PIT. is it where the 'un-talented' kids go?

[ClaireAnnette07]

In my high school, the Pit was mainly made up of people who played an instrument but couldn't march because they were in volleyball, etc. and never had time to learn the show and also sometimes had games during the football games & would drive back in time for halftime. That doesn't mean that they weren't talented...most of them were first-year pit members, and they had to learn a completely new instrument within a matter of 6 weeks while doing their other sport. I also know that percussion music is a little different than what woodwinds or brass play, so they also had to relearn how to read parts of music. It was tough for them, and I was amazed how quickly some of them picked up the xylophone or bells or even the pit cymbals!

 

Basically said, they are an important part of the band. When we couldn't see the drum majors, we would listen to pit for tempo (especially if it was a woodwind part of the show) and they really busted their butt trying to manage demanding sports with marching band.

[ClarinetGlissandoInBlue]

at Memorial, the pit had always been made up of freshman percussion, oboe players, and a couple of people who cannot march for various reasons (medical, whatever). we do get very frustrated with our pit because the overwhelming majority are freshman percussion.

 

early in the season, the pit stays inside and starts work on the music as the band is working on marching fundamentals. without a whole lot of upperclassmen for peer pressure of excellence, the freshman pit kids often just mess around. subsequently, they often take their own tempos, ignoring the rest of the world. luckily, they usually get it together before the major performances.

 

to answer the original post's question, no pit kids are not the "un-talented kids" However, depending on differing band programs, this is an understandable assumption. It really depends on the band, the school, the district, the feeders, and the community. Many bands don't have the luxury of making kids tryout for marching band and still have hundreds of kids leftover.

[the terminator]

our pit plays a lot of the music that the winds play, and is definately still challenging, and we have one heckuva an oboe player in pit, so they are definately talented

[MaverickBand15]

at our school, PIT is made up of Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors. Some of them have stayed in PIT because they like it more than being in Drumline. Most people in the band have the greatest respect for us, and some dont. We do go inside during summer band, but we never goof off. Its pure work for us!

[urkadrums]

Yeah, even though it is hard work,

We have one giant luxury of spending most of summer band camp in the freezing cold Performing Arts Center at the high school.

We have to bring jackets and jeans, while everyone else is in the hot sun.

So we're just a bunch of pale kids (because we didn't get a tan from outside) at the end of the summer

[Kitten]

well

in our band

the marimbas and larger keyboards are generally really good

the bass drum and gong people usually aren't

...

[takigan]

  urkadrums said:

Yeah, even though it is hard work,

We have one giant luxury of spending most of summer band camp in the freezing cold Performing Arts Center at the high school.

We have to bring jackets and jeans, while everyone else is in the hot sun.

So we're just a bunch of pale kids (because we didn't get a tan from outside) at the end of the summer

 

That place was always cold...when I was there, they kept it at like 60 degrees during the summer, and they'd leave the heat off during the winter when Wind Sym practiced so it was still like 50-60 degrees in there . Which sucks when you have to sit in one place....it affects your playing.....or maybe that was their plan; we'd build up a tolerance to it so that when we played in "normal" temperatures we'd be even better! lol, or not?....u never know .

[schnacado]

The keyboard instruments are where our talented people go, all the other instruments are fair game. Our best percussionists are usually marching tho.

[Sp0ted G0rilla]

actually our pit is always WAY farther ahead than out band. usually by early to mid october, our pit has nothing to work on anymore and just kinda runs huge chuncks. But that is primarily because we had and still have a lot of pit members who would rather play a marimba than a snare or tenor. And because of that every year their book got harder and harder until it got harder than the battery's music in some parts.

[HHSBass09]

At Hendrickson we have the percussion students play both in Pit and on the Drumline.

Granted we might have the more talened students playing the marimba's and less talented on the Rack but all the parts in the pit are complicated. Then there is the switch to the drumline in our 4th movement. All the keyboard players switch to Battery leaving a just a few still in the pit set up to play the drumset and rack, ect.

