I am in Marching Band. I guess that makes me a Band geek. But I don't like marching band. Two reasons:
1) I have to wake up in the morning!
2) I suck at it!
The band has done decently. We have placed 3rd, 5th, 3rd, 6th, and most recently 5th. And we have two competitions this weekend, one at the Edward Jones Dome and the other in Potosi.
I'm glad it is almost over. Not only do I get to sleep. ( ) But that brings on Concert and Jazz bands. Which are the reason I'm in band in the first place.
Just pray that I survive the rest of Marching Season. Alright? Ok?
[ July 12, 2006, 11:53 PM: Message edited by: SteveRogers ]
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
I miss marching band. It was fun. Only I was the shortest person in the band and usually had to go the furthest distances in the shortest amount of time. Really. My band director used to point out to the rest of the band, "If Andi can go from the 5 yard line to the 50 in only 12 steps, the rest of you should be able to go your tiny distances."
Yeah, that made me real popular among the others.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
That isn't so bad. I tripped in front of the whole band on the first practice. Which was also the first day of school. I walked around school the rest of the day with dried mud on my knee. And I may not be the shortest member of the band, but I get most of the massive long distances too. It involves a lot of backwards running.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
What do you play? What is your show? How many people are in your band?
I'm sad about marching band at the moment. This Saturday my high school marching band plays their last competition ever, as our school is closing next year to merge with the other high school in town, and there will not be a marching band at the new school, because the kids there are lazy jerks who don't want to march. So I'll be driving 2 and a half hours north to Durand, our sister school, to see the last time they play.
But good luck Steve. I hope you guys do well, and I'm sure you'll survive. Where are you anyway? When I was in marching band, we had to march in the freezing cold and hail and sleet blowing in our faces during competitions. Those were the days.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I hated being a woodwind in marching band.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
1) I play the Trombone.
2) We are playing an anthology of music by Aaron Copeland.
3) 93ish....
4) I am located in Missouri.
This Saturday is our last festival, as they call it, of the season. But we will undoubtedly have marching band next year.
Sorry about your marching band problem. Now my turn for questions:
What instrument do you play? What grade are you in? What is your show? How many people are in your band? How long have you been in band? How long is your show, approximately?
Edit:
mph- Try being a brass player when it is 30ish degreees outside. Brass is a metal. Metal gets cold. And I wear very thin shirts and jackets with a pair of shorts during the winter/colder fall.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
What I hated about being a woodwind is that I felt utterly useless. All the woodwinds are good for is filling in the pattern in the field and doing trills. It sucks.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I graduated three years ago. Sorry I should've mentioned that.
But when I was in school, I marched the Tenor Sax for four years. We did "My Fair Lady" "Fiddler on the Roof" "Music of Stravinsky" and "The Five B's" which if I remember correctly was the music of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and..two other guys. All our shows were ten minutes, they weren't allowed to be any longer. And our band changed in size over three yeras, but it went from about 90 to about 130, includging Color Guard, pit, and percussion.
And I didn't realize it got that cold in MO.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
quote: And I didn't realize it got that cold in MO.
It usually doesn't. But this is around six in the morning when the sun isn't up yet and the wind is blowing and everything is still wet. So it isn't 30ish.....but it feels that way.
mph- Oh yeah, you are right there. Woodwinds are virtually useless in marching band, not counting saxophones. What instrument did you play?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Yeah that's right "not counting saxophones" Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Piccolos are very important. If you don't believe me, I will bring mine over and play high notes in your ear. *snickers*
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
The saxophones carry our band because everyone else sucks. The saxes are the only ones who actually seem to care.
Edit: Actually, in that one TV show....what was it called? DragonBall Z. Their Piccolo was nearly useless. And it didn't even reach any of those high notes of which you speak.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I played clarinet for a while, then switched to saxophone, which was marginally better, but not all that much.
Eventually I moved into the pit orchestra, which was much better. It's awesome to not have to march in marching band.
Then in college, I went back to saxophone and was frustrated again at my uselessness.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
My friend, a fellow Trombone, and I have been considering playing the xylophone next year. Is it worth it to switch?
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Only if you already know how to play or can play piano.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
But Piccolo had the special beam cannon which helped fight Raditz when he attacked earth. He also trained Gohan, who ended up saving the world.
