps to provide additional growth and challenges as a musician

IMNSHO... :P

#1) Sounds like the A-word to me, except I don't like amps in MB either.

#2) REALLY sounds like amps, Oooops... *crash* :sshh:

#3) Waiting for proposal to use amps to balance sound of entire corps. (NOT being sarcastic)

#4) REAL Cool....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 498
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

ask Hopkins and Gibbs and Mike D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMO drum corps has been moving this way for half a century, and I see no reason to stop now.

In what possibel way has drum corps ever been moving in the direction of woodwinds, Mike? I could make a stronger case for drum corps moving in the direction of motorcycles....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is not what I mean...drum corps has, over that time, gone from a limited set of straight bugles and a few types of drums to the multi-key brass we have today....trumpets, tubas, F mellos, baris...and just about any "legit' percussion equipment you can think of. They have taken brass and percussion to match what bands use, over time...WW and electronics are just a natural progression IMO.

Let's not rewrite history here, Mike. The changes of the past seven years were not a "natural progression" - they were driven by commercial influences outside of the drum corps activity.

For awhile, drum corps did make changes that could be characterized as a "natural progression". Design, technique and equipment were all developed over the years in keeping with the same practicality that defined the activity's identity - the same practicality that led the military to use drums and bugles for so many years. What do all those things have in common? They're relatively simple, durable devices, acoustic and human-powered, portable, suitable for all weather conditions, reliable, and particularly effective outdoors. So much so, in fact, that in a 60-year parallel of drum corps and summer marching band activities, drum corps has so dramatically outdrawn comparable marching band activities for both members and fans, that all but one of those summer marching band circuits in question have faded into inactivity.

Changes like any-key brass and amps, however, were not part of this "natural progression". They were, however, very desirable to the instrument manufacturers, opening up new markets for their products, and new marketing vehicles. In retrospect, perhaps even pit percussion falls into this category. Not only did the manufacturers discover a whole activity of corps ready to become customers, they also found the touring groups to be valuable endorsers. Having the Blue Devils using your equipment was as clear a marketing ploy 30 years ago as it is today.

Mike, if you believe that the "natural progression" is for the drum corps activity to allow the manufacturers to steer the course of change, then you should see motorcycles in DCI's future. After all, Yamaha makes motorcycles. And unlike woodwinds, motorcycles have already been used in a drum corps field program (Chieftains). Apparently, the activity has demonstrated greater interest in motorcycles than woodwinds, so that should be the "natural progression". B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In what possibel way has drum corps ever been moving in the direction of woodwinds, Mike? I could make a stronger case for drum corps moving in the direction of motorcycles....

Actually, motorcycles were used on the field a few years ago by the Chieftans in DCA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...