Mike_B Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 mchromik, you constantly make light of the traing the members of Star United have, collectively speaking. You have 4 years of training and touring with one of THE top DCI corps. Some of you have experience on Broadway rehearsing and performing daily. Most of us can't say the same, so your humble routine rings a bit hollow with me. As far as classical music is concerned, I like it if it has some fire to it. ie. BALLS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraNYC Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 mchromik, you constantly make light of the traing the members of Star United have, collectively speaking. You have 4 years of training and touring with one of THE top DCI corps. Some of you have experience on Broadway rehearsing and performing daily. Most of us can't say the same, so your humble routine rings a bit hollow with me. As far as classical music is concerned, I like it if it has some fire to it. ie. BALLS! He's not blowing smoke. It's true. I think there was only one guy from Blast! in the minicorps. Heck, this guy who aged out with me was in it too - he's an engineer. I'm the one with the music degrees. It's not about the talent, it's about the basics. It's just that simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiamiSun76 Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Some corps actually play a little bit of everything within their programs. Renegades, Cabs, et al. Now there is the real challange. To go from a symphonic feel to jazz to orchestrial or even Rock all within a single program! You mean like: Folk Song Suite Malaga Farandole Afro Blue (percussion) Evergreen 1978 DCA Champion Sunrisers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 The #$@# United mini in corps got me to thinking about classical music in DCA.They did it extreamly well but what about those corps that are struggling with the book?Are you as entertained by them when they are not so clean and impressive? How many of you are actually entertained by classical music in DCA? FWIW I like classical music in the right venue,,but I hate it on the field.I mean if I want to hear classical music I will go to the symphony.I could not imagine having to march a whole season playing that music. What say you? I think classical should stay in the concert hall; jazz should stay in the dance hall or smoke-filled club; Latin music should stay in Spain or South of the border; Broadway music should stay on Broadway; movie music should stay married to the film; patriotic music should be played by the military; and brass band music played by brass bands. Kazoo music should not be played at all. But Speed Metal is fine. Rap might be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchromik Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 mchromik, you constantly make light of the traing the members of Star United have, collectively speaking. You have 4 years of training and touring with one of THE top DCI corps. Some of you have experience on Broadway rehearsing and performing daily. Most of us can't say the same, so your humble routine rings a bit hollow with me. As far as classical music is concerned, I like it if it has some fire to it. ie. BALLS! I don't make of light of anything where my friends are concerned. My only point is to demystify my group a bit. Coming into DCA this summer there was a fair amount of talk about how Blast was putting together a group of 'ringers' or the like. Meanwhile we are back in Indy struggling to get our book down and even have enough folks to compete. Truth is rarely as glamorous as fiction. Okay, as a group we have been taught by some great brass instructors and designers. We have a handful of very talented players and solid group of others who are trained to operate within a system that can produce some outstanding results. But most of all we hold ourselves to a high level of execution and performance. Only a handful of us are involved in music outside of SU. Our group is a way of getting together and have some fun with old friends. So how is that any different from any number of groups within DCA? So I think it is clear there is both a history and a market for Symphonic based repertoire in All-Age Drum Corps. The argument should not be about where the music comes from, but rather how it is approached. You simply cannot play symphonic music or Jazz as if you are in a hall or club. A drum corps should be a drum corps, even if that means bending a few musical standards. Design and arrangement should also reflect the open-air, percussion heavy, on the move environment. Whenever I have seen a esoteric production fail to connect with the audience it had more to do with how it was done rather then what it was. The trick is to balance the nature of the music to the nature of what a drum corps is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegalEagle50 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 But Speed Metal is fine. SPEED METAL??? well that would be a way to get a certain drummer i know out of retirement. but seriously ~ i do like hearing classical out on the field. i love it when it is performed well. i'd hate it if everyone played it. but if every single corps played jazz one year i'd be bored too. same goes for any particular genre of music. if anything is over-played i do find that i have a tendancy to start having a serious need to wander . . . that's what i love about DCA ~ there is so much variety with all the different corps. i hope it always stays that way. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin4057 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 It's ALL about entertaining the audiance. They are the ones paying for the tickets. They are the ones we need to encourage to come back.The music needs to appeal to all the age groups. From children up to grandparents. If you're going to play a classical piece at least make it a standard piece that the audiance will reccognise. The coolest thing about playing a classical number is in the reproduction of the sound. A classical orchestra is comprised of many different virieties of insterments. Dad said the coolest thing about arranging for drum corps was in being able to successfully reproduce the sound of an orchestra with such a limited number of horns and percussion. My father always stressed that it was more important to entertain the crowd. Appeal to them and they'll keep comming back. Bore them and...you've lost. No matter what the judges say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 (edited) If you're going to play a classical piece at least make it a standard piece that the audiance will reccognise. I don't think you have to do that at all. You do need to pick music that will achieve whatever effect you are trying to produce, both musically and visually. After all, how many DCA fans were familiar with Bartok's String Quartet #4 before Reading played in in 2005? Edited October 29, 2006 by Kamarag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraNYC Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I don't think you have to do that at all. You do need to pick music that will achieve whatever effect you are trying to produce, both musically and visually. After all, how many DCA fans were familiar with Bartok's String Quartet #4 before Reading played in in 2005? Me. But that is just because I have the set of 6 in my collection. (And I get giddy when one comes up on random shuffle. Tee hee.) ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcpguy1111 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 It's ALL about entertaining the audiance. They are the ones paying for the tickets. They are the ones we need to encourage to come back.The music needs to appeal to all the age groups. From children up to grandparents. Music that can touch someone on SOME sort of emotional level is what should be the goal. It's not all about "entertainment" in the simple sense. I mean, who really wants to hear music that they know all the time, isn't that boring? The great thing about music is when you hear something you've never heard before and you flip out because of how incredible it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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