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As some of you may know, I went to college at Ohio State and performed in the marching band there. Normally if I would mention this to someone from Ohio they would be all "Wow! You are so totally awesome! Can I have your autograph!" and to someone from anywhere other than Ohio they would be all "Oh so you dressed in a goofy costume and hit a drum during a sporting event... your parents must be so proud." But anyway...
This year's edition of the Ohio State University Marching Band prepared a video game theme tribute for homecoming against Nebraska this past Saturday. It featured crowd pleasing formations such as sliding Tetris blocks, Pikachu and Mario heads, an animated Epona gallop (having prepared halftime shows I can say this one would have been extremely hard to pull off with so few rehearsals), and Pac-man being chased by a ghost. My sister went to the game and said it is the best halftime show she has ever seen. Apparently a lot of people agree. Someone posted a video of it on the internets and it has 2 million views after the first day.
So in case anyone wants some Nintendo nostalgia or to see what band geeks dream about at night, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAzzbrFgcUw
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As a resident of Ohio, and wife to an OSU Alumni, I have to say, the Best Damn Band in the Land proved that they are AMAZING with that half time show. And here, I thought that OU's (not OSU) "Gangam Style" was going to be the coolest viral Marching Band vid of the season.... It didn't even last a week.
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A-fucking-mazing! (pardon my Klatchian). This would be totally rad even if those involved weren't playing instruments during the choreography. But they do! I was oh-so-very-much entertained watching this, thanks a bunch for sharing!
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Tarabulus
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That was one of the more impressive thing's I've ever seen from a choreographed team in general, but especially playing musical instruments while memorizing all those shapes/positions.... incredible.
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Only one word can describe that link.
Awesomesmerizing.
The tributes to the classic was great, but I just about lost my mindballs when they performed the Epona gallop.
Thank you for that link.
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*ahem* As a former member of THE Ohio State University, I think you forgot THE most important part. 
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That was even more awesome than I've come to expect from that band.
I've had some experience with some of the practice required for stuff like that. Starting my Junior year in HS (back in the early 90's) we brought in someone from the Madison Scouts to do the design and drill for our shows, thanks to some alumni endowments to pay for it. Which worked well since our band director admitted to not enjoying doing the marching band direction, he just wanted to handle the concert and smaller groups (jazz, pep, ect) we weren't a large school (~600 students total for 9th -12th grades not per grade) so the band was the band, I know some larger schools had separate marching and concert, but for use if you were in the band you marched unless you were on the football team, where it was a case by case situation since the contest season went longer than the football season and if you were good enough at marching your place would just be a hole at the half time shows (as was the case for me my junior year when I was varsity on the football team, I didn't play football my senior year due to, well conflicts with the coach). Anywho, since we were students time allowed for practice was limited in the same way it was for athletics (20 coached hours per week, and games/performances counted against that) so it wasn't the same as the profession corps or a big time college band, but we did at least get a taste, and our turn around was dramatic from scoring in the 60's in our first show my junior year to consistently in the 80's by the end of my senior year; judged to the same standards as the DCI competitors, mid 80's would often win the high school competitions.
What is funny is that some of the stuff that was in that video wouldn't be considered all that challenging for competition level stuff. I always found it a bit humorous that the things that tended to score highly in the competitions were things that just weren't as interesting for fans at half time shows. I can't fully blame them because some of the difficulties of the technical marching and performance is lost to people that don't know/care about it. Fortunately the directors from the Scouts realized this too and we would do "simpler" stuff that was very easy to visually get for the halftime shows. So things like spell stuff, or a clear image that went with the music. My favorite was doing two football helmets, one with our school logo, one with the opponents and having them collide with the opponents "shattering." Looked very cool and did have some difficulty in execution too and the crowd loved it.
That horse though, that's just impressive no matter what lens you look at it through, and the entertainment value, which is the key at a half time show, for that whole show was through the roof. Of course Ohio State has had the advantage of having a good football team to go watch too. When I was in HS in Wisconsin they hadn't turned the football program around yet and at times it was very possible there were more people at the home games to see the band than the team. Wisconsin has a damn fine marching band too, but I can admit that while it can rival OSU, it's not as consistently good. The Best Damn Band in the Land is not a title that was just given to them by some reporter. They aren't the Dallas Cowboys who some beat writer dubbed America's Team and it got picked up by the AP and unfortunately stuck. They got that because of consistently being innovative and excellent.
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(10-13-2012, 10:58 PM)Kevin Wrote: What is funny is that some of the stuff that was in that video wouldn't be considered all that challenging for competition level stuff. I always found it a bit humorous that the things that tended to score highly in the competitions were things that just weren't as interesting for fans at half time shows. I can't fully blame them because some of the difficulties of the technical marching and performance is lost to people that don't know/care about it. Fortunately the directors from the Scouts realized this too and we would do "simpler" stuff that was very easy to visually get for the halftime shows. So things like spell stuff, or a clear image that went with the music. My favorite was doing two football helmets, one with our school logo, one with the opponents and having them collide with the opponents "shattering." Looked very cool and did have some difficulty in execution too and the crowd loved it.
So true. Marching into a picture form is not particularly difficult. But crowds like a picture that matches the music in a way they understand. They don't always appreciate the abstract, regardless of technical merit. I think that is a big part of college marching band. Everyone has a certain style and traditions that they want to uphold, and beyond that it is about entertaining a crowd of football fans.
