Why Blue Devils Win

[Jeff Ream]

This is not true of everyone.

I don't like BD's show because I don't like BD's show. Not because I somehow dislike BD (I don't dislike BD, for the record. Not one bit). This show, performed by any other corps, would elicit the same reaction from me regardless.

Perhaps I'm special in my ability to separate the product from the performing ensemble...but I doubt it.

I'm with you. a long time BD fan. But recent shows, I just can't get into

[jonnyboy]

Booing:

If a a corps is performing or just finished performing and get booed; the corps is getting booed.

If the boos come during the announcement of the scores; the score, score spread or judging is getting booed.

Please do not get these two types of booing mixed up.

[Jeff Ream]

What's not to understand?!

THE. SHOW. DOES. NOT. HAVE. TO. BE. ENJOYABLE. TO. WIN.

Seriously, entertainment really isn't part of GE. It just matters if they played better and marched cleaner. And they did.

Sorry if you didn't see that, but anyone who saw them live last year with two functional ears and eyes saw it clearly.

And the people who booed were wrong. They were classless idiots.

agreed on the booing and entertaining.

but remember those unhappy or un-entertained are also paying top dollars...and if enough of them keep feeling they arent entertained, DCI loses more customers.

[audiodb]

I challenge you to just view Blue Devils show for what it is, all stigmas aside.

OK - waited until Denver to do that. Avoided the Fan Network so that my first impression would be from a live viewing. And here's my first impression....a show with only two measures of coherent melody.

Why do Blue Devils win? Because judges are not properly evaluating and rewarding true demand. I wonder how long it has been since these judges marched. Even after two decades, I remember this much. It starts with difficult drill moves or musical passages....performing either of those well is an achievement, even if you have the whole show to prepare for those few 5-10 second highlights. However, what is far more demanding is:

1. Quantity - more than a few such moments of demand, perhaps even frequent demanding passages.

2. Sustained demand - an extended musically demanding sequence, or several hard drill moves.

3. Simultaneous demand - physically demanding drill and music at the same time for the same performer.

Current Blue Devils show design avoids these dimensions of demand like the plague. Music is chopped up to the point where it is rare for anyone to be playing a sustained passage. Frequent scatter drill spares "marchers" from their responsibilities. Loud parts are rarely intricate; intricate parts are rarely loud; both rarely occur with the players in rapid motion.

Even leaving the whole "general effect" debate aside, the show simply isn't as much of an achievement to perform, and therefore should not garner as much credit for equal performance quality compared to other shows that offer more frequent, sustained or simultaneously demanding sequences.

That said, how are the Blue Devils performing? Not nearly as well as would be required to justify their scores, especially in brass. For instance, in one key moment where brass actually played loud for eight counts, the majority of the low brass gulped for air midway through, leaving an inexcusably huge dent in the intended wall of sound. Tuning between high and low brass was off from the opening notes of the show; baritones had recurring intonation issues on certain notes; mellophones weren't in agreement with each other on either tuning or tone. At one point, a mello came in a beat early on a loud note, a glaring error. All things considered, I think BK and SCV should have been breathing down BD's necks in the brass performance caption.

Before writing me off as another "hater", let me note the positives I saw as well. BD does occasionally take on sustained demand and simultaneous demand, as if just to prove they can. Visually, they're solid. Individual technique and carriage are as good as anyone at this point. When drill and music tax the performer simultaneously, I don't hear feet in the horn sound like I do with other corps (i.e. Cadets). The King horns give BD more power than recent years, especially in the low brass, yielding a more balanced and stronger sound that I very much appreciate. Battery was quite clean on this night, with exposed parts to highlight that fact.

[BozzlyB]

What's not to understand?!

THE. SHOW. DOES. NOT. HAVE. TO. BE. ENJOYABLE. TO. WIN.

Seriously, entertainment really isn't part of GE. It just matters if they played better and marched cleaner. And they did.

Sorry if you didn't see that, but anyone who saw them live last year with two functional ears and eyes saw it clearly.

And the people who booed were wrong. They were classless idiots.

Agreed. Why do the decision makers in this activity not understand that this is unsustainable? Any performance based activity, competitive or not is dependent on it's fan base for survival. If entertainment is not a requirement of the winning shows this activity is ultimately doomed.

[corpsband]

What's not to understand?!

THE. SHOW. DOES. NOT. HAVE. TO. BE. ENJOYABLE. TO. WIN.

Seriously, entertainment really isn't part of GE. It just matters if they played better and marched cleaner. And they did.

Sorry if you didn't see that, but anyone who saw them live last year with two functional ears and eyes saw it clearly.

And the people who booed were wrong. They were classless idiots.

