General Chat / Post Your Picture

^ I couldn't agree more. For the same reason you hate that one band you use to like who sold out and plays shit music all over the radio with cliche repetitive riffs and overused song concepts, I think that the whole marching band thing is a joke. Music should be a performance for self fulfillment and entertainment, not a competition where someone "loses".

Everything is a competition. Every single person in this thread is sizing up all the pictures, seeing who is the best looking, ranking themselves against the rest.

And the silly clothes? Take a look around. Most people dress pretty retarded. Modified military uniforms are hardly the worst offenders.

Face it qotsa, we're obviously not all one big stereotype.

I'll tell you right now not one of us on this whole site goes out into public wearing something as goofylooking and overproducted as that costume. And not everything is a competition. Look at all the various bands who the people of this site like. Are they competing against each other? Hell no. They're just trying to make the best music they can and get as many fans as possible along the way. Prodigy doesn't wake up every day and think "I want to beat Pendulum today." They think, "Let's go make some good music." The only people they compete against are themselves. And that's how band should be too. Perform the best you can, and be happy. You shouldn't need to know you beat the Maravilla Christian Private School Drum and Bugle Corps in order to feel musical redemption.

And nobody goes into public wearing the gymnastics outfit Turtle posted, either. [American] Football players don't wear their pads and helmet to the grocery store, and I don't wear my work uniform to anywhere but work. It's made for a certain setting, and it's used only in that setting.

And let's not make competetive marching band and drum bugle corps into something it's not. Sure, nobody gets hit [intentionally], but it is very much a sport (try to do half of the shit we do before you open your mouth, and I'm not referring to high school level). There's music involved, but nobody is trying to make money off of the performances. The sole purpose of the circuit is to compete. So if youre condemning me for not making music for arts sake(which I find funny, because the people bitching wouldn't listen to marching band either way), then I guess I can bitch at you for not being able to fly.

The fact of the matter is that competetive bands play harder/better music, have better staff, and play twice as well. Competition is a motivator, whether you want to admit it or not. Think Prodigy and Pendulum would be household names if they weren't better than most of their competitors?

Marching band, drum and bugle corps, whatever, is not a sport.

Yeah, because these guys aren't covering more distance than the average football player, while they're not breathing or anything...

http://video.google....979281416&q=dci

That's nice.
Ultimately all this is kinda like virtuoso guitarists--sure it takes a lot of skill and practice and that much I respect, but it kinda sounds shit.

And no, you're not covering nearly as much distance as a soccer player.

Football doesn't count, it's easy if you're fat or black.

But when has a soccer player had to control their breathing for 11 minutes? And by control, I generally mean holding your breath.

Never.

When has a trumpeter had to sprint 120 yds at a time while controlling a soccer ball with opposing players diving at them spikes up? Why do you insist on comparing two unlike things in an attempt to show how drum and bugle corps is the most strenuous and demanding thing in the world?

I'm not trying to prove it as the most strenuous thing in the world. I'm trying to give it a little more credibility than nerdy kids who all wear broken glasses taped up in the middle and who will never get laid.

Look man. I have a few friends who are in the school band. They hate most of the people in the band because it's a bunch of stereotypical band pricks who try to argue that band is harder than sports, like you. And my friends are probably the most talented in the band anyways. But they don't give a shit about competing, though they have won awards in the past. So instead of just playing in the band, they started their own Jazz combo on the side, and they play what they want when they want where they want, and are making money for it as well.

They have 5000 times more fun playing in a Jazz combo for their own enjoyment than they do playing for the band in competitions. And that's how it should be. I recognize that playing music is hard as hell. IMO, it takes more devotion and practice than any sport. But that doesn't merit it being a sport with only competition. Bugle corps is not even a fucking sport for god's sake. It's music. And music is one of the few things left in the world in which it truly is "Just do what you want how you want, and hope people enjoy it." But shit like band competitions and American Idol are turning music into another cliche competition, where only the mainstream excels, and those who are actually unique get pushed aside.

And sorry to say it, but about 95% of the people in school bands are "nerdy kids who all wear broken glasses taped up in the middle and who will never get laid." That doesn't mean that the second you tell us your in a band it means you're a nerdy prick, but it does make it more likely.

Good for your friends. But I hardly doubt high school marching band is destroying music. And as I've said, I'm only trying to argue that you people have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. So your only exposure to band is your 2 friends and the American Pie movies. And let me tell you, THOSE are some great references.

And it's 95% certain that I'm a nerd? I'm in a school of music and I tend to dissagree. What's your source material?

My exposure to band strectches much farther than that. I used to be into music myself, and I know many others who are in bands as well. And the 95% was just a fucken number I threw out there, the point being that many people in high school/colleg bands are nerdy pricks. You're taking what I say far too seriously. Now let's get back top the posting of pictures, shall we?

nice pics cory.
jem, congrats !!!

and wtf? rockchick ?!
wow, last time she was active was like... ages ago.

I drop by every now and then.

Pic taken after my girlfriend insisted i wear this stupid hat. I do like my tan though, its bloody boiling over here in england

Tell me about it Chris. I've never been as tanned, and i've just been on Bournemouth beach.

Everyone get the fuck of MA's back. Seems to me he's just trying to educate you guys a little about a subject which you clearly know nothing about, and he clearly is very good at. I'd like to see you guys doing anything requiring as much mental and physical exertion as that. And to say it isn't a sport, that's ridiculous. Just watch the video.

And as promised, here's me at the Nationals. Thanks go out in advance to anyone stupid enough to point out that i'm wearing lycra/doing a girl's sport/looking stupid. Hold your fucking tongue.

Nationals 2006 - Senior Final

nice stuff turtle

What's wrong with gymnastics and marching corps being sports if soccer still is?

That better not be a Lonsdale shirt chris, i can't stand that make.

Not all competitions are sports. Although now that ESPN apparently has nothing better to put on TV and airs card games and exercises in gluttony, I guess the definitions of sport are relaxed. In my book, anything that involves judging is hard to consider a sport. Too arbitrary. In soccer, whoever scores the most goals is the winner. Similar with baseball, basketball, etc. When judges are involved, then things get sketchy. I realize that there are referees in every sport but they are not directly involved in the result like they are in, say, figure skating, or marching corps.

Additionally, I'd argue that the focus of sports is on the actual physical play. This is hard to explain I think, but basically, I could create a piece for a marching band that is incredibly demanding physically and involves running all over the place while playing your instruments, but the judges would say, "What the fuck, that was stupid," and give me a bad score. A piece that was less physically demanding but had better music and better choreography would win out. I assume that the focus in musical competitions is on the aesthetic part of it, and that the winning group in such a competition is the one who sounded and looked the best when they performed, not necessarily the one that makes their band members look like runners at the end of a marathon.

But what do I know.