 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-01-01 22:37
How to they keep on the beat with the back so far from the front?
Think of the speed of sound. How much delay for 100 yards?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-01-02 00:09
I've read that trick is to put the drummers at a point farthest away from the intended target audience, then have all the players listen to the drums. It isn't the usual practice, screamed all the time from platform podiums through megaphones by band directors during rehearsals, "WATCH ME!!!" The rationale is that the sound will travel from one end of the band to the other and if everyone plays in time with the sound they hear, by the time it gets to the front the actual sound will arrive together (however much it's delayed after it's produced). I don't know how well this works with 300 players. At worst the delay (if I'm calculating it right) will be around 1/4 of a second over 100 yards, but playing on a football field the distance from back to front of the band may be much less so the delay mightn't be significant.
But, in my experience, an even greater problem with outdoor bands playing in concrete stadiums is the echo, which will arrive at the front much later than the actual sound does, confusing things even more for players and listeners.
Karl
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Author: Una
Date: 2016-01-02 21:27
"700 member marching band" is another way of saying, "a huge mess".
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2016-01-02 23:31
A friend of mine said they would either have drummers dispersed throughout the band on the sides or have more than one conductor. Sometimes one would see several bands playing in coordination at a festival. Not me.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-01-03 00:08
For clarification the band was in the Rose Parade
fsbsde@yahoo.com
Post Edited (2016-01-03 00:16)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-01-03 03:26
The serious answer would be that there is no reason why the band members cannot just play with the sounds they hear proximally. Everyone around will hear that sound in time, so what's the difference.
The marching field is different, and anyone who's gone to a drum and bugle show knows you have conductors at all four sides of the stadium space (but that's because the audience and judges are all on one side clustered mostly at the middle - so there is a need to coordinate "time").
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-01-03 03:57
Paul Aviles wrote:
> The marching field is different, and anyone who's gone to a
> drum and bugle show knows you have conductors at all four sides
> of the stadium space (but that's because the audience and
> judges are all on one side clustered mostly at the middle - so
> there is a need to coordinate "time").
>
Unless the band is facing four different ways, I don't see how four conductors will help.
Karl
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-01-03 04:43
Another thing about marching
Everyone can wear gloves except the clarinets.
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-01-03 05:12
I'm not describing it correctly but that is standard practice. Every quadrant has its own conductor. There is one "master" conductor, the other three make sure they are in time with that one.
I must say I don't care for drum and bugle corp. The whole process is obnoxious.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-01-03 05:32
Paul Aviles wrote:
> I'm not describing it correctly but that is standard practice.
> Every quadrant has its own conductor. There is one "master"
> conductor, the other three make sure they are in time with that
> one.
>
I realize you're not trying to sell this, but I'm curious to know if anyone who is familiar with corps style marching understands this other than as a cosmetic bit of flash. Light travels fast enough that a band of any size watching one conductor will all see the beat at the same time - there's no delay in the visual experience from front to back. Having everyone follow a single visual beat can't eliminate the sound delay, however imperceptible it may be under a specific set of conditions.
Karl
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-01-05 10:08
Karl,
It's due to the need for all players to be able to see a conductor. There are many times during a field show that a conductor in any one location will be out of the sight lines of much of the band. The "auxiliary" conductors all watch the one who is front and center to stay in sync.
Anders
Post Edited (2016-01-05 10:40)
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