From the GE Music sheet:

• Contains a pleasing combination of AESTHETIC, INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL considerations

resulting in entertainment

Reading that sheets just leaves me scratching my head :)

[Jeff Ream]

I agree, but corps are forced to walk a very fine line these days. If they underdesign they risk peaking early and being surpassed by other more demanding shows, and you can only add so much to the original show. The trend these days is to overdesign, accept the early season dirt, and hope your corps has it in them to clean the product to the degree where the demand will be rewarded, but of course the risk there is bringing a dirty show into finals week and not maxing out.

yes it is a fine line. But I don't think a lot of people understand that. still too many people yell "demand, demand, demand, run run run, notes notes notes"

if they aren't clean it doesn't mean ####.

BD has demand. they perform well. I'll not knock that, no matter how much they bore me to tears musically.

they are the new Cavaliers in many respects. People said their shows were too easy, boring etc for several years in this decade, but the performed so well, they won.

BD is now doing what they did.

[MikeN]

From the GE Music sheet:

• Contains a pleasing combination of AESTHETIC, INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL considerations

resulting in entertainment

Reading that sheets just leaves me scratching my head :)

Thanks for linking to that - I knew GE was always a nebulous idea, but this is absolutely "just make up a number" kind of stuff.

Mike

[corpsband]

agreed on the booing and entertaining.

but remember those unhappy or un-entertained are also paying top dollars...and if enough of them keep feeling they arent entertained, DCI loses more customers.

Here's what bothers me (and I'm sure what triggers a lot of the responses we're seeing from BD folks on here.)

The members and the parents are upset with the audience for sitting on their hands. They're upset with them golf clapping. They're upset with them booing scores. They're upset with people criticizing their design.

Oh they have 'answers' that they're getting from the corps: we're innovative -- people don't understand us; people are jealous of our success; we win -- so all the other things don't matter.

As I said in an earlier post, after the season's over -- after the drum corps career is over -- rings are just cold pieces of metal in a drawer. Performing for (and connecting with ) an audience is what activities like drum corps (and theater , dance, and music) are all about. *Those* memories you keep forever because it's something you shared with 1000's of people at once. The audience become a participant in the experience.

In my view if your 'cutting edge' design denies members the opportunity to connect with your audience, you're letting your membership down and failing as a designer ---regardless of the scores or championships.

Please note that connecting with your audience does *not* mean doing the same old things in the same old way. Lot's of innovative shows and concepts can reach an audience.

[Jeff Ream]

interesting. i'll have to go back and watch them again with this post up

OK - waited until Denver to do that. Avoided the Fan Network so that my first impression would be from a live viewing. And here's my first impression....a show with only two measures of coherent melody.

Why do Blue Devils win? Because judges are not properly evaluating and rewarding true demand. I wonder how long it has been since these judges marched. Even after two decades, I remember this much. It starts with difficult drill moves or musical passages....performing either of those well is an achievement, even if you have the whole show to prepare for those few 5-10 second highlights. However, what is far more demanding is:

1. Quantity - more than a few such moments of demand, perhaps even frequent demanding passages.

2. Sustained demand - an extended musically demanding sequence, or several hard drill moves.

3. Simultaneous demand - physically demanding drill and music at the same time for the same performer.

Current Blue Devils show design avoids these dimensions of demand like the plague. Music is chopped up to the point where it is rare for anyone to be playing a sustained passage. Frequent scatter drill spares "marchers" from their responsibilities. Loud parts are rarely intricate; intricate parts are rarely loud; both rarely occur with the players in rapid motion.

Even leaving the whole "general effect" debate aside, the show simply isn't as much of an achievement to perform, and therefore should not garner as much credit for equal performance quality compared to other shows that offer more frequent, sustained or simultaneously demanding sequences.

That said, how are the Blue Devils performing? Not nearly as well as would be required to justify their scores, especially in brass. For instance, in one key moment where brass actually played loud for eight counts, the majority of the low brass gulped for air midway through, leaving an inexcusably huge dent in the intended wall of sound. Tuning between high and low brass was off from the opening notes of the show; baritones had recurring intonation issues on certain notes; mellophones weren't in agreement with each other on either tuning or tone. At one point, a mello came in a beat early on a loud note, a glaring error. All things considered, I think BK and SCV should have been breathing down BD's necks in the brass performance caption.

Before writing me off as another "hater", let me note the positives I saw as well. BD does occasionally take on sustained demand and simultaneous demand, as if just to prove they can. Visually, they're solid. Individual technique and carriage are as good as anyone at this point. When drill and music tax the performer simultaneously, I don't hear feet in the horn sound like I do with other corps (i.e. Cadets). The King horns give BD more power than recent years, especially in the low brass, yielding a more balanced and stronger sound that I very much appreciate. Battery was quite clean on this night, with exposed parts to highlight that fact.