Do you play instruments?

schmutz said:
Queen Boo said:
Mariomario64 said:
Marching band a sport?

what
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Ikr. I think some people consider Marching Band a sport because it involves walking and outdoors.
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I think I might slap you.

Walking? It's not called walking band. It's called marching band. We don't walk. If we walked our pitch would bounce all over the place anytime we weren't at a hold. We MARCH. It takes a lot more concentration than you think. Any time the band is at a move we must use a rollstep in order to keep our upper bodies still, maintaining the pitch. Except wait, it's not walking in a straight line. In our drill, we set forms that require the band to march forward, backward, left, right, crabstep, everything. You try "walking" backward on the balls of your feet in a glidestep at 60 bpm completely uniform with everyone else while trying to keep a whole note on a huge ass sousaphone steady. Most of you probably wouldn't even have the breath support for tuba or flute sitting down. Oh, did I forget the band part? Yeah, we also play as we march, seven minutes of memorized and very difficult music. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention that we also do ALL OF THIS in heavy wool uniforms and shakos. Still not convinced it's a sport?

[quote author=dictionary.com]sport: an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature
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Skill: check. Physical prowess: check. Competition: check.

Oh, did you think we just played at halftime and then sat and twiddled our thumbs? NOPE. We actually compete. Every other Saturday, my band hauls itself to a field where dozens of bands from southwestern Pennsylvania compete in different size classes. My school's band easily has 10 times more trophies than our football team. It's not just schools, either. Ever heard of DCI? Probably not. Drum Corps International is "professional marching band," so to speak. In fact, world finals were just last week in Indianapolis. Still not convinced? Sports Illustrated thinks it's a sport. Studies were done on Drum Corps members and found that during performances, their metabolic rates matched those of marathon runners mid-race, while their heart rate compared with someone running anywhere from a 400-800 m dash.

In conclusion, why don't you attend band camp one sweltering August and see how much we "walk."

Also: have a look.

This is Broken Arrow. They usually clean up at Bands of America. This is a high school band.

inb4tl;dr
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Amen.

I play flute for marching band. In order to have the breath support to keep those high pitch notes in tune requires so much air and very clean feet. The hardest part is that you upper body stays forward while your lower half goes in any direction, which does twist you up and affect your breathing.

Likewise to you, we don't just perform halftime but actual competitions and earn a score. We practice so much, especially during the summer. In fact, we have a week long practice called Band Camp. There is so much that goes into this sport that other sports cannot stand up to. If Bowling is a sport, than MB is too.

Also, MB requires a lot of focus and self-discipline, and a lot of time spent practicing. There is so much happening in those seven-eight minutes that many people cannot fully grasp. Feet, posture, playing, dynamics, style, balance, auxiliary, drill, articulation, et cetera.
 
Then what is easy for you? :???:
 
I just found out my school has a Middle School Band! :D
I'm gonna learn oboe! :D
 
Mariomario64 said:
tl;dr version of these rants: Marching band is hard.
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Okay let me rephrase this a bit:
Marching band is hard unless you know what the heck you're doing.
because it's kinda easy for me since I've learned a ton of things since last May.
 
Queen Boo said:
I just found out my school has a Middle School Band! :D
I'm gonna learn oboe! :D
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Good choice :) I play oboe in concert band. It can be tough, though.
 
Yes. My mom said it's a good instrument anf she used to play it.
 
yeah man drum corps is intense shit


it's way more of a sport than sitting on your ass at home all day
 
Been playing violin since I was three, I can sing, I know a (very very little) bit of guitar, and I use my laptop for producing and remixing songs (dunno if that counts).
 
Mariomario64 said:
tl;dr version of these rants: Marching band is hard.
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Very true. Marching band requires hundreds of hours of work. In the past three weeks I've had at least 100 hours of practice. That's no exaggeration. You have to learn the music, play it great, memorize it, memorize where to go during the show, make sure you're keeping time by watching the drum major, and so much more. And all while wearing the heaviest uniforms in 80-90 degree weather (until it gets later in the season). There is also a certain way you have to march along the field so that your upper body doesn't move, otherwise you won't get a good sound out of your instrument. It takes a lot of work to master and is very tiring. In the first minute of my school's 8 minute show, I find myself completely out of breath. And not to mention the instrument I play is so dang heavy (particularly the baritone).

I didn't expect my comment to be this long X_x
 
Fawfulfury65 said:
Mariomario64 said:
tl;dr version of these rants: Marching band is hard.
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Very true. Marching band requires hundreds of hours of work. In the past three weeks I've had at least 100 hours of practice. That's no exaggeration. You have to learn the music, play it great, memorize it, memorize where to go during the show, make sure you're keeping time by watching the drum major, and so much more. And all while wearing the heaviest uniforms in 80-90 degree weather (until it gets later in the season). There is also a certain way you have to march along the field so that your upper body doesn't move, otherwise you won't get a good sound out of your instrument. It takes a lot of work to master and is very tiring. In the first minute of my school's 8 minute show, I find myself completely out of breath. And not to mention the instrument I play is so dang heavy (particularly the baritone).

I didn't expect my comment to be this long X_x
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yeah i had band camp the past two weeks for 10 hours a day so that's 100 hours in two weeks


and i feel your baritone pain. our show is about 12 minutes long and there's almost no horns down and i have a large bore baritone too so keeping that 10 degree horn angle is a literal pain
 
Christian Brutal Sniper said:
yeah i had band camp the past two weeks for 10 hours a day so that's 100 hours in two weeks
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So did Mariomario64 and Fawfulfury65. I guess everyone had it around the same time.
 
MCS said:
Christian Brutal Sniper said:
yeah i had band camp the past two weeks for 10 hours a day so that's 100 hours in two weeks
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So did Mariomario64 and Fawfulfury65. I guess everyone had it around the same time.
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of course everyone has it around the same time, schools start at the same time in the usa
 
I'm having a precamp right now, and I'm heading out to Band Camp at this one place, with no outside interference. By the time I'm back, I will have done 115 hours spent on band.

And people say its hard keeping horns at 10 degree angles. Keeping a flute parallel to the ground is so hard and-yeah, I can't even say that with a straight face. I don't know why so many flute players are complaining; it's not THAT bad.

Marching Band practice gets rather tedious too, doing basics 40% of practice time. So, oh so many hours spent just doing box drills and shoulder facings and tondues (spellcheck?) and standing on your toes...I can't feel my legs right now from the last few days of all of that.
 
trumpets and piccolos do not have the right to complain about keeping their arms up
 
I've been in the pit last year and this year so horn angles are completely alien to me.

Actually I played clarinet before that, so still alien.


This year's show is gonna kick some serious booty. <3
 
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