For the past three years I've been on the drumline and then I am put on a vibe part in this years show and I never really knew how much the pit had to do. The setting up, the pushing, the warm-ups, the 80million runs we have to learn. A lot of the other drummers in my band are realizing that as well since now WE ALL have to do it. I can't really say the pit is where the 'un-talented' kids go because you really have to focus on and learn a lot. I am not saying the drumline doesn't. What I honestly think, it's two different worlds. This year some of the more talented pit players are having to march a drum. And they are turning out to being really talented drum players. Also they are learning the difficulties of marching and learning notes and guiding and watching the drum majors as well.

 

 

My point is,

Everyone can be well-rounded if given the chance.

No one can be deemed un-talented just by the drum or keyboard they are placed on.

[drippin_tuba2010]

i'm gonna go with no. i play tuba, but yesterday at USSBA cen-tex preview, I saw probably the most talented timpani player that isnt a professional ever with hendrickson. i hardly know anything about percussion, and my friend who is a percussionist was sitting next to me, both of us were awe struck when we heard him play.

[CPFrntEns]

Absolutely not. Our Front Ensemble is very good, and I hate when people have that stereotype of "Oh, you're in Pit, so you're not as good as the battery." I also hate the assumption that the drumline consists of just the battery, not the front ensemble. The drumline consists of all percussion members, including the front ensemble. That's why we're on the drumline shirt, go to drumline contests, etc. (I'm looking at you MaverickBand15! ). Just kidding, I know you're a pit member, but it does bug me. Some bands do put the "un-talented" kids there (you know, that 2A band that just doesn't care and sticks an alternate trombone player on marimba) and I think this is where the stereotype comes from. Being in Pit definately does not mean you're "un-talented".

 

On a side note... Best Front Ensemble '06 and '07 at Belton Drumline contest! (and it would've been '08 but they canceled it )

Edited October 10, 2008 by CPFrntEns

[SpringSNARE2010]

Im on Spring high school Drumline, and i was on snare my freshman year then i had surgery and was devastated because drumline was my life and i also had the previous notation that pit was 'less demanding' or 'less talented'.

and i was put on drumset and had to learn a completely different approach to marching band.

 

i wouldnt trade this experience to have been on the drumline that year, and they were SMOKIN. pit is such a different ball game, You take away the marching-

SO you add more notes, more instruments-what other instrument plays practically throughout the whole show?

 

i was so impressed at the musical abilities of these kids i went to school with and was great friends with and i had no idea how badass the front ensemble was to play in.

 

no joke, i wish everyone had that experience.

[NPSHvet]

I tech'd an Ohio Front ensemble about 4 years ago and their pit was the star of their show. It was really a good stance for the 'PIT' image, and half of them could play snare/teners just as well as the kids on drumline could. Their book was hard as heck and they had chops to play it. So its not at all, from my experience, where the 'un-talented' kids go.

[CPdrumkid]

I know that among many there is a commonly held perception that being in the pit is easier than being in any other section, just because we don't march. I personally have played marimba at Cedar Park for the last 4 years and I think that, on the whole, the intensity of our music makes up for us not marching. For years the people in our pit, at least in the front row, were people who would turn down battery spots to be there.

 

Off the field, when the pit is loading the truck, or hauling equipment, or showing up 30 min early and leaving 30 min later to set up/ tear down, or doing extra rehersals in the summer heat before the rest of the band even comes back for summer band, the pit has a physical contribution that goes unnoticed by many. Obviously, the marching members of the band have their work cut out for them, but it doesn't mean that we dont, just because we don't march. On a side note, I personally would love to march marimba (I don't remember which group it was, but I once saw a video of a marimba player who had two alternates push the board around on the field while he played. I think it has an incredible visual effect... it's one of those things that I wish still happened today).

 

No, we don't march. It doesn't mean we don't work, it's just work of a different kind.

[txsweetheart183]

I'm not gonna lie I used to think that most of the "un-talented" kids would get put in pit until these last 2 years. Our whole percussion section is in pit. No offense to drumline members but I believe that to have a decent pit, the kids actually have to be more musically inclined. I know there are so many talented people on battery and I'm not dissing them at all because that's what I love to do, but for sure the kids in pit are nowhere close to "un-talented".

[Sydnaynay]

I have respect for PIT,

yes they don't have as much physical demand

as the rest of us, but MOST of them still work hard.

