From: afo@hpwarht.wal.hp.com (Aaron Oppenheimer)
Subject: Re: Re:Woodwinds in Drum and Bugle Corps
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 16:00:36 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Waltham, MA

In article <1993Jan26.090821.10171@iscsvax.uni.edu>, phelps1230@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:
|> In article <C1FBt4.B3J@apollo.hp.com>, afo@hpwarht.wal.hp.com (Aaron Oppenheimer) writes:
|> > the 60's or the 30's. Why should drum corps maintain it's "identity" as 
|> > we define it today?
|> 
|> There is a distinctive sound for drum corps that has lasted....big beautiful
|> BRASS sound. I love the sound of brass choirs. I can go hear band sound
|> anytime, and almost anywhere, but brass emsembles are the rariity.

Well, the 70 member hornline with a full range of instruments that can 
take the top of your head off is a relatively new "invention" in drum corps.

If a corps wants to keep the brass ensemble sound, let it.

|> > I guess some people would like to maintain some sort of artificial 
|> > difference between Corps and marching bands, but I think that's sort of 
|> > silly. There really isn't that much difference now, is there?
|> 
|> Um....performace levels, quality of program. Three months of grueling rehearsal
|> everyday, all day, only broken by long nights on the bus. Football games. 
I'm sure that there are "top-end" marching bands that have higher
performance levels and quality of program than some drum corps. Are you 
saying that if there was a forum for marching bands that was analogous 
to DCI, there wouldn't be any bands that rehearsed all day and 
travelled by bus? And I played at football games while marching in Drum 
Corps. Even Canadian "which 50 do you mean?" football.

|> I'm just going to speak logistically for a little bit here. Can you imagine if
|> Corps had woodwinds? 
|> 
|> First question would be:are you going to enlarge the size of corps? If not, 
|> what horns are you going to remove to make room for the new instruments? It's
|> already hard for some corps to keep 128 people on the road!

I don't think WW should be required, just allowed. How many corps march 
flugelhorns today? Or piccolo sopranos? Or have 4 marching timpani? 
Certainly not all. But if they want to, they can figure it out for 
themselves.

|> Second question would be:Who is going to buy the instruments? Who is going to
|> pay for repairs? Who is going to run out and buy reeds every day? Woodwinds are
|> very prone to breakage, and don't hold up to weather. No more shows or
|> rehearsals in the rain? That would certainly take plenty of precious practice
|> time away! Not to mention money out of DCI's pocket if it has to cancel every
|> show for a week because some enormous storm is blowing through! Who is going to
|> hire woodwind staff and the full-time repair technician that would be required?
|> Our hunks-'o-car-bumper instruments may not be the best in the world, but they
|> stand up to constant beating FOREVER! It takes alot of work to put a bugle out
|> of commission permanently!

Well, it sure doesn't take that much to put a marimba out of commision! 
Know how many sets of $80 mallets I would go through when my corps had 
to perform in the rain? Want to buy a new set of bars for the marimba 
because the old ones are all either cracked or out of tune from playing 
in the sun? And what about drum heads? They get changed *constantly*! 
These issues should be up to corps and are not a reason to deny use of 
WWs.

And furthermore, I wish DCI *would* cancel shows when it rained. It's 
unpleasant for the corps, it's unpleasant for whatever fans stick 
around. With today's drills, it can be dangerous. And, it'll damage the 
woodwinds! :)

|> I also feel that we are not depriving anyone of an opportunity. Colts have
|> several buglers whose main instrument is a woodwind. They are among those of us
|> protesting this idea. The non-directionality of the instruments do not lend
|> themselves to this activity. The beautiful and distinctive sounds of flutes,
|> clarinets, saxaphones, and oboes should be enjoyed in the employment they were
|> invented for:a concert hall. They should not have to compete with the blasting
|> drumlines and blaring horns of Drum and Bugle Corps.

We are denying the *corps* the opportunity to add a new, interesting 
dimension to their music. And therefore, we are denying the fans the 
opportunity to hear what a drum corps could do with woodwinds.

|> Brooke

Aaron

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Aaron Oppenheimer                                Medical Products Group
Hewlett Packard Co.                                         Waltham, MA
=-=-=-=-=-=  I can hardly speak for myself, much less HP. =-=-=-=-=-=-=
Newsgroups: rec.arts.marching.drumcorps