Duncanville Marching Invitational (October 26)

[Liam Allen]

  On 10/27/2024 at 12:45 AM, Dallas Hobbs said:

The Sabre line in the ballad had great consistency with their tosses and catches imo, very nice to see proficiency with different equipment. 
 

omg now I know why I liked the woodwind feature so much cuz it’s triumph of time! hard piece to play well. 

Expand  

Welcome to brass band repertoire lol!  Shame I like to put at least 1 in all the shows I write.

[Dallas Hobbs]

Lovely job by Plano Sr.’s guard in the ballad with the swing flags, very uniform in their movement and great energy overall. Plano Sr.’s woodwinds stole the show for me! Full confidence from them every time they’re featured. Great clarity and horizontal alignment in all of their runs

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 10/27/2024 at 12:57 AM, Liam Allen said:

Plano - some idiot blasting rap from his car covering up what I’m sure was a great opening chorale.  Skill from the woodwinds for sure; some whole tone scales in there.  Cool drum line visuals lol.  Brass clarity and time are issues.  Mellos struggling on a high b; rest in peace for that note.  Again, excellent woodwind sound.  I wish we could take some edge off of the tenor saxes though.  I think that the mello book is a little too unachievable.  Saxophones losing tuning on an E which isn’t shocking but vent it with your low Bb.  Some tasty beats from percussion; always like to hear brake drum.  Saxophones are getting sharp on all the notes now.  Good push to the end.  Great performance tonight!

Expand  

I learned what a whole tone scale is today! 

[Dallas Hobbs]

@Liam Allen are you wearing a black cap, glasses and a dingy green shirt by chance?

[Dallas Hobbs]

Ok if anyone sees me I’m a black dude with glasses and twists and a UT Dallas shirt on lol. 

[Liam Allen]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:05 AM, Dallas Hobbs said:

@Liam Allen are you wearing a black cap, glasses and a dingy green shirt by chance?

Expand  

Oh come on man it’s not dingy it’s an artistic choice lol

Yeah that’s me

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:11 AM, Liam Allen said:

Oh come on man it’s not dingy it’s an artistic choice lol

Yeah that’s me

Expand  

I figured cuz you’re always looking at your phone and you gave a sideways nod/shake of the head at James Martin’s release in the ballad lol

[Liam Allen]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:03 AM, Dallas Hobbs said:

I learned what a whole tone scale is today! 

Expand  

Did you learn that there’s only two of them?  Only 3 diminished scales too.

[Liam Allen]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:12 AM, Dallas Hobbs said:

I figured cuz you’re always looking at your phone and you gave a sideways nod/shake of the head at James Martin’s release in the ballad lol

Expand  

Getting more judgy as the night goes on lol

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:12 AM, Liam Allen said:

Did you learn that there’s only two of them?  Only 3 diminished scales too.

Expand  

I did not know this!!

[Liam Allen]

JJ Pearce - I wonder what Percy Grainger would think of his music being on a football field.  Still, good translation.  Great visual moment with those line moves.  Solid section features.  The synth’s higher range isn’t cutting off at the same time as the band.  I might be hearing some weird harmony on the ballad hit, but I also might be losing it.  If the flute soloist can get that trill all the way to where it wants to go that will fix that phrasing issue.  Some good use of grace notes in the whole show.  Oh my god it’s an EWI!  Woodwinds all on swing flags is crazy.  It works.  Great performance tonight!

[Liam Allen]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:15 AM, Dallas Hobbs said:

I did not know this!!

Expand  

It’s whole steps so you can only get two scales out of it.  It’s the C whole tone scale and the Db whole tone scale.  If you go up to D then it’s just the C scale again starting on D.  Eventually you’ll get to modes where you actually do start on different notes of a scale and it’s technically in a different key.

[Dallas Hobbs]

JJ Pearce’s guard has great flag technique, very easy movement and great timing and uniformity all around. 
 

Visually Pearce was really strong imo. Every member seemed locked into what they’re doing and contributed to a strong ensemble performance 

that clarinet solo was electric! Both in energy and instrumentation lol

[Vegas Band Fan]

Having to live vicariously through each of you for this contest. Unfortunately I have to deal with the site Corn Stank who gets a woody only for the Illinois/Indiana bands. It gets old quick that they’re not capable of recognizing bands from other regions. The Orlando and New Jersey regionals tonight is a great example. 

[Barisexy]

  On 10/26/2024 at 4:00 PM, Dallas Hobbs said:

Alright peeps, I’m here all day. If you want me to give compliment loads/feedback on your band’s performance I’ll do my best 😅. Good luck to all the amazing groups today! 
 

also great job rancheview! I happened to get here in time for their 10:45-ish performance lol

Expand  

Thoughts on Lake Travis? It felt really quiet from the field, maybe it's just the stadium. 

[Liam Allen]

Keller Central - my second viewing in as many weeks.  Didn’t realize there was Peter Graham in there.  Swingin’ opener!  Great woodwinds there.  I think saxes blew one little phrase.  Hi mellophones!  Really good clarity from the brass.  Saxes need to control the intonation on their high C#.  Holy cow mellophones!  Push through to the end though on both long notes.  Tasty flugelhorn.  I think that move in lines to the front needs more definition if the upper body direction.  Some people going all different directions with their shoulders during the move.  Great intonation from the flugelhorn!  Solid tuning on the extended chord.  The contras give a more direct sound and I dig it.  Dear god mellophones coming at me again.  Excellent clarity from woodwind runs.  Ah don’t die in the middle of the last note and then push.  Fantastic feel at the end.  Great performance tonight!

