mynameisohyeah Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 Actually... Differences in pitch or tone quality have only a miniscule bearing on "loudness". So if one corps is percieved to be noticeably louder than another, it's because of other factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 This topic creates, for me, a conundrum: As an educator, I certainly applaud the Cavaliers (and others) for giving attention to good, solid brass technique, as this certainly enhances the musicianship of the young men in the corps moreso than the "play it as loud as you can" method. HOWEVER.... should drum and bugle corps attempt to emulate the sounds and techniques of other genres (wind ensemble, orchestral, etc.) to the extent that the uniqueness of the drum corps sound is sacrificed? Are the playing skills and techniques utilized by orchestral brass players completely applicable and/or appropriate for musicians whose performance venue is a football field? A polished sound born of control and nuance is a wonderful things in and ofitself, but it doesn't always reach to the back row of the bleachers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 HOWEVER.... should drum and bugle corps attempt to emulate the sounds and techniques of other genres (wind ensemble, orchestral, etc.) to the extent that the uniqueness of the drum corps sound is sacrificed? Are the playing skills and techniques utilized by orchestral brass players completely applicable and/or appropriate for musicians whose performance venue is a football field? A polished sound born of control and nuance is a wonderful things in and ofitself, but it doesn't always reach to the back row of the bleachers. I'm sorry, I missed the reviews this season that complained about not being able to hear the Cavies' horns. Oh that's right, there weren't any. They are not playing as loud as Phantom or BD, but they are certainly using techniques and volume appropriate to an outdoor performance in a large venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 Thanks for the condescending reply...it's much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil-galad Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 I'm sorry, I missed the reviews this season that complained about not being able to hear the Cavies' horns. Oh that's right, there weren't any. They are not playing as loud as Phantom or BD, but they are certainly using techniques and volume appropriate to an outdoor performance in a large venue. He wasn't necessarily reffering to the Cavaliers show in his post. He was just bringing out the very important point of the difference between playing in a concert hall, and playing on the foot ball field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 Actually...Differences in pitch or tone quality have only a miniscule bearing on "loudness". So if one corps is percieved to be noticeably louder than another, it's because of other factors. Actually... Intonation has a huge impact on loudness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobrien Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 (edited) Playing louder for the sake of playing louder is the musical equivalent of 'it blowed up real good." If you put Cavaliers hornline in Symphony Center in Chicago and had them play their loudest segments of the show, it would turn the hair gray of any regular CSO listener (well, grayer ). They're already working with volume levels that are louder than what is really done in a concert hall. They're just not blasting, I liked PR's sound last night, but could also pick out individual players who were blatting (and don't ask about the sound when they're really working to move fast - talk about hearing footsteps in the tone...). Cavaliers are having neither of those issues, and haven't for a number of years now. They must be doing something right... Edited August 8, 2006 by mobrien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpt43 Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 I thought that playing at a lower dynamic level with good support and sound is more difficult than at a higher one? Yeah! But it's not very exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geluf Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 I'm sorry, I missed the reviews this season that complained about not being able to hear the Cavies' horns. Oh that's right, there weren't any. Oh crap, is it Dress Like A Jerk day already? I'm WAY behind! Time to kick it into high gear here on my end. *I* missed the part where he claimed the Cavies weren't reaching the bleachers with their sound. It sure looked like he was just making a general observation based on experience and, oh, probably a really shiney diploma that says he's qualified to teach music. Of course, those are a dime a dozen, ####, they just gave ME one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 I can only remember the way I was taught for volume control (I'm sure others were taught differently). Our instructors used the "finger technique" which was used only during exercises. 1 finger meant as soft as you could possibly play. 2 fingers meant slightly louder. 3 fingers meant average volume. 4 fingers meant loud, and 5 fingers meant as loud as you could play. They would vary it at the snap of a finger. The whole idea was to get you used to changing volumes (collectively) in a moments notice. Of course if you didn't, they would totally ape out. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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