What do you want out of a show?

[Triple Forte]

Visuals or Music first?!

MUSIC.........

Triple Forte

[raphael18]

Music first - with a complimentary drill.

I'm all for crazy visuals, but I still want to be able to hear the corps in the upper deck without straining. It is the role of visual to put performers where they need to be in order to succeed from a balance, staging, and timming point of view. However, I admit that it is most preferble for the two to compliment each other.

What is more enjoyable:

1) When the hornline plays that amazingly technical powerful passage while standing still.

or

2) When the hornline plays that same technical powerful passage while performing a complimentary visual move of some sort.

So, I'm all for great music but fully realize that it is best when accompanied by a complimentary drill. However, I am totally against movement for the sake of movement (imagine someone playing Sleep while moving in double time at over 200 with lots of cross-throughs for effect). Most marchers would agree that moving at slow tempos is actually much more demnding - your technique is right out there in the open.

[goodtuba]

This one is pretty easy for me...

Name me one corps that looked great but sounded horrible...

Now

Name me one corps that sounded amazing, but looked awful...

the second one is a lot easier, you can sound good and look bad, but you cant really look great and sound bad. Well atleast thats been my experience in the activity. SO in my mixed up world, VISUAL is more important, because a good visual corps will always sound good, and a good musical corps, might look good... therefore my experience watching the drum corps will PROBABLY be overall better watching the one that looks better

[shaners]

i want to be entertained, period. enter g.e. in music AND visual

[AlexL]

obviously the corps still has to have good visual. BUT,

if the corps has not so much visual and a lot of music i can still enjoy the music... if the music is either boring or not executed well yet(possibly creating said boredom) it doesnt matter what the visual is ill probably be turned off to the show.

[Kansan]

I like it when a corps uses a simple concept and doesn't go overboard with props.

I like a basic Hornline, Drumline and Color Guard. The pit should also be kept simple.

Less is more.

I always thought the following Corps were fine examples of this concept: The Madison Scouts, The Cavaliers and The Blue Devils.

[danieltenor]

I think the visual aspect is to make the music sound like it should and making it more interesting to listen to the music.

So the music is the most important, but the visual makes the music more enjoyable!

[sburstall]

but you can walk out doing the robot

But you would look silly doing it if the show was based on 007. :P

Even though I love both aspects of drum corps, I'm of the belief that the music should be able to stand by itself without the need of the drill. While I'm doing work on my house, I like to listen to music. It's hard to stay focused on a show based on the visuals.

Edited December 11, 2006 by sburstall