My quad headcam video from the victory run :))) This was such an awesome show to perform and I'm so happy I got this memory of the most fun run-through of the season.
9:08 is so freaking tasty! Also something I didn't notice til watching this video is that crossover stickings rarely happen outside of tenor features. Idk if this is always how BD has written or if it is a new thing, but it's probably a wise choice. In bd's writing, the tenors are often mirroring the snares in full battery moments, so they have the hard job of basically playing the snare book with rounds. The easier they can make those rounds the cleaner it will likely be. Not to say that crossovers are the only thing that make rounds difficult.
Randal may makes crossovers just feel terrible so we took quite a few out. Ramming scrapes on top of a prop was absolutely the coolest part of the show in my opinion !!
great show man, just curious as to why quads changed from using the bundle sticks to the dreadlocks? i feel like the bundle sticks would've been easier to articulate, any particular design reason?
Did you guys try to work "the bird" into your finale' moves? There's so much going on it was pretty indistinct... (Ours was pretty evident back in '79)... #Traditions
Not entirely sure but I wouldn’t be surprised if the staff put stuff like that in the show. We have had the same staff for pretty much forever so maybe?
Yeah great question, this concept is “front to back alignment” and it’s super challenging to get right. The drum major has to conduct ahead of the pit so the marching ensemble can play with what they see visually which then lines up musically. There’s tons of moving parts to nailing a backfield entrance and most of it was trial and error honestly. We had to work on interpreting the hands and that was different depending on the entrance, so it took a good amount of work to make everything click.
@@gabrielmichels7022 Follow up question: is there a straight-leg marching requirement for the battery when marching directly forward or back (similar to how the brass would) or is forward marching more just walking forward heel to toe?
@@shadowkille8r99 our front and back technique is basically the same as the brass, besides our forward sometimes which can change to a toe down technique depending on drill or tempo
So I’m curious: why did Blue Devils go from System Blue to Ludwig drums? Historically, Ludwig is not known for good marching percussion instruments, as my dad used them in college and tension rods kept popping off lol. Are they actually good now?
@@stevensimmermon8802 luckily not, we had a lot of problems with tuning though because of it. Kairi’s drum had some problems with snapped screws but that’s about it But yes they jiggle and wiggle way too much
@@gabrielmichels7022 my highschool won brand new Ludwig drums a couple years ago, used them for one season, a total of about 12 broken tension rods, snares always falling off. This season we switched back to our old pearl carbon cores. Much better than Ludwig.
Not really any sheets for a lot of this because of the way we design the show. I'd say just search for bd transcriptions online or try to learn it by watching. If your dream is to make devs make sure to work on fundamentals as that is what will carry you to a spot! :)
Something you’ll notice about top lines is that the tenor playing zones really aren’t that great, mostly because it doesn’t matter that much as long as sound quality is good
Hey I have some questions about both blue devils band and just holding tenors. For blue devils, how is Scott Johnson like for small mistakes like a crushed roll or something? For holding tenors, what are some good workouts for holding them?
Scott is one of the nicest and most caring instructors I’ve ever had. He genuinely loves and cares about each member which is pretty amazing. He does however get frustrated when he knows we aren’t reaching our full potential. On specific hot days where we just weren’t playing as clean as we could he would get upset. He always wanted us to play as clean as he knew we could and disappointing him was like disappointing your favorite uncle. A 10/10 instructor For workouts you gotta exercise core, back, and legs. Weighted squats, deadlifts, seat rows, any core exercise you can think of, leg curls or extensions, calf raises, pull ups (assisted pulls up are fine if you can’t do a normal one), and then top it off with some shoulder work like shoulder press for where the harness sits. If your going to exercise for tenors might as well just start exercising your full body just for healthy sake, even though wearing tenors doesn’t really work out your biceps. Almost every single tenor played I’ve marched with (including me) as injured themselves at least once so just be careful and know your limits. - Gabe
@@gabrielmichels7022 hey man thanks for replying, I am glad to hear Scott is like that. My band director is pretty much the same. I wish I could meet him some day. He did judge our show last year but sadly I was a flub drum and didn’t get any comments. And yeah I as well hurt myself working out lol but all is good. I appreciate you replying that really helps a lot.
I remember early season for the quad feature the drummers used a bundle stick, also I remember there being snare wires on drum 4 though I may be mistaken
I practiced a lot, it took a few years for me to finally make a group (Pacific Crest). I spent those years learning what I needed to do in order to get better. Find a mentor or private instructor, helps you figure out what to do. Make that first group, doesn’t matter where it is just find somewhere to play drums. Never neglect the fundamentals, a strong sound with great motion will set you apart. Hope this helps. Stick with it
@@gabrielmichels7022 I’m out of the news on why they switched off their own brand drums? also yea you can see the Spock’s shaking near the beginning of when you start playing (and basically the entire show)
@@coyoteeffect I’m not sure honestly exactly why, probably a sponsor thing and something about ludwig owning system blue now. Early season we tested the new system blue prototypes ludwig made vs the actual Ludwig’s and we all collectively hated the systems. Ludwig has some problems still (horrible to tune with evans at high tension, flimsy, etc…) but with some changes they could be solid drums
@@gabrielmichels7022bro all this commenting is so annoying, drums are drums lol, nobody marches for the types of drums, we won’t get to the blue devils on pearl days , those were the best days lol
The answer is always as simple as you think, putting in the work everyday until you make it. This means technique work, basics, tempo, touch, dynamics, vocabulary, movement, dance, and mental focus! If your dream is blue devils don't stop until you get there. This goes for anyone who wants to make top groups, but consistent practice, lessons, and marching experience is crucial. Also don't forget to enjoy yourself while you are grinding! Fall in love with drumming and enjoy it since it doesn't last forever. Don't wait until you make your dream group to finally start enjoying yourself as you can burnout very quickly. Hope this is encouraging and helpful, the answer is always simpler than you expect. Good luck!
Man.....must be nice to not even play for half (or more) of the entire show. Pretty easy to clean a show that has half the notes of your competition. But, hey, that's not your fault.....you're just playing what the designers/writers put in front of you. Wish DCI would get back to the days of rewarding difficulty AND cleanliness. That's the whole reason why DCI moved away from the tick system in the early-80's....too many corps were performing easy writing which was easy to clean.
people have been complaining about BD writing to technical instead of making it sound 100% with the music but then when they write simpler people complain again
