Marching band inquiries

[Senseless Apprentice]

Hey. So I am transfering to a University next year, and I know they have a marching band. And I am very curious about it, and perhaps would like to see if I can get in.

1) What is the difference between a marching band and a drumline?

2) How good do you have to be to get a position in the band? Are certain positions more demanding of skills? (Do you need more skill and experience to make snare rather than bass?)

3) I've been playing Set for 2.5 years now, and recently I have been studying snare solo's pretty rigorously to make the auditions into the Music Major. What are my chances? I think I would ideally want to play snare. How well do you have to read? Do you have to be able to look at a piece of music for the first time, and be able to hammer it out up to tempo? Or can you take it home, study it for a week, and be able to survive?

Well thanks for all your information!

[Seafroggys]

1: There isn't really. A drumline is part of a marching band....its just a section of the marching band, just like the hornline, the pit, etc....

2.: Yes and no. Snare is considered the classiest and most prestigious, but its not neccesarily the best. You have to be very damn good at counting on bass drum, because when you do bass runs and stuff you can't listen, you have to count, or else your hits will be late. Also, bass #1 is expected to be able to play the same stuff as snare, so your chops need to be even better.

3: Auditions are all different. I have no idea. When I've tried out for spots in my school, our instructors had us play different spots on the line, and switched us around, and see how we worked out on each spot over the course of several days.

[billdrum]

College marching bands often change shows completely every 2-3 weeks, so the ability to assimilate music quickly is very important.

Seafroggy's is right on-snare might be the easier than tenors or basses!

The university should have audition materials ready well in advance. Contact the percussion instructor to get them and prepare the crap out of them.

If you're going to be a music major, you better practice your mallets and timpani too!

Cheers!

[dairyairman]

so, are you saying you've never been in a marching band? if you've haven't, it'll be tougher for you to make it into a university band, depending on what university you're talking about and also how capable you are. it would definitely help to be able to read music, because that's what they work from when they're learning a new piece. i would give it a try though. you'll be the musical equivalent of a "walk on" in football. i was in the florida state university band and it was a lot of fun.

[Hunted By a Freak]

A lot of this really depends on the skill level of the band and the size of the school.

[Legolanderin]

marching band is amazing. you'll lobe it.

1. drumline is it's own seperate thing, they're part of the band, but drumline is more strict and you have more wweight to move around. sure most people say its just another section...comming from me or any other drumline person and they'll say its more.

2. you don't have to be perfect to get in the band...and you dont need to be perfect at counting to make bass. started on bass...but it helps the counting SO much, snare is fun, but if you've been playing set for a long time, conciter quads/tenors...you get to move beats around the drums...just like a set

3. you dont need to jjust study solos...study all kinds of music...learn to count any meter you come across...you'd be well off to do that.

well hope i helped...marching ban is an AMAZING experience. i'd seriously conciter it.

[drummer172]

Ya, where are you going.

Drumline is marching band for drummers. You play on the field with the band. However, it is sometimes considered a separate unit, which is why its called marching band.

Bass is probably going to be the easiest to make, snare the hardest.

I dont know how good you are, so I cant say how hard it will be for you to make it. There is a drum corps called the Cavaliers(dont know if you guys have heard of them) One of the guys I know that made the line had only played marching snare for a year. He was amazing at set and had played it for a long time, thats how he could make it. For those of you that dont know, it is incredibly difficult to make the Cavaliers. There are about 135 of the best drummers in the world(not just country) that try out every year for nine spots.

[LittlePound]

i haven't experienced college marching band...but i've been told it sucks nuts. If you're really interested in playing marching percussion in college try to join a drum core or something.

[xNerox]

snare is one of the most overrated instruments in band, period. of tenors, bass, and snare, snare is by far the easiest to play, but due to the prestige around snare, its often the hardest to audition for.

tenors require probably more chops/technique than others, since you're often playing the snare part (or something close to it) but on 4/5/6 drums. hard bass parts are insanely hard because you're more or less playing the one part split across 3-6 people, forcing you to count very odd rhythms...

[XxColt13xX]

snare is one of the most overrated instruments in band, period. of tenors, bass, and snare, snare is by far the easiest to play, but due to the prestige around snare, its often the hardest to audition for.

tenors require probably more chops/technique than others, since you're often playing the snare part (or something close to it) but on 4/5/6 drums. hard bass parts are insanely hard because you're more or less playing the one part split across 3-6 people, forcing you to count very odd rhythms...

i agree about tenors. I've had to bust my *** to keep my spot when I get in highschool. What you said was right, we (tenor players) play basically the exact same thing as snares, only it's spread out on 4-6 drums and involves making your sticks bounce from one head to another and doing crosses and such. I can own every snare on our drumline when I play snare, due to the amount of technique used to play tenors.