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
I actually switched to pit my senior year of high school but only because we got a new marching instructor who wanted us to do all backwards marching on toes, even slow sections, instead of slow rollbacks and fast toes. I have bad ankles and couldn't stay on my toes for those slow parts so I talked the band director into letting me switch.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by SteveRogers: My friend, a fellow Trombone, and I have been considering playing the xylophone next year. Is it worth it to switch?
Absolutely. Almost anything is worth not having to march. Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
I play Piano for the Springboro High school Marching Band.
We're not done for about three more weeks- Grand Nationals are at the RCA dome in Indy, November 12-ish.
We're playing... Grnad Canyon Fanfare, If(by Bread), Letter from Home(pat metheny), and American Faces, a rearrangement of... Aaron Copeland. Fancy that.
THere are about 120 people in my band. It's my fourth and final year, and our show is about 7 minutes long. It's pretty fun.
Gosh, I'm gonna miss marching band next year.
Posted by ShadowPuppet (Member # 8239) on :
our marching season just ended!
thank (insert diety here)
we walked away with a 1 at k-state (probably the biggest competition in Kansas)
yeah Dodge rocks
*deflates head and walks away*
funny that marching off the k-state field I tripped on some metal grating and barely caught myself
do you know how hard it is to keep your balance with a marching tuba on your shoulder?
I'm done
Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :
I was Clarinet section leader for the Marching Utes! (U of U) one year. Yeah, we had a complex about not being needed. We did recordings though and we mattered there. Besides, if Clarinets aren't there, who would everyone else pick on? Actually, a lot of our drum majors came from the clarinet section.
I have nightmares I'm back in Marching Band every once and a while. Nightmares, I tell you NIGHTMARES. (where is the puke graemlin when I need it?)
No, it wasn't that bad. It was a blast. I would never repeat it again though unless I was paid LOTS OF MONEY.
Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :
It would figure I dream about marching band last night...
"Mark time hut!"
"And one..."
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I really really wanted to be in a drum/bugle corps when I was in high school (*cough*almost 30 years ago*cough*).
For marching band, I played baritone horn (I also played flute, drums and piano in various other assembles). I love baritone horn. (euphonium) I loved marching and marching band.
Played one year at the University of Kansas as well. The tubas, baritones and trombones had their own "club" and we had shirts that said "High Class Low Brass"
ah... those were the days.
This past Monday I went to spectate at Wichita's last big marching band thing of the year - called Band-o-Rama. All the high school marching bands get together in one stadium and present their shows. It was good. (but not many baritones!)
Farmgirl
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: I hated being a woodwind in marching band.
Have you ever marched with a bassoon? That, my friend, is an experience. We had three of them one year, it was great.
And yea I agree with Steve, marching with a brass instrument (which I did - baritone) in the cold is worse than marching with a clarinet (which I also did). Silly metal mouthpiece getting all cold.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Wow -- I thought you couldn't have bassoons in marching band (at least that is what our director always said). He would put the bassoon players on percussion for the fall marching season, then let them get out the bassoons for concert band. How in the world do you play a double-reed while marching? They are so delicate...
FG
(yay kojabu! go baritones!)
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I don't know if Nato is still around Hatrack and posting any more. But I'm pretty sure he played trombone for the University of Oregon marching band......
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
What hell-bound band director would make someone march with a Bassoon?!?!?? Not only is it huge and unwieldy, but it's sound just doesn't lend itself well to Marching band. Our bassoonist played bass drum in marching season.
I played also sax, but I was in flagline/Colorguard during marching season. It was fun except for the stupid politics and catfighting among the girls on the line.
I played saxophone in the stands and learned most of the marching music anyway, and yeah, I see why woodwinds feel useless. The brass sections are always given precedence, plus woodwind instruments just can't cope with the elements -- if it's too cold or even just a little wet the woodwinds have to pack up or risk damaging their pads and wooden parts. In Arkansas weather that often meant not playing.
Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :
I thought clarinets were at least some assistance, until one day the director let me come up front and listen. I could not hear a single clarinet section note, it was all buried under everything else. Our arranger said that the clarinet section was mainly for doubling the trumpets so the trumpets sounded louder... Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
quote:Have you ever marched with a bassoon? That, my friend, is an experience. We had three of them one year, it was great.
