DCI Rule Proposals

[Danpod]

DCI Rule Proposals went through their first stages tonight. Here are the four that made it past the Voting Caucus tonight and will be voted on tomorrow:

 

 

Amplification of brass instruments (2009 Implementation)

The brass and visual captions voted yes. The percussion caption voted yes and asked that the proposal be modified to allow only for soloists or small ensembles up to 12 members. The voting caucus of corps representatives approved the modified proposal to be sent on to the DCI Board of Directors.

 

Use of electronic instruments (2009 Implementation)

All three captions voted yes. The voting caucus of corps representatives approved the proposal to be sent on to the DCI Board of Directors.

 

Allow for use of water on the field (2009 Implementation)

The brass caption voted no. The percussion and visual captions voted yes. The voting caucus of corps representatives approved the proposal to be sent on to the DCI Board of Directors.

 

Double adjudication effect panel for use at the World Championships (2008 Implementation)

All three captions voted yes. The voting caucus of corps representatives approved the proposal to be sent on to the DCI Board of Directors.

[treblemaker]

I don't see the rule about allowing woodwinds...

 

Did I miss something?

 

:]

[Danpod]

New DCI Board of Director Members (Nine Total):

 

Greg Orwoll - The Colts

David Gibbs - The Blue Devils

George Hopkins - The Cadets

Rick Valenzuela - Phantom Regiment

Mark Arnold - Blue Knights

David Glasgow - The Bluecoats

 

At-Large Board Positions:

 

Brian Setzer

Mike Kehoss

Tom French

[Danpod]

All four proposals that passed the Caucus yesterday were voted on and approved:

 

Double the adjudication effect panel for the World Championships

Allow for use of water on the field (for 2009 implementation)

Amplification of brass instruments (for 2009 implementation)

Use of electronic instruments (for 2009 implementation)

 

 

What does this mean for 2008:

At DCI Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals, the General Effect panels will be doubled. Two Music G.E. judges, two Visual G.E. judges. Their scores in each caption will be averaged and you'll get the Music G.E. and Visual G.E. scores. DCI also has the option of using the Double Panel at Regional Events. Just prepare yourself for an ultra long recap sheet for DCI San Antonio.

 

What does this mean for 2009:

Synths, electronic drum sets, MalletKats, and other electronic instruments will be legal. One stroke equal one sound. String and woodwind sounds are NOT legal. Any narration must still remain live.

 

Brass can be amplified wired or wirelessly. You can only amp up to 12 members at one time. This will probably change the face of the drum corps ballad.

 

Water may be used as a visual "prop" or used for percussive sound purposes. Minimum .5 penalty if you get any on the field.

[mbui]

Amplification of brass instruments and the addition of electronics means new instrumentation for the front ensemble and new sounds/ideas for drum corps. A lot of shows in drum corps have been stagnant as of late and have lost me on an emotional level. Most will disagree but I think this is great news for drum corps.

[Trumpet Master]

Wow, I going to love what Mark Chambers and the Crossmen will do with electronics now. If early Reagan is any indication, then look out DCI.

[bluebellbrass07]

  mbui said:

Amplification of brass instruments and the addition of electronics means new instrumentation for the front ensemble and new sounds/ideas for drum corps. A lot of shows in drum corps have been stagnant as of late and have lost me on an emotional level. Most will disagree but I think this is great news for drum corps.

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

And as far as the Reagen/crossmen comment, were you being sarcastic?

[Trumpet Master]

  bluebellbrass07 said:

I couldn't agree more!

 

And as far as the Reagen/crossmen comment, were you being sarcastic?

 

Absolutely not, I'm just interested to see what happens with them. I know Chambers has the corps best interest in mind and the addition of electronics will only help to add another layer to their new style. Hopefully I will be at their next camp on the soprano line.

[dmbalash]

Don't forget that this doesn't take effect until 2009. It can be interesting to these shows, but I really hope that corps don't overuse electronics.

 

Well anyways, http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=d...d3-edcf15de0d79

 

  Quote

Directors speak out on electronics rule

Sunday, January 27, 2008 - 2:04 PM

 

Proposals to allow the use of electronic instruments have been passionately discussed in recent years and have been presented and voted on multiple times. After failing closely last year in a 10-10 tie vote, this year tallied 11-7 in favor of passing the proposal.

 

 

[bluebellbrass07]

  Trumpet Master said:

Absolutely not, I'm just interested to see what happens with them. I know Chambers has the corps best interest in mind and the addition of electronics will only help to add another layer to their new style. Hopefully I will be at their next camp on the soprano line.

 

 

Eh, I'd rather not see crazy excessive synth use like reagan had from 01-05. As long as Its dont tastefully I'm perfectly okay

[Danpod]

  bluebellbrass07 said:

Eh, I'd rather not see crazy excessive synth use like reagan had from 01-05. As long as Its dont tastefully I'm perfectly okay

 

Agreed. The colors will do just fine.