[Liam Allen]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:38 AM, Baribone07 said:

People just don't have enough energy 😭 I know a good bit of the low brass was giving their full though (considering I was one of them)

Expand  

Yeah that’s an issue for a lot of people.  You’ve got to have everybody unified and hype to close it, and it takes a lot to get there.  Really nitpicky comment though, you’re on a good level if that’s what I’m complaining about lol

[Dallas Hobbs]

KC’s guard is my favorite so far! They can toss so high and still maintain uniformity in height and in their catches. Very fast movements that visually embellish the fast, angular woodwind runs. And my god, the rifle soloist nailed every one of her super difficult/high tosses!

 

oh i love their brass sound so much! They just blow you away with their tone quality and intensity. There’s an edge to their timbre that’s really cool to hear. Their multiple tonguing is so clear at such a fast tempo! I do think the mello tone got a little bit spread in the opener but they impressed me nonetheless. Amazing job!

[Liam Allen]

Rockwall - the uniforms look like Crown 2011.  Cool.  Holy cow that leg visual was cleeeeean.  Great intro ok Festive Overture.  Clarinet solo was good with the exception of inconsistent eighth note length.  Shostakovich wanted it long, but people play it short.  Do either, not both.  The arrival at the brass chorale moment must be heroic.  Trumpets need to sing through their ascending line.  Mars is going very well, could use another look at note length on the iconic stabs.  Fantastic solos.  Is the soprano sax bending up to that D?  Don’t know if I like that.  Delete the bass drop at the end of the ballad.  Entirely acoustic release please.  Wow trumpet quartet.  Wow.  Great sixteenth drop into tonic.  Great performance tonight!

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:41 AM, Barisexy said:

Thoughts on Lake Travis? It felt really quiet, maybe it's just the stadium. 

Expand  

They projected very well to my ears. It was a very clean sound. Very clean visually as well, I especially liked how well the woodwinds maintained integrity of that snowflake formation 

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 10/27/2024 at 1:58 AM, Liam Allen said:

Rockwall - the uniforms look like Crown 2011.  Cool.  Holy cow that leg visual was cleeeeean.  Great intro ok Festive Overture.  Clarinet solo was good with the exception of inconsistent eighth note length.  Shostakovich wanted it long, but people play it short.  Do either, not both.  The arrival at the brass chorale moment must be heroic.  Trumpets need to sing through their ascending line.  Mars is going very well, could use another look at note length on the iconic stabs.  Fantastic solos.  Is the soprano sax bending up to that D?  Don’t know if I like that.  Delete the bass drop at the end of the ballad.  Entirely acoustic release please.  Wow trumpet quartet.  Wow.  Great sixteenth drop into tonic.  Great performance tonight!

Expand  

Their visual technique was sooo clean, I think the white uniforms actually help accentuate a clean look to them which can be difficult to achieve when performers are wearing bright colors

[Liam Allen]

Southlake Carroll - my second viewing of this.  Can’t wait to see some bubbles again!  Good visual at the beginning.  Such a unified decrescendo!  Woodwind run shape is great.  Don’t shortchange the end of the feature though.  Great jam moment.  Effective visual moment in the eye of the fish.  Clarinets could check their A tuning.  Good build in the hit.  Some inconsistency in the leg pop and coming out of it.  Wow, low brass is on another level.  Clean drumbreak.  Here comes the Bluecoats special.  Some timing issues front to back.  Pretty sure the soloists are a little ahead.  What a wall of brass sound!  Oh wow the clarity in the section features there was incredible.  What a great closer and an incredible performance tonight!

[Dallas Hobbs]

 

@averagemello @bleach @Bushpresident

Alright you all asked for it and imma give it ya!

Yes, the mellos were stupendous! The quality of tone they maintained even the upper tessitura was very impressive! They colored the dark low brass timbre in the opener so nicely. Fantastic integrity in their sound! Clean pentatonic runs! Amazing!!

Omg that performance was so clean all around! Nothing sounded shaky to me!

[Liam Allen]

Keller - my second time hearing this but my first time hearing the closer which I’m hype for.  Alto flute is a great color.  Good build in intensity.  Excellent balance in the hit.  Good shaping of the woodwind line.  Some of the hits lack impact; I think it’s just some battery thing.  Good woodwinds once again.  As usual, great trombones from Keller.  Great hit.  Really clear sound and melodic lines.  The organ has once again made an appearance from Keller.  Oh Godspeed is freaking phenomenal.  Nobody does closers like Keller.  MORE ORGAN AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!  Outstanding performance tonight!

[Dallas Hobbs]

Ok Keller we get it, you’re amazing at everything! Guard, woodwinds, percussion, brass, visual execution, everything elite! My god that feature in the opener where the woodwinds are playing that 8th-note ostinato juxtaposed by the brass melodic triplet line, the timing was soooo good! The brass tunes amazingly well! The woodwinds are sooo with with their technique! World class