Our Army band once considered marching with a 5 man front of Bassoons. Fortunatly calmer heads prevailed. Unless you were using one of those weird little single reed mouth-pieces, you were risking serious injury. The instrument is just too heavy and the lever between the pivot point and the end of the bocal is too long. The Weber State Alumni Band just enjoyed our annual homecoming performance. It was great to have Dr. Erickson tell me not to play so loud again . No bassoon, just a loud Tenor Sax.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Our marching band had bassoons but no oboe's,
I miss marching band and i was never in it. I was in Orchestra and miss it about a hundred times as much, so I try not to think about it all.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Actually, a lot of our drum majors came from the clarinet section.
Of course -- they were trying to escape.
Posted by etphonehome (Member # 999) on :
I marched in the Iowa State University band the last two years as a mellophone player. It was a blast, and missing out on marching band is one of the few things I regret about taking a semester away from school on an internship. In some ways, I'm already looking forward to next fall.
And to whoever was complaining about playing a brass instrument when it's 30 degrees outside, you haven't seen anything until you've tried practicing in 10 degree weather. If you stop blowing warm air through the horn for even a minute, the valves freeze solid. Man, that was a fun practice.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I find the American interest in marching bands kind of sweet. We don't get 'em up here all that often.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
You'll find that it's popularity coincides largely with how diligently football (American) is worshiped.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I was reading a story in the Provo Daily Herald a few weeks ago about the Payson HS marching band. Seems like they get booed out of the games regularly by the crowd. When they look like they're about to play, loud music suddenly comes on over the loudspeaker to drown them out. The athletic directors have conspired to not let them practice on the field. Nobody seems to like them. That is so wierd and infuriating. I wish the article had gone into more detail about why.
I was Trumpet God in my days in band. We were a private school and had a small band. But I did everything---marching, jazz, dixieland, and concert bands. It was all pretty much the same people.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
quote:Originally posted by etphonehome: I marched in the Iowa State University band the last two years as a mellophone player. It was a blast, and missing out on marching band is one of the few things I regret about taking a semester away from school on an internship. In some ways, I'm already looking forward to next fall.
And to whoever was complaining about playing a brass instrument when it's 30 degrees outside, you haven't seen anything until you've tried practicing in 10 degree weather. If you stop blowing warm air through the horn for even a minute, the valves freeze solid. Man, that was a fun practice.
The Christmas City of the North parade in Duluth, MN. Been there, done that. We had to wear thermals and heat pads under our white gloves to keep our fingers from freezing (didn't work). And unless we blew constantly into our instruments everything would freeze.
At one point my lips stuck to my mouthpiece. I left skin on it when I yanked it off.
Back on the bus, everyone was doubled over in pain as their fingers thawed out.
That was pure sadism, that parade.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Played one year at the University of Kansas as well. The tubas, baritones and trombones had their own "club" and we had shirts that said "High Class Low Brass"
Our low brass "motto" was "Low Brass Picks Grass" which was what we got to yell in place of "Low Brass Kicks A**"
Before each competition or football game we'd grab a little bit of grass, pass it to each member of the low brass section who would then kiss the grass, and then we'd toss it into the tuba (sousaphone). Probably wasn't great for the tuba, but it was a lot of fun for us.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
There are a lot more marching band horror stories than I would expect....
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
these aren't horror stories, these are good things, suck it up, you'll miss it in several years.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote: I was Trumpet God in my days in band.
Every trumpet player thinks that.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Why would I miss something I wholheartedly despise?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
It's just human nature.
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Our low brass "motto" was "Low Brass Picks Grass" which was what we got to yell in place of "Low Brass Kicks A**"
Our low brass sweatshirts say "LBKA" on the side. Kinda funny that the band director allows it, but then again, we're all crazy, and he has to let us have fun every ONCE in a while.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
mph- Hold up. Whoever said I was human? Posted by genius00345 (Member # 8206) on :
Ahh, yes. Marching band season. Like human, I'm a clarinetist, and like Steve, I'm from Missouri.
I'm a sophomore in high school, and have been marching for 2 years. We took 6th out of 14 at CMU Band Day (Central Methodist University, in Fayette, Missouri).
