This is the third year in a row I have drove from Michigan to this show. Huge Regiment Phan, but enjoy the show as a whole! Thanks for watching and posting!
(Legit) Can someone educate me as to why this isn't considered dirty? I marched snare with Madison in '11, and have always wondered what makes a bassline great to those who really understand the craft. I hear wide unisons everywhere (at least it seems) but then the runs are beautiful (almost). Why is it hard to play, or maybe just capture on video, great unisons (is it the absence of met?), and what should I be looking for here to really understand why this is a hi-quality line? Absolutely no diss to Cadets, of course, I think this is awesome, and Holy Bass is always incredible. I'm just curious if it's the camera's "ear", the recording environment, or the fact that it's mid season, etc. Any insight from some bass fam would be super awesome, so I can understand the craft adjacent to my own just a bit better!
I think it's totally valid to say there's a good amount of dirt in here, particularly in the double stop 2s in the 8s, some of the roll passages, and some hairy unisons in there. I tend to think bass unisons are one of the most difficult (and underrated) skills that a marching percussion can develop. To answer your question more directly though, there's a ton of different factors that play into why that is. I think it mostly boils down to the fact that you are trying to get multiple drums that are vastly different in size and response to play a balanced chord (rather than a single note). With upper battery instruments, every person's drum is tuned to sound and feel as identical as possible, so when the upper battery hits a single note together, the frequency response is narrower (meaning that it's harder to line up perfectly), but the approach to hitting the drum player to player is much more uniform across the board. With bass drums, even though we take a common approach to the drum, playing bass 5 is vastly different to playing bass 1 or 2, and the responsibilities player to player are much more dynamic and unique. For a snare drum comparison, think of trying to play cleanly in a line on mylar tops (circa Cavies 2010 or the entire pre-kevlar era). The snare response is much fatter (ie, the frequency response is wider), and the sounds blend together much more, so it's typically a harder listening situation to try and play cleanly in. It might make beginner/early intermediate line sound a little better (by covering up dirt), the wetter sound makes it harder to identify precise moments of unclarity that players can make micro-adjustments to address. This is the same reason that playing cymbal splits are deceptively harder than they seem - cymbals have a super wide frequency response, so trying to hear precise balance points inside of that is super difficult. For bass drums, you also have to take into consideration the differences player to player, not to mention the difficulty balancing a 32" bass drum with an 18" (I have plenty of horror stories with that one lmao). All in all, there's definitely a lot more to it than "hit the drum at the same time", which is a common misconception for people who don't have much experience in the bass drum realm. Feel free to pm too if you have more questions. I told world class dci for a few years in various capacities, so I'm always trying to spread the knowledge lol.
Hana, you are correct. Their top 3 are the same size, just tuned differently. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they march (3) 20", 22" and 24"
Um, yeah, actually. No one else played this much this well while moving as much and as fast as they did. That's my opinion. You have your opinion. I have mine. Not worth arguing over. There are far more important things in life. Good day.
LOL, sorry for having an opinion. Are those double-stop 2s? They didn't sound like it and I never saw the left playing them. Look, they are a FANTASTIC bassline. Always are. Can't stand their tuning. To attack heavy for me. I've always been a SCV/Cavies bass kind of guy. Also, toss me some mallets and that drum 2 and let's do it! :-)
You listen to that masterpiece and the only thing one can comment on is tanlines. Guess they are doing something right.
proud to say that bass 1 is my drumline's bass tech...
bass 3 is chuggin away at those 4's! crazy!
They march 20" 22" 24" 26" 30"
nope, they're the same size just tuned differently
Now that is some damn good sound quality.
This is the third year in a row I have drove from Michigan to this show. Huge Regiment Phan, but enjoy the show as a whole! Thanks for watching and posting!
Freakin' outrageous. Definitely the best bass line and percussion section in DCI this year.
The kid in the back with the cavaliers shirt is epic
freaking love this. my percussion director is their director
B-) yeaaaa cadets bassline just gets hotter each year hella!!!
I like how they are all rocking chanclas!
incredible
I believe that was a small brass ensemble from Crown.
(Legit) Can someone educate me as to why this isn't considered dirty? I marched snare with Madison in '11, and have always wondered what makes a bassline great to those who really understand the craft. I hear wide unisons everywhere (at least it seems) but then the runs are beautiful (almost). Why is it hard to play, or maybe just capture on video, great unisons (is it the absence of met?), and what should I be looking for here to really understand why this is a hi-quality line? Absolutely no diss to Cadets, of course, I think this is awesome, and Holy Bass is always incredible. I'm just curious if it's the camera's "ear", the recording environment, or the fact that it's mid season, etc. Any insight from some bass fam would be super awesome, so I can understand the craft adjacent to my own just a bit better!
I think it's totally valid to say there's a good amount of dirt in here, particularly in the double stop 2s in the 8s, some of the roll passages, and some hairy unisons in there.
