Slow Adam Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 If you're in the drum line wear ear protection -especially during the winter months where you play inside all the time.Those mylar/kevlar snare heads can project well into the stands but they can destroy your hearing. This is advice from an old man (and drum line vet) with hearing issues. Ear plugs are required equipment for my drum line whenever we are playing indoors, much like water bottles in the summer...show up without and you aren't playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PioSop06 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Don't spray perfume, cologne, deodorant, etc. on the bus. You will catch the beatdown. Febreeze is generally OK though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXDSFLXx Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Gold Bond works wonders! Bring some Bug repelant as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContrasAreFun Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 During the time while we load up, shower, clean housing site, etc., I mix my own gatorade with the powder and a nalgene I keep on the bus. I would drink the entire if not most of the bottle before we got to the show site. This would keep me from becoming dehydrated during warm ups. I suggest the powder in general rather than buying the premade stuff. It's a lot cheaper and space efficient. Wash your mouth and mouthpiece out EVERYDAY. If you have an extra mouthpiece, take it. You never know when you might need it. Take a sleeping mask. You won't look goofy when you're the only one able to sleep with all the lights still on. Take earplugs, especially if you're a brass player on the percussion bus. Use Icy Hot or something to that nature when you need to. Always mark your music when something is changed. You won't just "remember" it. Take care of your own responsibilities first. Apply sunscreen and refill your water jug before/after every meal. Avoid ice in your jug. Make sure your valves are oiled before the start of rehearsal. The staff's, drum major's, and your watch are always on different times. Get to the bus early. You don't want to be the one who caused less warm up or floor time. Never pass up a chance to eat, shower, or use the bathroom. Call your family every once in a while. It helps especially when times are tough. Get people to send you correspondence regularly. Baseball stats were my favorite. Above all, enjoy every part of it- good or bad. You can only do this for so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashofthunder Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 In line of actual advice, the best thing I can tell you is to make friends with the vets. They'll be able to tell you when you're doing something stupid, and how some things may be done more efficiently. Also, take all advice with a grain of salt. Different corps have different rules, and different people have even more variance on what works and what doesn't. For example, I agree with the previous poster on most points. However, I always got ice in my water bottle whenever I could, especially when we stayed in a housing site with bad tasting water. There's nothing more depressing than warm water during a water break when it's 110 degrees. To combat bad tasting water(which you WILL encounter) I usually had a few packets of powdered drink mix. There was some water in Texas that was kind of whitish and had a milky taste. Some people couldn't hold it down, but the drink mix made a huge difference for me. It's good to have a friend that's able to scavenge very well. I was friends with a guy who was always able to find an ice cooler at seemingly every housing site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 (edited) The staff's, drum major's, and your watch are always on different times. When the staff gives you a five minute break, they really mean three minutes. :) Edited January 16, 2007 by Slow Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachariaswmb Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Don't spray perfume, cologne, deodorant, etc. on the bus. You will catch the beatdown. Axe Don't do it folks. It's nasty smelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einstein On The Beach Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Don't wear a watch. It makes rehearsals go by quicker. That, and it's not cool to get a nice watch all sweaty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 (edited) Don't wear a watch. It makes rehearsals go by quicker. That, and it's not cool to get a nice watch all sweaty. This can vary from person to person, although it seems to be the case for most people. I personally always wore a watch and would have gone crazy without it. If you are going to wear one though I recommend getting a cheap one with a cloth band that you can take off and wash. Otherwise it's going to smell unbelievably horrible. Edited January 16, 2007 by dbc03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leadsop97 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Rookie talent night may be different in every corps. And it's probably different bus to bus. I can tell you from experience with ECJ, the horn bus is much less extreme than the drum bus. (I sat on the drum bus my rookie year because I was dating a snare drummer. I cannot repeat on DCP what I did) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.