Loudest corps each year?

[fourouttheforty]

*yawn* Science fair! :P

[drewbugler]

a few favorites:

2000 Crossmen...Caravan

2000 Cadets...first hit at quarterfinals

1999 Scouts at finals...I was under the stadium heading up to the stands and the whole thing was rocking!

1995 Scouts...wow!

[PioSop06]

BD 1993 - Phenomenon of Cool - similar cord in the closer

BD 1996 - Part Blue - another similar (is it dissonisant?) cord and it just goes to show you that it doesn't have to be THE LOUDEST, but the best placed.

Um, I think you mean 03 & 06, right?

[raphael18]

Second, 3 instruments playing a unison that is slightly out of tune and at exactly the same individual volume

I think that has been established - however, the point of contention is that an ensemble that is more out of tune but playing at a higher volume (that is putting more air through the horns) will be perceived as louder than a group that is perfectly in tune but playing at a lower volume.

Edited April 10, 2007 by raphael18

[Lance]

I think he just explained that, yes, a smaller group playing in tune can sound louder than a larger group blowing harder, but playing out of tune.

[Loud-is-good]

The elitism in some of these posts makes me sick. Hearing about what a "mature" ensemble will do, etc., is a joke.

I wouldn't consider myself just some bozo; I have a music degree in a brass instrument from a pretty highly regarded music school. That being said, there is no absolute "right" or "mature" way to play a brass instrument. I swear, some people on these boards would say that the brass section of the CSO or Met Opera Orchestra were playing with a spread tone, or "out of control." The truth is, there are many ways to pursue brass playing. Yes, intonation is always important. Blend is always important. Dynamic contrast is virtually always important. However, how one values those is NOT an objective standard. Some people think that as long as something is in tune and blended, it is God's gift to music. That's fine; whatever someone goes for. Conversely, some people like intonation and blend, but find that it is worthwhile to sacrifice a little in these regards in order to open up the available dynamic range. Again, this approach is fine; whatever matters to someone is what is right for that individual.

Where people go wrong is in insisting that their approach is the "right" one. There is no right approach as applies to all of the fans of DCI (or music in general). Yes, there is a right approach insofar as how judges want things; that is fine, and that is why certain corps have done remarkably well in the last several years. However, to insist that a certain corps plays with an objectively "better" style than another is elitist BS; it is all a matter of who is being catered to. If fan A enjoys one corps which plays really loud, but slightly out of tune, while person B enjoys another corps that plays less loudly but better in tune, neither is right. It is only a matter of priority. It is disgusting for people on either side to declare that they are "right" or "mature," however. Why issues like this even come up in a thread that simply asks which is "loudest," not which is "loudest with a sound that I like," I don't know.

As for the "in tune is always louder" argument; this generally, in practice, works out to be mostly theoretical. Yes, theoretically, a corps that is PERFECTLY in tune will be the loudest. However, this standard is virtually never met by any actual ensemble; therefore, individual projection usually trumps all. Otherwise, the Cavaliers would've easily been the loudest corps for several years now; anyone with half a brain will agree this simply wasn't the case.

[Lance]

I agree with the sentiment of your post. We all look for different things in music performance. However, good intonation and blend are absolutely essential to maximize dynamic range for an ensemble. If you sacrifice those, you compromise dynamic range. Intonation's impact on perceived loudness is not theoretical.

[Medeabrass]

*yawn* Science fair! :P

ha ha...I have a pretty good idea what DC you're in now.

[Triple Forte]

really do love the 01 spirit opener. it's had repeated listens at high volumes in my car. the three descending low brass notes that happen a couple times in the opener are amazing!

Spirit had some serious aggression that season. Really strong and let me tell ya....at quarter finals they raised a few brows. So much so that people around me were incredibly inspired to be in their seats at semis to hear it again.....

[Einstein On The Beach]

This thread is funny now, while the intent is all well and good, brass musicians make way too much out of a science fair out of playing a hunk of metal tubing. It's just a trumpet/mello/bari/tuba folks, you're not curing cancer :)

That being said, above all, emphasis should really just be placed on SOUNDING GOOD. That's it. Making good sounds. Whether it's a good sound at pppp, or a good sound at as loud as possible (a note I've seen in wind ensemble pieces ironically enough), good sound is good sound. There is no right sound, just good sound. Well, I guess you could say there's a right sound, and I'd say it's the Bluecoats hornline, but that's just opening a can of worms..