Wanting to join a marching band

D

daxz222

Member
Hi guys,

I am thinking of joining a marching band. Anybody here knows where I can find one? What is the requirements to join? I tried to google but could not find any. I am 26 years old and live in San Francisco Bay area. I regret I did not join my high school band, I hope i am not too old to join. Thanks in advance!!
 
Agreed. The Renegades are probably your only choice the Bay Area. All other drum and bugle corps are designated 'junior' corps, which is 21 and under. The Renegades are a senior corp and will accept any age.

The Sacramento Freelancers Alumni Corps is another one I used to play dreamiest for, but their membership is a little iffy, but I do know the big things for these senior and mini corps to get to would be DCA Nationals, I believe held in Indianapolis. When I did it, the contest was held in Annapolis.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I consider myself beginner. Do I have to be very good in order to join? I can play:

Singles 16th: 130-140bpm
Doubles 16th: 140-150bpm
Paradidle/2x/3x 16th: 125bpm
Flams 16th: 85bpm

I know how to read music fairly good.
I am kind of nervous to join. Is it intimidating?
 
daxz222 said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

I consider myself beginner. Do I have to be very good in order to join? I can play:

Singles 16th: 130-140bpm
Doubles 16th: 140-150bpm
Paradidle/2x/3x 16th: 125bpm
Flams 16th: 85bpm

I know how to read music fairly good.
I am kind of nervous to join. Is it intimidating?
Click to expand...

Originally marching bands and drum corps used to be where beginners went to learn how to play. Of course, thanks to the glamorization of the activity with organizations like DCI, you now have world class players auditioning for groups like the Santa Clara Vanguard and the Concorde Blue Devils. BUT - groups like the Renegades and this Sunnyvale group will take anyone willing to participate. If you're willing to work hard in any position you get (you could be a cymbal player or a bass drummer - I was a bass drummer, it's a whole different vibe playing split parts) and pay your fees up front, they won't throw you out. Just be into it and willing to do the work and you can stay throughout a whole season. It's a great way to learn by being in a group of all levels of players putting together a show.

TBH - I'd try the Sunnyvale group first. It's a band and therefore you'd get a chance to interact with all different kinds of players. Drum and bugle corps are split between horns and drumline. It doesn't hurt hanging around with woodwind players too.
 
daxz222 said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

I consider myself beginner. Do I have to be very good in order to join? I can play:

Singles 16th: 130-140bpm
Doubles 16th: 140-150bpm
Paradidle/2x/3x 16th: 125bpm
Flams 16th: 85bpm

I know how to read music fairly good.
I am kind of nervous to join. Is it intimidating?
Click to expand...

Well.here's a snare part they want you to be able to play:

http://www.renegades.org/chinesenewyear/music/2015/DontStopBelievin_Snare.pdf

it's not for the beginner by any means.
 
that snare part is very basic. the sticking makes it tricky, you have to match everyone else in line so it looks right. I watched a utube vid of the Vaguard, the snare parts seemed to only be a lot of doubles and press rolls and rimsots. more theatrics than music ability.
 
I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that snare chart isn't all that challenging. I played more intricate stuff in college and DCA.

And for anyone who thinks double-stroke rolls and rimshots aren't challenging, try it with ten drummers playing it at once and making it sound like one drummer. ;-) It is NOT EASY.
 
daxz222 said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

I consider myself beginner. Do I have to be very good in order to join? I can play:

Singles 16th: 130-140bpm
Doubles 16th: 140-150bpm
Paradidle/2x/3x 16th: 125bpm
Flams 16th: 85bpm

I know how to read music fairly good.
I am kind of nervous to join. Is it intimidating?
Click to expand...

Maybe try out for cymbals. I got stuck on the big bass my first year and then played snare for the rest of high school. I was really good at snare, but looking back, the cymbals were pretty cool and would have been a lot of fun. You can focus on learning to march, and by the time your snare game is up to speed, it will come naturally. Plus you'll get them shoulders like boulders.
 