I'll just go ahead and answer these simple questions now: What instrument do you play? Clarinet What grade are you in? 10 What is your show? "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Remember the Heroes" How many people are in your band? 27, I think How long have you been in band? since 6th grade How long is your show, approximately? 9 mins??
quote: And I didn't realize it got that cold in MO.
Oh, but it does. On October 2nd, at CMU festival, we were dripping with sweat. Within 2 weeks, we had to wear coats to go outside at all. Missouri is quite notorious to its residents for its erratic temperatures. I just got back from a Florida vacation and I was amazed at how cold it was up here. Brr.....
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
Hrmph!
In my school, the pit was one of the best sections of the band, along with the drum line. People didn't just get to just switch into either percussion section - and didn't want to, either, since we practiced about twice the hours of the regular band.
Yes, I was a member of the pit. It was hardcore.
Seriously, our percussion section completely rocked my junior year - all of the pit were juniors, and the drum line were all juniors and seniors. We had our own instructor all four years to help with technique. The music was arranged to feature both sections.
My senior year I switched to mello, since all of ours had graduated. Two freshmen clarinets switched into the section as well, in an attempt to save their arm muscles (our clarinets were horrible and did a lot of push-ups for screwing up the forms).
Northern California marching isn't very competative, but it was fun. And some of our percussion section was in the Santa Clara Vanguard. If yah all think marching band is difficult, you should hear some of their stories...
I wish I went to a college with a marching band. Those were fun times.
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head:
quote: I was Trumpet God in my days in band.
Every trumpet player thinks that.
Not true.
I knew just how horrible I was. I was on the lower end of the trumpet line: 3rd Trumpet, 1st Chair. I just had too much fun in marching band to quit over my lack of talent.
Our band had about 120 members, not including flagline and dancers. Our biggest problem was dealing with the heat. We had an almost all black uniform that made parades killer from the heat, and with high temps even at night and us being unable to unzip our jackets, it wasn't unheard of to have kids pass out.
Fun times, though. I miss it.
Posted by argyle (Member # 8794) on :
that's cool, i'm in the blue band at penn state university
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
quote:Originally posted by Farmgirl: Wow -- I thought you couldn't have bassoons in marching band (at least that is what our director always said). He would put the bassoon players on percussion for the fall marching season, then let them get out the bassoons for concert band. How in the world do you play a double-reed while marching? They are so delicate...
It's not good for the instrument, but I was using a school one. I think everyone who marched with a bassoon used one of the school ones. The reason I switched from bassoon to baritone was because the bassoon was too heavy and difficult to handle.
As for double reeds, we had some marching oboes as well. The only difficulty I faced was the weight of the instrument. Are you refering to the reed itself with regards to the delicacy? It wasn't too bad, they rarely broke, and I was able to keep the instrument relatively stable while marching.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head:
quote: I was Trumpet God in my days in band.
Every trumpet player thinks that.
No. I WAS Trumpet God. First chair trumpet for three years. Undisputed leader of the trumpet section, which was undisputed leader of the band. Band president my senior year. Many others in the band and in the school called me Trumpet God. I was Trumpet God. Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
The seasons starting again. And I have one thing to say:
I HATE BAND!
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
Yeh! In college I played in the band to keep my scholarship. And I played in the Air Force Band to stay out of Viet Nam. But, know what. I think I grew up somewhere along the way. The most used tapes in my car are march tapes. Most classic marches are strict sonata-alegero form, and analysing them makes a long trip shorter, to say nothing about safer and more enjoyable. And in retrospect, my best frendships all had serious band connections. So, I suggest you continue to hate band. But, take copious mental notes. These just may be the highlights of your bio someday.
Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
Really? I like band.
Trumpets Rock!
Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
To this day, I will not go to parades because of marching band. I would march along in that wool suit, under the hot sun, wearing a helmut that didn't fit, my head pounding, my back and shoulders aching from holding my trombone in one position, bored out of my mind, and think to myself, "If none of these stupid* people were here, I wouldn't have to be marching in this parade."
On the other hand, I loved the feild shows and competition season.
* I do of course realize that people who attend parades are not actually stupid. I was being pejorative in my misery.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
I start teaching a leadership camp for high school drum majors and section leaders next week. Preparations in full swing.
