The chord progression after the cluster chords is actually part of their Fugue in G Minor performance for the same year, which is why it's featured n the warmup. Also, Crown has won the Best Brass Performance award three times since 2016, and in 2013 they scored the only perfect brass score in the history of DCI.
It'd the ending to their first number, that sounds like it morphed into the ending of Tocatto and Fugue. I may be wrong, but that's what my ears tell me. Nonetheless, absolutely fantastic chord progression
@@MrDavegiven0330 you are correct, crowns chord progression here is the ending from Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, transposed into Gm, and the final chord is major instead of minor. An extra bar is added just before the final chord to achieve this spicy harmonic transition
@Daniel Sheets Yeah Crown goes to what they call cluster chords where each member chooses a random note within a half-octave in either direction from their b-flat chord. It trains them to know what "in tune" really is.
I fell asleep with autoplay on and the really loud dissonant part woke me up, followed by such a heavenly succession of chords it kinda felt like I had died.
not necessarily random, for baritones/euphs and tubas they play Bb, B nat, or A. and whatever the corresponding trumpet and mellophone notes are that match that. we played this as well in highschool
@@funkmonsterjones4753 you mean what is happening biologically when you hear these chords? Mainly its a release of chemicals in your brain that cause those feelings. Same reason whenever you hear someone scream you get heightened awareness from fear or shock. You’ve evolved so that certain tones induce certain chemicals
@@johnkwok28 As far as I know crown doesn't do pedals in the same way they don't do screamers in the trumpets, I never marched though so someone correct me if I'm wrong
@@Avstinato From the conductor's expression at that moment I think he really intended the tubas to go low, and you can hear clear tonguing on that Eb🤔 I've never marched too so maybe I'm also wrong, haha
@@johnkwok28 might as well give my two cents as a tuba/physics dude. Basically as we move from high to low notes on a tuba, the upper harmonics (which determine timbre) get louder relative to the fundamental pitch of the note (the pure sine wave). That's why higher ranges sound "thin" and "falsetto" while low ranges sound "brassy" on tuba. In the range of a pedal Eb, the upper harmonics will be much, much louder than the fundamental, as it is more brassy growl than it is pure bass tone. Therefore, the sound of a tuba section playing that note can be modeled quite faithfully by playing it's 2nd and 3rd harmonics (perfect 5th), as little will be missing (again, weak fundamental). Our ears fill in the fundamental for us and it sounds very real as it does in this video. In addition, Eb1 is quite an unstable, nasty false tone for many 3-valve B-flat tubas. I think that, if anything, using physics to trick our ears into hearing it would produce a more convincing Eb1 than actually having players trying to false tone it at fortissimo under the whole ensemble. I could be wrong but that's basically my reasoning!
The transition at 0:50 from the sudden pause, then the incredibly powerful Cm9 to Cm7/ Eb chord gives me immense chills and makes me just melt. It’s crazy how it sounds fake but it’s not, it’s just the magic of an incredible brass section.
@@jamesabramson6435 Ah. Good to know. I figure anyway that the original commenter was referring to the chord progression in that famous "Crown Drops the Hammer in Houston" video.
What I really respect about this is that once the chord sequences start, you can identify an overtone on every single chord. It’s like some imaginary member is just nailing it on an 8va line, but really they’re just so well in tune and balanced.
If you’ve got good headphones you can also hear they’re so in-tune that an Eb1 subharmonic is clearly audible at around 0:57 despite the tubas all playing Eb2
Me: *Sees title of video* Me: "Hmm, it's probably Crown. Their horn line is always god tier." *Watches video* Me: "Oh yeah, this doesn't phase me in the slightest. It's classic crown."
I’ve done this exercise while marching, the cluster chord is literally just each member picking a random note, if they are making a chord, they aren’t doing it on purpose
The hum of the tubas standing out when they hit the G in measure 15 is amazing, and then it blends perfectly back into the rest of the brass and the G chord.
Not a pedal Eb, but the tubas are playing an Eb below the staff and a Bb on the bottom of the staff, and they’re so in tune that it makes a lower Eb undertone.
These make me so happy, I kinda like that you left them all as chords rather than score order. It’s like a fun exercise left to the reader to figure out the voice leading
those who have experienced this irl know firsthand the intense chills this gives. the feeling watching this video doesn’t even compare to how rich and dramatic it sounds in person. the thing I miss most about marching band (many parts I did not care for and many I loved) is undoubtedly the lot warmups. absolute best moments of drumline were the lots. whether it was us warming up or us watching others, the uncontested best vibes and performances happen in the lots, obviously including the crown brass section. I cannot more strongly urge you to stop by if there is ever a marching competition near you, high school or professional. there is no fee to walk around the parking lot and you will not hear music like that anywhere else.
@@Rainmaker65 they’re not playing low Eb, that would be a false tone on the 3 valve Yamahas they use, that’s just an undertone from the Eb a line below the staff and the Bb a fifth above that being so in tune
@@eriks1669 it's strange because I understand the mechanics of overtones, because I used to sing a Capella. Loved creating them. Thanks for the extended explanation.
Your commentary is on point. This hornline absolutely gets a bunch of its energy from Matt Harloff. Watch any number of Crown's warmup videos (the hammer drop is a good one) and that point is absolutely driven home. Hearing their shows shows just what chops this hornline has. It is easily the best in DCI.
To get a big guy to bounce-jump like that, he's got to be doing everything perfect or he'll be a half beat off. I mean, just a little bit too high or too low and he junks the beat. Fun to watch. The horns are from another planet.
Thanks for sharing such an amazing brass wall of sound. I just transcribed this warm-up for the trombone section in West Virginia University’s marching band. Can’t wait to test it out!
I don't care how many times I listen to Dm7 > Ebmaj9 > Ebmaj7...I become Pagliacci. I smile and cry through the most exquisitely painful, yet joyfully exuberant three-chord progression that can only be surpassed by my arrival at "The Pearly Gates." Soul stirring...always; tear producing...evidenced by my trash basket overflowing with Kleenex; and the resolution to Ebmaj7 is marvelous. One day I'd love to hear that live...brass only...so I can erase #1 off my bucket list. Until then...I have this snippet.
I've never really thought of it, but why do corps warm up with "cluster chords"? I've heard from people that most of them aren't really chords, but just having their valves halfway pressed, to build up pressure in their horn for a louder sound, though maybe those are two different things? I've also heard that the cluster also just helps resolve into a more impactful/powerful chord than if they just started it off with the "actual" chord.
These are cluster chords, every person is assigned a random note. It’s for for tuning and training your ear. The cluster kind of screws with your ear/sense of pitch and the goal is to try and be in tune immediately once playing in unison again.