STXBob said:
I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that snare chart isn't all that challenging. I played more intricate stuff in college and DCA.

And for anyone who thinks double-stroke rolls and rimshots aren't challenging, try it with ten drummers playing it at once and making it sound like one drummer. ;-) It is NOT EASY.
Click to expand...

It's about of medium difficulty ,but when you throw in sticking ,dynamics and accents,it's not beginner stuff.

Reminds a bit of Mitch Markovich's the Winner.
 
Drum Corps Associates (DCA) is the organization for senior (over 21) drum and bugle corps. Looking at their website, I don't see any active corps near San Francisco. I have friends (in their 50s) that still march in the Atlanta corps.

If you do find a drum and bugle corps, there is usually a pretty tough audition and high membership fees (that cover music costs, practice space rentals, uniforms, and travel costs. Each org may handle these differently). Most of the people in these corps graduated from the DCI drum and bugle corps.

You may search around and find some local community bands or something sponsored by the American Legion or some similar organization.

Community bands would be much more accommodating.

Good luck in your search. It can be very demanding, but also lots of fun.
 
I'm a sucker for a good bass drum line, and I wasn't upset about not being a tenor or snare player. When you can take six guys and split everything up into these really intricate melodic parts, and be the bottom of the corps, it's a good feeling. Everybody's timing has to be great an their chops have to be great, but you start splitting things up and you're in a whole 'other world.

Do some YouTube searches of rudimental bass drum lines, particularly the Garfield Cadets (they had some great videos featuring just their bass drums recently) and you'll see what I mean. I would've aged out playing bass drum if I stayed that long. Cymbal lines also split things up as well, check out Santa Claras' four-man cymbal line, awesome stuff.
 
Bass lines really suffer from the lowest common denominator hangup, and since the crappier players tend to be thrown on bass, you end up with lines incapable of doing anything really except for unisons. I was fortunate to be on a bass line for winter drums my sophomore year with competent players (I was typically on snare or tenors) and it was soooo much fun.

Makes me want to join a marching band, not sure what the market is for the over 21 crowd.
 
I met most of my lifetime friends from high school marching band...Gotta admit that some of those real long late night bus trips were quite fun! ;)

It seems most of the "all age" or "senior" drum corps groups are mainly in the eastern, southern, and mid-western areas of the country. There don't seem to be too many out west for some reason.

There are three here in Georgia. I almost wish I had the time and resources to try to march again, but don't think my family would appreciate even more time spent away playing drums (plus, old age is creeping in fast).

When I marched, I played matched grip and was stuck on double toms and additional percussion (everything from tambourine, to slide whistle, and even bird whistle). We didn't have multiple bass drums, but played sets of doubles and timp-toms (huge triples). Those things were back breakers.
 
Matt Bo Eder said:
I'm a sucker for a good bass drum line, and I wasn't upset about not being a tenor or snare player. When you can take six guys and split everything up into these really intricate melodic parts, and be the bottom of the corps, it's a good feeling. Everybody's timing has to be great an their chops have to be great, but you start splitting things up and you're in a whole 'other world.

Do some YouTube searches of rudimental bass drum lines, particularly the Garfield Cadets (they had some great videos featuring just their bass drums recently) and you'll see what I mean. I would've aged out playing bass drum if I stayed that long. Cymbal lines also split things up as well, check out Santa Claras' four-man cymbal line, awesome stuff.
Click to expand...

Bass drum was always my favorite instrument. When I moved past high school and got into my college drumline and drum corps all I wanted to play was bass drum.

I still teach high school groups to this day and my bass drum lines usually tend to by my strongest section of my battery.
 
gmiller598 said:
Bass drum was always my favorite instrument. When I moved past high school and got into my college drumline and drum corps all I wanted to play was bass drum.

I still teach high school groups to this day and my bass drum lines usually tend to by my strongest section of my battery.
Click to expand...

You're an anomaly sir! Most lines I see everything is neglected except for the snare line! Or at least that was how it was when I worked with the Kingsmen Alumni Corps back in '07 ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top