[Legolanderin]

Ya, where are you going.

Drumline is marching band for drummers. You play on the field with the band. However, it is sometimes considered a separate unit, which is why its called marching band.

Bass is probably going to be the easiest to make, snare the hardest.

I dont know how good you are, so I cant say how hard it will be for you to make it. There is a drum corps called the Cavaliers(dont know if you guys have heard of them) One of the guys I know that made the line had only played marching snare for a year. He was amazing at set and had played it for a long time, thats how he could make it. For those of you that dont know, it is incredibly difficult to make the Cavaliers. There are about 135 of the best drummers in the world(not just country) that try out every year for nine spots.


WOO! cavies! my drumline leader was center snare cavie for 95 and 96...Greg Wortman! then i got Dougie Logston and Scott Kretzer as aids and scott is my private instructor!

ok i'm done ranting about the cavies...


sure bass is easiest to make...but it takes differant skills than snare...im top bass on my line and its wicked hard sometimes...i mean i've got diddles and flams an dit's real awkward to do it sideways...love it though.

[drummer172]

snare is one of the most ove instruments in band, period. of tenors, bass, and snare, snare is by far the easiest to play, but due to the prestige around snare, its often the hardest to audition for.

tenors require probably more chops/technique than others, since you're often playing the snare part (or something close to it) but on 4/5/6 drums. hard bass parts are insanely hard because you're more or less playing the one part split across 3-6 people, forcing you to count very odd rhythms...
I must say I disagree with you. I belive that all marching instruments are difficult in their own way. Basses have to be incredible at counting. Snares have to have good chops, fast hands, and the ability to play with each other to the millesecond. Tenors have to be able to move quickly around their drums are high speeds. Each are very difficult in their own prospects, and one is not "more difficult" then the other, they are different.

Snare is the most appealing instrument. It is also the most popular for drummers, and people watching drums.

[Seafroggys]

the onyl reason why snare is harder than anything else is because its harder to be perfectly in time with the rest of the line.

Not only do you have more snares (7+, as opposed to 4 or so tenor players) but the snare is higher pitched, thus has less resonance, thus is harder to mask players that are ever so slightly out of time. Put 5 mediocre drummers on bass playing unison quarters and it'll sound fine, put those same 5 on snare and it'll sound flammy.....now increase that number to like 8 or 9 for some of the bigger lines.....thats where the difficulty comes in.

As for each instrument by itself, I'd say tenors are the hardest, then snare, then bass. In the context of a group, I'd have to say bass is the hardest, then tenors, then snares.

[Motleyguy]

yeah, the same holds true for pipe band drumming, the drums are high tension, which means high pitched, very little resonance, and "coring" is an important aspect of playing with a corps. You have to hit every note together.

[Senseless Apprentice]

Excellent! I am glad to have gotten some input from everyone! So it seems a bit intimidating to me as of now. I believe I will do something that seems easier, like a percussion ensemble. I think this will give me more reading experience and experience somewhat similar to marching band. It seems a bit less stressful since I don't think they perform as often as marching bands. Perhaps some more inquiries:

1) This drum core you speak of....tell me about it! Is it like a percussion ensemble?
2) I've only really seen one group dubbed a "percussion ensemble", which was my highschool percussion ensemble. And they had performed with garbage cans, buckets, and trash can lids. I was wondering what other kinds (if any) setups can run in a percussion ensemble?

Oh, and to answer someones question, I am transfering to the University of Utah next fall. Fairly big school. Compared to the private college I attend now.

[LittlePound]

WOO! cavies! my drumline leader was center snare cavie for 95 and 96...Greg Wortman! then i got Dougie Logston and Scott Kretzer as aids and scott is my private instructor!

ok i'm done ranting about the cavies...


sure bass is easiest to make...but it takes differant skills than snare...im top bass on my line and its wicked hard sometimes...i mean i've got diddles and flams an dit's real awkward to do it sideways...love it though.

yeah we had a snare guy from the cavaliers help us this year too. His name was Tom something, he came becuase he knew our percussion instructor Coby Coco. It was pretty cool to have someone so good help us out

[drummer172]

yeah we had a snare guy from the cavaliers help us this year too. His name was Tom something, he came becuase he knew our percussion instructor Coby Coco. It was pretty cool to have someone so good help us out
I think I know who your talking about. All the people from the Cavies are top notch, and most of them are real nice guys. I have had awesome experiences with some of them.:thumb: