Blue Devils Hornline 2011 - Show Excerpt (Double Tonguing)

[jerrygoodnght]

Example of the pelvic thrust at :16 That's every trumpet players secret weapon :)

[AllStater09]

@VerdantBlue WOW you marched BD? That's pretty awesome. I plan on auditioning Euph/Bari this November. Do you have any good audition advice? What kind of experience did you get from the organization?

[VerdantBlue]

@AllStater09 Naw, I didn't march BD. I auditioned for Devs and Cadets, made both, and chose Cadets.

BD's auditions are really about cleanliness. They'll give you a moderately easy tonguing exercise, and when they individually audition you, they want it as close to perfect as possible. The whole ethic behind BD is perfecting anything, any little thing, one step at a time.

[VerdantBlue]

@AllStater09 As far as audition advice goes, just practice. Practice your audition piece in front of other people, be it friends, parents, or your band director, and have them critique you. Making BD isn't some ungodly challenge that people have made it out to be, and even if you don't make it, you can always hold out until later, like March or April, and they'll announce holes. If you auditioned well, and didn't make it, you're a viable hole-filler.

[VerdantBlue]

@AllStater09 Also, LOOK GOOD VISUALLY. This applies to a lot of upper-echelon corps, especially the Cavies and BD. Excellent musicianship comes with practice, but holding your horn with kickass posture is a lot harder to beat into someone. That's probably the first thing that you're judged on, auditioning for any corps anywhere. If your straight-leg isn't solid, work on it. If you can't hold those horns (the Kings made me cry at December auditions.) do everything in your power to make it happen.

[VerdantBlue]

@AllStater09 Also, if you want a better chance of making BD, go to the first audition camp in NorCal. By the time the other camps start, all of the holes are filled and they're scouting for next year.

[KauaiBallerof2012]

@VerdantBlue Hey how is the straight leg technique really like? I'm from Hawaii and i play contra and we march bicycle style but i've been practicing straight leg. Also what types of exercises for my chops would be good?

[VerdantBlue]

@KauaiBallerof2012 Straight leg technique is really hard to describe, but the way BD does it is mostly squeezing your thighs and glutes and pushing from your heels (forward) and platforms (backwards). Try to put all of your weight in the leg you aren't moving and use that as a support. Eliminate side-to-side sway, and that's fundamentally BD's technique.

In terms of chops, if you can get ahold of one of their old slur/tonguing exercises, do that. They give you something to play at the camp.

[KauaiBallerof2012]

@VerdantBlue Is it true that Blue Devils isn't a true Straight leg as of the Cadets? ALso i was also looking foward to auditioning for the Cadets as wel..

[jerrygoodnght]

:17-:19 the best. Double tonguing is amazing, as always, but the screaming note, and then the slight melody line just MAKES this clips.

[AllStater09]

@Mrfunkyoyo your right it's actually pretty cool. wow a hybrid bari/euph. Now I really wanna play on it!

[VerdantBlue]

@AllStater09 It's slightly larger than a dynasty euph and about four pounds heavier. Easily biggest and heaviest instrument (besides a contra) I've ever played on... ever.

It's got wicked high range, though, and slurring partials is more smooth than a hot knife through butter. The weight is worth the sound.

[ColeeCadet]

very crisp! nice job BD

[AllStater09]

@Mrfunkyoyo you sure about that? Cause I know they march King horns now and they haven't manufactured that type of hybrid horn

[Mrfunkyoyo]

@AllStater09 search system blue brass brass in Google or something. King works with system blue to produce these new "revolutionary" products.

[AllStater09]

does anyone know if BD march both euphoniums and baritones or just euphoniums... it sounds like A LOT of euphs that's why

[Mrfunkyoyo]

@AllStater09 I'm pretty sure they are marching "bariphoniums." It's like a hybrid of a baritone and a euphonium. They marched all euphoniums the past two seasons and wanted something that was not quite as big, but without completely sacrificing the dark and rich timbre of the euphonium.

[alexsmmb]

I'm really not a fan of BD but gotta admit this is pretty sweet. So clean.

[Scene4dummiesOhYesh]

its so crisp.. fjhglhgl

[gfaccone]

Just. Simply. Awesome.

[victorlovesmusic]

It's just, too amazing. Favorite part of the show