I tend to think bass unisons are one of the most difficult (and underrated) skills that a marching percussion can develop.
To answer your question more directly though, there's a ton of different factors that play into why that is. I think it mostly boils down to the fact that you are trying to get multiple drums that are vastly different in size and response to play a balanced chord (rather than a single note). With upper battery instruments, every person's drum is tuned to sound and feel as identical as possible, so when the upper battery hits a single note together, the frequency response is narrower (meaning that it's harder to line up perfectly), but the approach to hitting the drum player to player is much more uniform across the board. With bass drums, even though we take a common approach to the drum, playing bass 5 is vastly different to playing bass 1 or 2, and the responsibilities player to player are much more dynamic and unique.
For a snare drum comparison, think of trying to play cleanly in a line on mylar tops (circa Cavies 2010 or the entire pre-kevlar era). The snare response is much fatter (ie, the frequency response is wider), and the sounds blend together much more, so it's typically a harder listening situation to try and play cleanly in. It might make beginner/early intermediate line sound a little better (by covering up dirt), the wetter sound makes it harder to identify precise moments of unclarity that players can make micro-adjustments to address. This is the same reason that playing cymbal splits are deceptively harder than they seem - cymbals have a super wide frequency response, so trying to hear precise balance points inside of that is super difficult. For bass drums, you also have to take into consideration the differences player to player, not to mention the difficulty balancing a 32" bass drum with an 18" (I have plenty of horror stories with that one lmao).
All in all, there's definitely a lot more to it than "hit the drum at the same time", which is a common misconception for people who don't have much experience in the bass drum realm.
Feel free to pm too if you have more questions. I told world class dci for a few years in various capacities, so I'm always trying to spread the knowledge lol.
thumbs up for crown hornline in the background!!!
Best Bassline!
Hana, you are correct. Their top 3 are the same size, just tuned differently. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they march (3) 20", 22" and 24"
That is incorrect
Could be wrong...22,22,24,26,30.
Have you heard all of the bass lines and percussion from this last year? Your statement leads me to believe not.
Showin off those epic sock tans. Like a BOSS.
Whew. You can always tell without looking this is a Yamaha bass line. I miss the Cadets line in their Pearl days!
sock tan lines omg
dude f'r
i was at this show! it was amazing as always!
Insane
Favorite bassline other then Bluecoats and Phantom.
it should be illegal to be that insane.... crazy if my high school sounded like that.
Those are 12.25 shorts \m/
......life has a new meaning....
Nice credits
My god! those 4s are of the chain
HO-HO-HOLY BASS!!!
they were going to have 6 basses this year....
Yeah, what happened to them having 6 basses...?
Is 2012's Bass 3 2013's Bass 2?
Yup. Bass 4 also moved up to 3rd. (and yea I know, kinda late)
that was only for 11 because they needed an equal amount to split the parts correctly.
everything before 1:40 are warmups
Crown in the background :D
I want some shorts like that.
He meant as in they were awesome.
is 1:16 a warmup?
That was before they actually marched hard drill.
back in the 70's and 80's, some corps used 36" to 40" bottom basses. The real real deal. :P
Ah I can't wait for the tan lines
DEM SPLITS
Oh..I thought they said they were keeping 6. guess not. :P
I'm 4th bass player at my high school and we are 1/1000 as good as this
Yeah bass.
Chris Watson knows how to clean a bassline.
dem tan lines!
I'm sick of bassline with 14" or 16" top basses and 28" bottom basses. These drums are the real deal.
Um, yeah, actually. No one else played this much this well while moving as much and as fast as they did. That's my opinion. You have your opinion. I have mine. Not worth arguing over. There are far more important things in life. Good day.
sandal swag
LOL, sorry for having an opinion. Are those double-stop 2s? They didn't sound like it and I never saw the left playing them. Look, they are a FANTASTIC bassline. Always are. Can't stand their tuning. To attack heavy for me. I've always been a SCV/Cavies bass kind of guy.
Also, toss me some mallets and that drum 2 and let's do it! :-)
Like if you could hear crown in the background! :D
Wow
I can't help but look at their tan lines.
Beginning at 1:16, I lose my bowels.
*Double Stop 2's
That sock tanline..
My adobe shockwave player actually crashed from this...
The Chicken at 1:17
They are the same size. Just tuned different
Jared Schneider no
lol ending credits
dat sock tan
Hahaha look at their sock tans!
my pants.... are now white.
Nah dude. One and four were dropping the ball.
angels vs demons shorts \m/
1:16... I quit.
sweet mother of sock tans.
3:30
DAT SOCK TAN DOE!!!
Amazing! But has anyone else notice that they have REALLY bad band tans on their feet? XD
I call hacks
Really! well sweet anyway lol.
bada**
2:35 black guy trien to find some kids
Too bad they were always good ;)
:o
Those right-hand twos they split sounded like butt. Show segment was really nice though.
haha go clean ur ears out
proud to say that bass 1 is my drumline's bass tech...
Dat sock tan