[WestCoastCorpsFan]

Kinda wished the age out proposal was passed. I wanted to march5 and have an off year... ugh. I wonder why they shot it down.

[WestCoastCorpsFan]

Kinda wished the age out proposal was passed. I wanted to march5 and have an off year... ugh. I wonder why they shot it down.

[HashBrownJM]

  WestCoastCorpsFan said:

Kinda wished the age out proposal was passed. I wanted to march5 and have an off year... ugh. I wonder why they shot it down.

 

I'm happy it didn't pass. I think it would have been too many years and it definitely brought up the questioning of how young someone needed to be to participate in a youth activity.

[Skippy]

  WestCoastCorpsFan said:

Kinda wished the age out proposal was passed. I wanted to march5 and have an off year... ugh. I wonder why they shot it down.

 

The only time I ever heard someone for this rule, was when they were selfishly hoping for another year themselves. Honestly, I can't see a good reason for it. I think it's good as a youth activity.

[bluebellbrass07]

  Skippy said:

The only time I ever heard someone for this rule, was when they were selfishly hoping for another year themselves. Honestly, I can't see a good reason for it. I think it's good as a youth activity.

 

Great...now I feel bad about myself.

[takigan]

So they're finally allowing synthesizers and all that mess in..... I LOVE electronics in marching band, I believe the more the better in most cases, but electronics in drum corps is a f***ing disgrace! Drum Corps is like the Olympics, it's fun to watch because it's a triumph of the human spirit, displaying something that took hard work to achieve. The sound of the corps of old was a purely natural sound. Everything that went down on that field was a natural product of human achievement. The hornline sound that rips your face off during a performance all came from the flesh of the lungs and the vibrating of tempered metal. Electronics pervert that sound and pervert that achievement. The sound that comes from Electronics was produced by nothing more than $$$, the object that has robbed many a musician the opportunity to experience something great. Just like in Marching Band, the scores will begin to rely even more on how much money a corps has to fund its electronics, and the artificial textures produced by them will begin to obstruct the natural, unadulterated sound that has made up the drum corps repertoire since the very beginning.

 

If I went to a Houston Symphony concert and found the orchestra director had decided to amplify their strings and resequenced them live so that they'd be louder and have more resonance, I would leave (most of the audience would to). It defiles the art.

 

Marching Band and Drum Corps are governed by 2 very different philosophies. Marching Band is all about fun and about music. Drum Corps is as well, but it's a much more refined art, governed by very strong traditions and worldwide cult followings. Adding Woodwinds to drum corps? Adding electronics to drum corps? It's atrocious! I can't believe people would even CONSIDER it.

 

Ugh! I could keep going and elaborate even further on my points and I don't feel like I got my point across very well, but I know most of you disagree with me, but yeah that's my unadulterated opinion <_ .>

[Lustra.exe]

  takigan said:

So they're finally allowing synthesizers and all that mess in..... I LOVE electronics in marching band, I believe the more the better in most cases, but electronics in drum corps is a f***ing disgrace! Drum Corps is like the Olympics, it's fun to watch because it's a triumph of the human spirit, displaying something that took hard work to achieve. The sound of the corps of old was a purely natural sound. Everything that went down on that field was a natural product of human achievement. The hornline sound that rips your face off during a performance all came from the flesh of the lungs and the vibrating of tempered metal. Electronics pervert that sound and pervert that achievement. The sound that comes from Electronics was produced by nothing more than $$$, the object that has robbed many a musician the opportunity to experience something great. Just like in Marching Band, the scores will begin to rely even more on how much money a corps has to fund its electronics, and the artificial textures produced by them will begin to obstruct the natural, unadulterated sound that has made up the drum corps repertoire since the very beginning.

 

If I went to a Houston Symphony concert and found the orchestra director had decided to amplify their strings and resequenced them live so that they'd be louder and have more resonance, I would leave (most of the audience would to). It defiles the art.

 

Marching Band and Drum Corps are governed by 2 very different philosophies. Marching Band is all about fun and about music. Drum Corps is as well, but it's a much more refined art, governed by very strong traditions and worldwide cult followings. Adding Woodwinds to drum corps? Adding electronics to drum corps? It's atrocious! I can't believe people would even CONSIDER it.

 

Ugh! I could keep going and elaborate even further on my points and I don't feel like I got my point across very well, but I know most of you disagree with me, but yeah that's my unadulterated opinion .

 

wait... so are you for or against electronics???

[dmbalash]

  Lustra.exe said:

wait... so are you for or against electronics???

 

  Quote

So they're finally allowing synthesizers and all that mess in..... I LOVE electronics in marching band, I believe the more the better in most cases, but electronics in drum corps is a f***ing disgrace!

