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What Sound is Sought After in Marching Band?



 
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GTRPT
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:09 am    Post subject: What Sound is Sought After in Marching Band? Reply with quote

This weekend at a band competition, there were groups that gave me chills because of the absolutely outstanding wall of sound that they produced. Most of this came at impactful moments. These groups were high schoolers (like myself) and this brought up the question, what kind of sound do marching bands, such as DCI groups, want?

Basically, what do DCI groups look for in their playing that really sets them apart from high school ensembles? I play the trumpet and I'm looking at any possible opportunity to improve my own playing, but I wouldn't mind knowing what type of a sound I need. To go along with this, what separates a blatty sound from a loud note? Is there any advice on this?

Thank you
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LSOfanboy
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:53 am    Post subject: Re: What Sound is Sought After in Marching Band? Reply with quote

GTRPT wrote:
This weekend at a band competition, there were groups that gave me chills because of the absolutely outstanding wall of sound that they produced. Most of this came at impactful moments. These groups were high schoolers (like myself) and this brought up the question, what kind of sound do marching bands, such as DCI groups, want?

Basically, what do DCI groups look for in their playing that really sets them apart from high school ensembles? I play the trumpet and I'm looking at any possible opportunity to improve my own playing, but I wouldn't mind knowing what type of a sound I need. To go along with this, what separates a blatty sound from a loud note? Is there any advice on this?

Thank you


So, in my opinion, achieving that desirable 'wall of sound' comes from two main points.

The most important is intonation within the section. Good intonation, especially when the entire chord is well in-tune, will enhance the sound massively. A section playing a strong forte with exemplary intonation will sound far more powerful than a section of individuals playing FFF without listening to one another, not to mention far more pleasant too.

A few tips on this point; know that low Ds are sharp, the E above is also a little sharp, 4th line Ds and the Eb next to it tend to be slightly flat, and A above the stave is traditionally quite sharp. You should pay particular attention if you know your place in the chord sits on a naturally troublesome note.

Secondly, as an individual you should strive to produce a sound that is resonant rather than simply loud. You want to hear energy in the sound (up close it almost sounds like the sound is 'buzzing' slightly, and is very intense). This requires focus within your practice and a good ear for the correct sound.

As a final note; clear and defined articulation is a very important factor in a classy performance- it is probably better to focus exaggerating the articulation as a section rather than simply on all trying to play as loud as possible.

Ultimately, its about a section pulling in the same direction rather than individuals doing their own thing.

This recent video of the LSO doing Janacek Sinfonietta (granted its symphonic not band playing) is a great demonstration of the points I have made, it was a fantastic performance and we could all learn a lot from it.

https://youtu.be/SzVoHn-IxXI

All the best
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John Mohan
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This:


Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EDIDCdy5Es
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Rod Haney
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

John Mohan wrote:
This:


Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EDIDCdy5Es


Usually not into marching bands but that’s impressive if only for the time it took them to learn it, but that was a surprising display 😜 is it hi school? We had a really good HS band but we didn’t sound like that (I thought it was the damn clarinets)
Rod
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david johnson
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LSOfanboy covered it. Play in tune with a clear tone.
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Sharkbaitboi
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The louder you can play, the better. Learn how to play louder than Bud Ferguson. The trumpet god. Youll want to find the mouthpiece that lets you cut theough cold butter with your sound
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Nate
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rod Haney wrote:
Usually not into marching bands but that’s impressive if only for the time it took them to learn it, but that was a surprising display 😜 is it hi school? We had a really good HS band but we didn’t sound like that (I thought it was the damn clarinets) Rod


The Blue Devils are a World Class Division Drum Corps International group. Their members can be up to age 21. Uncertain what % of the band is high school age.

Blue Devils: https://www.bluedevils.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Devils_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps

DCI: https://www.dci.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_Corps_International
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ohnecael
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nate wrote:
Rod Haney wrote:
Usually not into marching bands but that’s impressive if only for the time it took them to learn it, but that was a surprising display 😜 is it hi school? We had a really good HS band but we didn’t sound like that (I thought it was the damn clarinets) Rod


The Blue Devils are a World Class Division Drum Corps International group. Their members can be up to age 21. Uncertain what % of the band is high school age.

Blue Devils: https://www.bluedevils.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Devils_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps

DCI: https://www.dci.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_Corps_International


Probably only a couple of the members are even 18 most people dont march BD as their corps unless you are a literal prodigy like Brandon Olander and even he didnt march BD as his first corps.
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ohnecael
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To answer the OP's question look up Matt Harloff. He is the Brass caption head at Carolina Crown and does magic work at Avon HS *Who is constantly a contender for the BOA Grand Nationals title* he has some videos floating around and articles explaining the methods he learned while marching at Star of Indiana that he incorperates into his Corps and his band.
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pinstriper
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I heard a figure thrown out earlier this year - some 75% or more of DCI participants and in a track leading to music education careers.

When I marched, that figure was probably around 10-15%. We had many more kids in the line in high school age than you see these days in a Top 12 corps. Back then you marched because you loved the activity, instead of because you had to for class, and that interest level is what set us above marching bands. That's even more so now - these kids are doing it not only because they love it, but they love it so much it will be their career.

The level of performance is light years ahead, if not as entertaining to a general public crowd.
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trumpet_cop
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sharkbaitboi wrote:
The louder you can play, the better. Learn how to play louder than Bud Ferguson. The trumpet god. Youll want to find the mouthpiece that lets you cut theough cold butter with your sound




Trolling – (verb); as it relates to internet, is the deliberate act, (by a Troll – noun or adjective), of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument
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mafields627
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The aforementioned Caroline Crown brass section lead by Matt Harloff. The intonation and tone quality are perfect. Keep in mind that the top corps are filled with music majors, so groups like BD, Crown, and SCV are starting light years ahead of groups like Pioneer that starts kids from scratch.


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Sharkbaitboi
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

trumpet_cop wrote:
Sharkbaitboi wrote:
The louder you can play, the better. Learn how to play louder than Bud Ferguson. The trumpet god. Youll want to find the mouthpiece that lets you cut theough cold butter with your sound




Trolling – (verb); as it relates to internet, is the deliberate act, (by a Troll – noun or adjective), of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument


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