Drum Corps: Need a bit of help

[fastlane]

Hey guys I plan on auditioning for a drum corps within a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find a tenor solo. I'm supposed to prepare a solo for my instrument and I honestly have no clue where to find a tenor solo.

[iamjoe2]

awsome advice, just what he was asking for.


http://www.rowloff.com/SolosDuets/MarchingSandD.html

what corps are you trying out for?

i suggest some of hansens solos. im working on "twist it up" right now. 1991 dci championship solo.

ive also done double crossed. which is easier.

all of the phantom ones by hurley (actually my drum instructor) are crazy on snare but easier on tenors.

also check out bill bachmans book "quad logic" its got some good exercises and some pretty advanced solos in the back.

[eatsleepandblink]

I didn't have time to elaborate earlier, so let me try.
First off, what corps are you auditioning for?
I only know of like one corps where the solo you prepare actually matters, and their audition camp was this weekend. Now, of course you still need to prepare one, I'm just saying your most likely better off practicing the audition material posted for the corps, and getting the corps style down. So instead of spending all of your time learning a crazy solo where the focus is playing more notes in a shorter amount of time or showing off those crazy cross overs and sweeps that will never come up in a real corps' book, just compile a few cool licks that you've played through high school, or came up with yourself that show what your good at, and apply what you've learned at the camp as far as style of playing to it. They're not going to care if the solo sounds cool or is good or bad writing. They want to see that you can prepare music in time for a camp, how you play when your playing something your comfortable with, your overall ability of playing more "real" music, instead of warm-ups and exercises your probably going to be playing all weekend, and most of all, how you apply what you've learned over the weekend to your playing. They don't care how good your chops are (though you have to have SOME chops), when your playing as much as you have to with a corps, your chops are going to develop plenty over the summer.

[billdrum]

Yes Rowloff has some good books with solos. Quad Logic is one, but it only has 2 or 3 solos and they're fairly difficult. Try Modern Multi Tenor Techniques and Solos by Davila. It has more solos in a wider range of levels.

Definitely visit the web page of the corps you're trying out for and make sure you have their materials mastered. Good luck! Which corps is it?

[fastlane]

I had an old percussion instructor recomment Modern Multi Tenor Techniques and Solos by Davila to me today. I will definately look into that book.

I will be auditioning for memphis sound drum and bugle corps. It's a div 2

[fastlane]

sorry for double post but i ment to thank eatsleepandblink. thanks for your post man. that helps. the audition material is actually just their warm ups and grids :S. its the diddle grids w/ varitations, the flam grids with variations, and the rudimental grids with variations. let me just say they are pretty tough. lol ive been working hard on them tho. i have all the diddle grids down but the other two are ew.

[eatsleepandblink]

Cool stuff, try looking on youtube for any videos of their line in the lot and stuff, and watch their quad players, and try to imitate the way they look when they play, everything from how much arm/ wrist they use depending on what exactly they're playing to just their overall posture. It'll help. And just hit those grids, make sure ya get them learned for the camp. Go into the weekend with confidence, it'll show in your playing, play with a big sound, stay relaxed, good luck :thumb:

[Caleb_Pickering]

I had an old percussion instructor recomment Modern Multi Tenor Techniques and Solos by Davila to me today. I will definately look into that book.

I will be auditioning for memphis sound drum and bugle corps. It's a div 2

youll have a good time if you march there, they have a good staff. I'm actually going to Troopers.

[Little Android Man]

good luck with the audition.

i don't know much about tenor books and excercises i'm a snare, so sorry i can't help.

[fastlane]

well i didnt make memphis sound which is a bummer. i was really looking forward to it. does anyone know some other corps to look into? im definately not going to give up on trying to get into one for this summer. i know audition dates are getting close and i have to get on top of stuff. im definately looking to keep it to div 2 or div 3

[fastlane]

sorry for the double post but i cant get my edit button to work right. and in my last post i didnt mean to say div 2 or div 3. thats old school haha now i would refer to it as open class.

[eatsleepandblink]

Technique is important. Probably the most important thing. If your technique isn't correct you won't be able to play more difficult correctly. You received music at the camp to play for show and tell? They saw your effort and dedication while learning that. Also, a person can put in infinite hours of work on something and be able to play it. They want people who can think on their feet, adapt on the spot, not say, oh well if I spent more time on this I could get it. You probably auditioned for the caption head? well the techs talk to the caption head of course, and the caption head also defines the technique and everything, so it's not like he didn't know your full potential or how you worked during the camp, and he of course knew what he was looking for. Chances are there were people there who didn't need to correct the problems you had, and not to sound harsh, but why should they wait for you to correct those problems, as easy as they may be to do so, when they have people ready to start from a higher level. The description you gave sounded like a pretty normal corps camp to me.... It's a higher level of playing and a higher level of musicianship, they have high expectations. But don't take negatively, use the information you got and use it to better your playing.

as for corps, just go to dci.org and check out the open class corps and see what corps are close enough for ya, and just email them.

[DrummerJonny]

if your drumming is as bad as your spelling / grammar, i see why they didn't let you in..

[We_Love_Lime]

if your drumming is as bad as your spelling / grammar, i see why they didn't let you in..

Haha

[Undisco Kidd]

Haha

Sentences end with periods.

[fastlane]

thanks eatsleepandblink. i guess i didnt look at it that way but that makes more sense to me now. and yes i fully understand what you mean by saying that why take someone who has technique issues when theres someone else who doesn't have any. and no i didnt take it harsh ;) thanks for the consideration tho lol

and for those of you hatin on my grammer i was in a hurry to head out the door so no time to proof read. i apologize.

all in all tho it was a good experience and i know a little more about what to expect and what they expect.