 

 

I'm taking a guess from that quote that he's against them in drum corps.

[Lustra.exe]

  dmbalash said:

I'm taking a guess from that quote that he's against them in drum corps.

 

ha, yeah, man. i know. i was being factious.

[WestCoastCorpsFan]

Why would you need brass mic'ing? I mean, I guess if your brass line isnt good enough to balance to a soloist...

[Danpod]

  WestCoastCorpsFan said:

Why would you need brass mic'ing? I mean, I guess if your brass line isnt good enough to balance to a soloist...

 

It's not so much with balance issues. If you mic a soloist, you no longer have to write the drill in the front of the field to accomodate the soloist. It's a brass rule but I think that ultimately, it'll have more of an impact on the visual side.

[Skippy]

  takigan said:

Drum Corps is like the Olympics, it's fun to watch because it's a triumph of the human spirit, displaying something that took hard work to achieve. The sound of the corps of old was a purely natural sound. Everything that went down on that field was a natural product of human achievement.

  Quote

Adding Woodwinds to drum corps? Adding electronics to drum corps? It's atrocious! I can't believe people would even CONSIDER it.

 

Woodwinds take hard work to achieve, they are a triumph of the human spirit. Obviously, they are a purely natural sound, and are a natural product of human achievement. Am I crazy for considering them?

 

side note:

I think it's interesting that electronics passed before woodwinds. That's kind of hard for me to believe.

Edited January 29, 2008 by Skippy

[takigan]

Brass and Percussion make up a Drum and Bugle Corps. If you add woodwinds, what would you call it? Drum, Bugle and Woodwind Corps? Or instead of Drum Corps International, why not call it Marching Band International <_ .>

 

Electrophones (instruments that produce sound through electricity) are typically regarded as percussion instruments.....this is how they've been found acceptable and how they were admitted before woodwinds. I honestly don't think they'll ever allow woodwinds....well, maybe as soloist instruments or used to produce sound effects, but I don't see them entering the field, and even if they enter the field I don't see them ever leaving the front of it. I can't believe there are people out there who view Drum Corps as just "A marching band without woodwinds". There are people out there who actually think this.....it creates the open-ended idea that woodwinds can be added to it at a later time. It's not like that.....it was a unique kind of ensemble created for a unique kind of purpose and a unique kind of sound.

 

Drum Corps were modeled after the British Brass bands. It is a fact some of these brass bands later added woodwinds, which eventually evolved them into wind bands, but brass bands still coexist alongside them. I wouldn't mind seeing a Summer Music Games circuit for Marching Band complete with woodwinds....I never marched drum corps, but some of the greatest times of my life have been sitting in the Alamodome getting blown away by pure waves of brass and afterwards turning to my friends and going "Holy Sh**!!! That was AWESOME!!!". I don't want that being twisted by extraneous sound just because people want to hear more interesting music and new colors.

 

I enjoy that kind of thing too, but it has its own place.....it would be great if a comparable level of quality could be introduced to the Outdoor Performance Wind Ensemble....er, marching band. But for now it has its own place.

[mbui]

  WestCoastCorpsFan said:

Why would you need brass mic'ing? I mean, I guess if your brass line isnt good enough to balance to a soloist...

It just doesn't have to deal with solos or staging with the drill. It's about creating a NEW sound too.

 

Perfect examples:

Lassiter HS, GA 2002

 

Westfield HS, TX 2003

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrk-J7M0s6M

 

Lassiter & Westfield both mic'ed concert french horns at the end of the show to create a unique sound for their french horn feature.

 

Also, L.D. Bell in 2006 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay2k9mX0dXE) mic'ed their trumpet soloist with a vocoder, a sound/speech analyzer and synthesizer, at the beginning of the show (and the voices during and at the end) to create an eerie and haunting sound. It fit the show perfectly. The Woodlands also used a vocoder in 2006 for their voices during Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek. Imogen performs the

version of Hide and Seek through a vocoder as well.

 

I think that so much can be done with brass and percussion instruments with the help of electronics. I know it's not a pure or an acoustic sound and it's not "traditional" drum corps, but there are a ton of untapped ideas that have yet to surface in DCI. Marching band passed up drum corps in innovation and pushing the envelope a long time ago. Electronics doesn't "rob" one of a musical experience. Be it drum corps, marching band, jazz, rock, pop, rap, techno, R&B, and etc. The synthesizer players at Ronald Reagan from 2000-2005 will beg to differ about the musical experience argument. They were pure musicians.

 

The emotion that I get when I hear the Santa Clara Vanguard rip out Adagio for Strings is the same emotion that I get when I hear the beginning of Ronald Reagan's beautiful intro from 2005. It's indescribable.

 

Emotional music is emotional music. Good music is good music. No matter what form its in.