Posted by genius00345 (Member # 8206) on :
Marching band rocks! Except for the marching part...
No, its great. I just dislike how I go to a small school, so we only go to one competition every year. Steve, are there any good competitions in our (mid-MO & St. Louis) area to get involved in? We only do Band Day at Central Methodist in Fayette.
Oh well. Anyways, go clarinets, and remember the motto: Spit happens.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I was in a 300 member marching band.....
...in high school.
We went from MI to FL to march in the 150th Orange Bowl Parade. We were nationaly ranked, and were runners-up for the Rose Bowl Parade every year....the RB only took 4 bands nation-wide back then, unless your band marched in the very first parade, so it was pretty cool. Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
genius- There is one at Potosi. Do you know where that is? And, if you're lucky, your school can get invited to a competition at the Edward Jones Dome.
Posted by LostSomewhereDandy (Member # 9562) on :
Marching band can be a grand experience unless your director stands atop a large ladder and commands like a dictator a la Hitler, Stalin etc...Not to mention the decrease in the quality of the music our band is playing...we started with Bernstein and now we are playing some ridiculous post-minimalist crap...
Posted by boogashaga (Member # 8881) on :
Amilia--Trombones have seven positions along the slide for all of their notes and yet you only held your horn in ONE POSITION? Was the slide stuck? Did you like play only C#'s or some other note when it came up in the score?
Since the slide affords trombonists the opportunity to "fine tune" particular notes they can be perfectly in tune all of the time, right? It seems, however, that most of them are always OUT of tune with each other.
When I was in a military band in the eary seventies, a General (3 star version) was reviewing a military ceremony where our band was performing. Afterward, he came over and spoke to the Bandmaster about how good the band sounded, but was there any way that he could get "those trombone players to get their slides moving the same way at the same time?" He didn't think it looked very "military" for the front row of the band to be in such a state of confusion.
The Bandmaster put out the word: the hell with the three part trombone harmonies. Whenever this General was going to be in attendance at a location where we played, all of the trombonists were issued "First Trombone" parts to the entire music slated for the ceremony/occasion. They were further ordered to use no "alternate positions" on the slide for their notes at all during those gigs. This brought howls of protests from the slidemen, but they complied. Well, eventually we played for that particular General again. Afterward, he came over and spoke to the Bandmaster again and said the group sounded magnificient. He also complimented the Bandmaster on clearing up "the problem with the trombone players." He said the band looked "very military" then.
Go figure!
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
I loved marching band! It was the best shape I was ever in. Marching band practice was WAY more physical than P.E. ever was. Of course, I didn't really love sweating in the sun ... I just loved the friendships, which were all in band. Spent more time with that band director than any other teacher in all my school years.
I still get all nostalgic every fall when I start hearing drum cadences floating through the air from the high school (many many blocks away, I can't believe we can hear them).
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: I was in a 300 member marching band.....
...in high school.
We went from MI to FL to march in the 150th Orange Bowl Parade. We were nationaly ranked, and were runners-up for the Rose Bowl Parade every year....the RB only took 4 bands nation-wide back then, unless your band marched in the very first parade, so it was pretty cool.
What high school was that? You had to of been flight I if you competed in MCBA.
Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
quote:Amilia--Trombones have seven positions along the slide for all of their notes and yet you only held your horn in ONE POSITION? Was the slide stuck? Did you like play only C#'s or some other note when it came up in the score?
Well, it wasn't so bad when I was actually playing. I got to move one of my arms, and had something to think of other than how miserable I was and whether or not I was on the correct foot. But when you are just marching along at attention . . .
Great story, btw.
Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
A few weeks ago I went on a field visit for class and didn't feel well so I sat outside. Santa Clara Vanguard's bass and snare lines were practicing across the street. Oh, nostalgia.
I was the section leader of the most powerful section of the marching band for two years, and I miss it terribly. I miss the marching, the playing, section bonding, making people run a lap with their drums over their heads, band camp, drum cadences, teaching sets, crowded stadiums, long parades, traveling to be on a televised half-time show, having amazing back muscles, picking up sticks with my toes, locking, standing on the thirty yard line alone to play taps as the rest of the band marched out...
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) But that brings on Concert and Jazz bands. Which are the reason I'm in band in the first place.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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