<p>I play Mellophone and our show this year looks like it could be very exciting if we pull it off. I can’t spoil the show though since it hasnt been publicly announced yet. I’m from Felix Varela’s Band of Mystery from Miami if anyone’s from around there.</p>
<p>^^^That’s just totally false. It would create bigger delays and worse tears. You don’t listen to the drum line because they are usually too far from you to actually get the tempo. You watch the drum major, if everyone’s feet are with their hands everyone is in time because you play the tempo you march (unless it’s some odd move out of time). You can see the major’s hands all at the same time, the drum line’s sound won’t reach all band and pit members at the same time.</p>
<p>I can show you about 50+ videos of my band (and the band it was before the second high school was built) and bands in my area following the drum major and staying in time.
When you are listening in the audience (stands) you don’t hear the delay unless there is a tear. On the field and ground you usually hear the delay (if you can hear anything other than the people directly in front of you).</p>
<p>1st comp this weekend!</p>
<p>You guys have no idea what you’re talking about. How about spend a week in the drumline and then you’ll hear what my point is…Let me ask you this, if your drumline is in the very back, and the pit is up front, and both play EXACTLY in time with the hands, you’re telling me it will sound together? If you say yes, you have NO idea what you’re talking about. Time lag is a huge issue between the drumline and pit…</p>
<p>And there wasn’t one tear in my 2009 show; the whole show was one giant tear between the band and drumline? Want to know why? It was because we were told to play in time with the drum major’s hands, and we did. The past two years we’ve been ahead of the hands, and it’s worked out perfectly…</p>
<p>No, it was caused by everyone. You can’t blame one section of the band…</p>
<p>I deleted my post because I don’t want to risk negative light brought to my school, so I apologize to my school for that post.</p>
<p>Samonuh… your anecdote =/= general reason for time tears.</p>
<p>Screw this. I’m leaving this topic before I say something that will get me banned. If you wish to stop speaking in fallacies, feel free to PM me with a real argument.</p>
<p>I’m in pit. We listen back (usually to the snares). It is just common sense…and anyway, the band is never with the drum major anyway/there is a delay.</p>
<p>^^Whatever you say, I guess your band is different. My old directors and current directors have always told us do not listen to drum line because of the lag, but you know high school students always no more than them. Real mature, you can’t debate without being inappropriate.
Maybe it’s just my school, but the drum line is never center and in the back for a long period of time. Their drill spots range usually from L30-R30 and go from behind the visitor hash to the sideline. If we were to just listen to them for tempo we would tear a lot. Also where does the snare get the tempo? The major may adjust the tempo if the band isn’t following, but the tempo ultimately comes from them, otherwise they would serve no purpose. </p>
<p>I’ve listened to hundreds of recordings of bands while marching. There has never been a delay between parts. So I don’t know how that is not “a real argument”. Maybe I’m just stupid, but there have been recordings of my band playing shows I’ve played, where I know the unison parts. We all breath on the same count (you can see in the videos) and then you hear the same part at the same time; there is a delay from the feet moving in the sound on the videos, but that happens even when you record yourself indoors. There usually is an echo in the recordings, but echos aren’t delays.</p>
<p>^ Pretty much that. Our weak point is the battery because literally everyone is new to their instrument in it, either because they’re freshmen or they switched instruments. During the clinic there was more than a four beat tear between the pit and the rest of the band and that was because of the battery. But they’ve been getting so much better, specifically the bass drums (freshmen showing tons of leadership, really shocked and my respect for them skyrocketed in that sectional). </p>
<p>Tenor drums I’m concerned about, but again it’s only mid September and we have two weeks to prepare now.</p>
<p>Of course pit has to listen back to the band…lol…</p>
<p>Drum line is probably the most difficult section to be a new kid in next to color guard. They have to learn to march and play a drum they’ve most likely never played. I have so much respect for kids that do drum line. Tenor drums look so hard to play, but they sound awesome.
We got the last few pages of the opener today 
We’re putting it all on the field tomorrow and maybe starting the ballad if we have the drill. Over 1/3 of the show = done.</p>
<p>Our Closer’s in 5/4 with random 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 measures every now and then…oh god…</p>
<p>Mine is like that too only it’s 5/4 with 6/4 and 7/4 mixed in</p>
<p>Finished the entire show. What’s gooooooood</p>
<p>Had our first competition tonight. We came in 2nd, which is expected since our show is much more visual demanding while other shows are boring. So, the winner had a boring polished show and we had a difficult sloppy show. As my director said: “Some shows are designed to win early on. Ours is designed to win in the end of the season.”</p>
<p>ughh, this year we’ve had terrible songs. We’ve Bad Romance, Born this way, Dynamite… So terrible. >.< Now we’re doing jaws? apparently.</p>
<p>The marching band at my school is best on the east coast</p>
<p>All the band members in my school are either hippie or just plain jerk.</p>
<p>I hate it when bands with easy shows do well. Of course it’s clean, it’s easy and they’re playing grade 2’s.
We just finished our opener, ballad should be done this week. I’ll be really surprised if we have a full show on for our 1st competition. My guess is opener and ballad and the first few sets of closer, but it won’t make a difference my school has never actually had a full show for our 1st competition. Pumped, October 1st (:</p>