Fayray, that was absolutely horrid.

whats with all the foreign drums being used in american shows

yamaha, pearl. wtf

Each to their own Justin. One man's horrid is another man's quite enjoyable.

a reflection of what's in American music shops maybe?

Fact is there are no more great "American" marching snares or bass drums. Ludwig still markets a marching line but made in China. Most drum corps and marching bands use Yamaha, Dynasty or Pearl...the new big three.

-kellyj

More of top secret with their Dynasty's

for a drummer If this dosn't fire you up.. nothing will..Spectacular ending..

Cheers

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJVdnMAGIt8[/ame]

Hey KellyJ,

I marched with Jersey Surf for a year and then 2 with the Crossmen (when they were consistently in the top 8). I also taught there for a year. We beat the Cavies in 97 which was a major accomplishment for the drum corps! Did you march?

As far as getting in on the drums topic I would love to share my opinions. Yes, the big three are Pearl, Yamaha, and Dynasty. Premier and Ludwig are just awful (however Premier makes some nice pipe band snares).

Honestly, I was always a Pearl guy. I was a high school band director and was finally able to convince my school to buy us new drums. I was going to get Pearls and my drum tech lobbied hard to get Dynasty's. I looked at the pros and cons with him for both and Dynasty came up on top.

Snares: both are pretty equivalent, Dynasty's are a little easier to tune.

Basses: no real difference.

TENORS: this was the selling point. If you have ever dealt with Pearl tenors they are a Bi%^H to put together when you get them. Once you have them they constantly need maintenance and fall a part, lose screws etc... (especially when used with a HS). The Dynsasty's are ready to play out of the box. The rack they are attached to is assembled, the drums are solid and positioned correctly! And they sound great.

I NEVER thought I would every by Dynasty's but they are a hidden gem if you are in the market to buy drums for your drum-line. The only thing I wasn't thrilled with is the lug casings aren't full length and do not run the length of the drum from an appearance stand point. Didn't ever seem to effect tuning at all. But the look grew on me. But not like it really mattered, we only ever took the covers off at shows. As soon as they got off the field they went back on!! LOL.

Oh yeah, Dynasty/DEG is an AMERICAN company, based in Wisconsin. Not as big as the other corporations but they are producing quality marching drums!

-Mike

Hi Mike. longjohn.

The Swiss are amazing. They Swiss army invented many of the rudiments for warfare.

Your marching credentials go way beyond mine as does your music education.

You were on Crossmen's snare line when you beat Cavies... Very cool! Could you post a video here of your solo work? How did you like the Cadets back in the late '90's?

I have a Dynasty marching snare and I'll post a pic later of that. Our local alumni corps purchased a full set of Dynasty marching percussion. We have 5 bass, two quads, 6 snares in red laquer, 9 ply maple shells with steel re-rings. Heavy drums but very well made and robust!

I marched actually back in the '70's with a junior class corps in Canada. Our instructor and arranger was "Open" class, so I learned a lot. Now, mainly a kit drummer but do play in an excellent local Gospel/folk band. We have a CD relaese concert coming up next month, so lots of work to do on that. Not sure what I enjoy more..drum corps or band?

-kelly

Hi Mike,

Your marching credentials go way beyond mine as does your music education.

You were on Crossmen's snare line when you beat Cavies... Very cool! Could you post a video here of your solo work?

I have a Dynasty marching snare and I'll post a pic later of that. I marched actually back in the '70's with a junior class corps in Canada. Our instructor and arranger was "Open" class, so I learned a lot. Now, mainly a kit drummer but do play in an excellent local Gospel/folk band. We have a CD relaese concert coming up next month, so lots of work to do on that. Not sure what I enjoy more..drum corps or band?

-kelly

Hey kellyj,

I actually was in the pit all the years I marched, not really what you would call a snare drummer being that my degree concentration was in classical percussion but I always played drum set on the side. Unfortunately I have no videos but again I am not a snare drummer.

I was fortunate my first year at Crossmen to be taught by Thom Hannum and his staff. Jim Ancona and Jack Mansager taught me so much along with the now infamous Colin McNutt! Those guys credentials are ridiculous and are amazing teachers! I was sad by the time I aged out and came back for a last year they had all left the corps.

Drum Corps or Band? Now that's a debate!

For playing outside: definitely corps. Being a marching band director for years woodwinds are definitely the biggest headache when it comes to breakage and intonation. Especially in the cold weather which I am sure you can attest to up there in Canada!! But again, I am not really a supporter of the outdoor electronics movement. Whatever happened to playing with quality of sound??? :)

But for inside nothing beats a good wind symphony.

-Mike