In our band, the kids who are on oboe basson, etc.

have to choice to be in PIT and they take

it so they can just be lazy and not work hard,

it also upsets me that when we have to run, the

pit won't run with us, and we get a P.E. credit for

marching band! it's like they could at least run with us.

yes i know loading the stuff is hard, but you can't run with us?

our PIT is (for the most part) very talented and could run

this on their own, but sometimes it bothers me

when they look like they could care less and don't even

look up when they play to keep tempo.

but yeahh. that's my view.

[Sydnaynay]

  txsweetheart183 said:

I'm not gonna lie I used to think that most of the "un-talented" kids would get put in pit until these last 2 years. Our whole percussion section is in pit. No offense to drumline members but I believe that to have a decent pit, the kids actually have to be more musically inclined. I know there are so many talented people on battery and I'm not dissing them at all because that's what I love to do, but for sure the kids in pit are nowhere close to "un-talented".

 

our battery is pretty rude to PIT,

before a contest, the battery

and the PIT with have different circles,

on the but, the PIT has to sit in the front,

and the battery get to sit in the back.

our battery has no respect for the PIT

and all of them have big egos,

except for the ones that were on PIT once,

they have some respect for them,

but still have egos,

but what i think should happen is your

freshmen year, to round you out as a person

and make you more thankful, be in PIT,

then go to battery, because some of the

fish on battery think that PIT sucks and that

they don't do anything, they also get big egos

and think they're the big bad guys of the entire

band, when really, some of them flat out suck

and really shouldn't even march. ever.

[drumlinekid101]

ummm have you seen such pits like Marcus, Cedar Park, and Colleyville?! Not only do they learn music for their band, but they also have a completely different drumline show. Why don't you go watch a past marcus show online and then tell me the kids aren't talented.

[CPFrntEns]

  drumlinekid101 said:

ummm have you seen such pits like Marcus, Cedar Park, and Colleyville?! Not only do they learn music for their band, but they also have a completely different drumline show. Why don't you go watch a past marcus show online and then tell me the kids aren't talented.

I really hate to correct you, cause I really wish we did, but cp has never done a drumline show. We do standstill at dl competitions. I've seen marcus's and other drumlines shows, and they're really cool.

 

And in regards to the op, no, pit has plenty of talented players who choose to play pit instead of trying out for battery.

[Drummantx]

Right away that is a heck no. Our pits book is uber challenging this year. It plays a very important part in the show and holds it together(Which is why we have the pit in the middle of the field this year), hence it uses very talented players. I personaly am a half way decent keyboard player and that stuff looks pretty intense. Pit plays a VERY important part in the show. But this is coming from a battery player, so you never know.

[Abmiram]

I play marimba and at my hs pit is expected to stretch and run or do aerobics with the rest of the band. Occasionally we can't bc of setting up for rehersal or doing sectionals etc, and my band doesn't seem like they hate pit for "not doing anything". Besides, we have a challenging book with lots of pit features. And honestly, I love marimba and don't ever want to go into battey, but loading and pushing are the worst. At ussba hays last week, it was very hilly and we were pushing to the stadium. I was having to pull my finnicky Adams marimba by the cymbal bar to keep control. However, it popped off and my board swang into a battery that was dutting and waiting for our pit to go. Luckily I caught it just in time... The snare it almost hit never stopped marking time too.

[finch347]

I personally am a tuba player but, I have lots of respect for the pit. Come concert season, you see all the battery kids in last band and pit kids in wind ensemble or symphonic band.

[PercussionGirl]

I'm a pit captain this year, and we work just as hard as the rest of the band does. I get kind of irritated when brass players insult my section because we don't march. Just because we don't doesn't mean that we don't work just as hard. There's always so much to worry about during every performance and every moment.

 

We do have some "untalented" people, but those guys are percussionists through and through. They work hard too, and they get better every day.

 

It always makes me laugh when I think of the people on drumline that are in Concert Band. XD

[drummerjoe]

Yes, it is where the untalented kids go, but it is also where many talented players excel. Marimba players are generally the more talented players while the untalented kids play rack. Or the battery-overflow players.