Sometimes band geeks want to make the direct comparison to the world class DCI groups. Maybe we get it more with Ohio State because of that TBDBITL moniker. "That show was alright but have you seen what the Blue Devils did last year?" It's kind of an apple to oranges comparison. These halftime shows are put together in one or two weeks, while school is in session. New show for every home game. If you throw in too much technical stuff there is no time to get it right. That applies to the music itself as well as the drill. But funny thing is most football fans would like this show better than a Blue Devils world championship show anyway.
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10-15-2012, 03:18 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-15-2012, 03:20 PM by shoju.)
While this video (that I'm linking) isn't nearly the "technical" masterpiece that the OSUMB video is, I have to give them a lot of credit on being "up to date"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDficEfonAE
If you aren't familiar with the song, you don't spend much time on the interwebz. This "You Tube Star" is cracking Pop Charts around the world.
When I was in high school Marching band, we once did a "hard Rock" Half Time Show, including Crazy train, Immigrant Song, Breadfan (Metallica), and another song (for the life of me I can't remember).
It was a lot of fun.
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright
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Quote:If you aren't familiar with the song, you don't spend much time on the interwebz.
I spend five to six hours a day online, and I've never heard of it.
"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?"
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SERIOUSLY!?
Psy - Gangam Style
half a BILLION Views on You Tube. He just recently signed with a record label. He was in the top 100 Most viewed Youtube Accounts (that's top 100 out of everyone, not some specific thing)
His song is blowing up charts in Europe right now, and is a viral video sensation, NFL Players are even mimicking the dance.
And here, I thought I was late to the Gangam Style...
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright
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(10-15-2012, 04:02 PM)LennyLen Wrote: Quote:If you aren't familiar with the song, you don't spend much time on the interwebz.
I spend five to six hours a day online, and I've never heard of it.
...wow. And I'm a guy who is late to the gangam style as well.
Give it 5 years or so. I'd safely bet it has a good chance to join the ranks of 'YMCA', Macarena, and 'The Chicken Dance'. In that I wouldn't be surprised to hear it in a wedding dance with gramma and the little flower girls dancing to it.
Even without the dancing, it's a hell of an earworm. In that it's K-pop, with some J-pop sprinklings, a bit of euro beat, and I swear a bit of Ricky Martin as well. In other words, it's crafted from Hell itself to drill into your skull.
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(10-15-2012, 05:07 PM)Hammerskjold Wrote: (10-15-2012, 04:02 PM)LennyLen Wrote: Quote:If you aren't familiar with the song, you don't spend much time on the interwebz.
I spend five to six hours a day online, and I've never heard of it.
...wow. And I'm a guy who is late to the gangam style as well.
Give it 5 years or so. I'd safely bet it has a good chance to join the ranks of 'YMCA', Macarena, and 'The Chicken Dance'. In that I wouldn't be surprised to hear it in a wedding dance with gramma and the little flower girls dancing to it.
Even without the dancing, it's a hell of an earworm. In that it's K-pop, with some J-pop sprinklings, a bit of euro beat, and I swear a bit of Ricky Martin as well. In other words, it's crafted from Hell itself to drill into your skull.
Truer Words have never been spoken.
But! I love the OU Performance.
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright
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(10-15-2012, 03:18 PM)shoju Wrote: While this video (that I'm linking) isn't nearly the "technical" masterpiece that the OSUMB video is, I have to give them a lot of credit on being "up to date"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDficEfonAE
If you aren't familiar with the song, you don't spend much time on the interwebz. This "You Tube Star" is cracking Pop Charts around the world.
I was late to the party too (though I did find out "only" a week or two late). That was a darn quick turn around by Ohio there, though I do think they had some issues with the composition on the music. I know it's hard to translate some of those sounds to a marching band, but there were some rhythm issues too. But it just seemed to have the general issue of the high brass being too loud when other instrument types would have served better for the translation. This seems to be a common problem with all trumpet players, in all compositions though.  Yes yes I know, the frequencies and amplitudes that brass instruments produce travel very well outdoors, but as a woodwind player I still have to get on the brass players, especially the trumpets, and the teasing was even worse when I was player bari sax in the college jazz band, because everyone knows that a good bari sax player is what carries a small jazz/swing band even if the trumpets get the glory.
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I played percussion. For a while, they gave me the biggest bass drum to haul, and then realized I would be better served on the smaller sizes, since I would pound the hell out of it when needed.
And, the BASS PLAYER carries any band. A good bass player is the difference between having a good pocket of rhythm, and a noisy pile o' poo. I may be biased though, as I'm a bass player. Maybe. But probably not.
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright
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(10-15-2012, 08:10 PM)shoju Wrote: And, the BASS PLAYER carries any band. A good bass player is the difference between having a good pocket of rhythm, and a noisy pile o' poo. I may be biased though, as I'm a bass player. Maybe. But probably not.
I actually agree with you (since not all bands have or need percussion and even if they do a bass has the ability to bring things back), but well my joke, that only I knew when I posted, is that since we had a bass player who had a tendency to accelerate the beat, I was the one who would "bring things back". It was very cool to have the judges compliment me at some of the competitions, since no one ever notices the bari sax players even though pretty much every jazz/swing band has one.
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(10-15-2012, 04:41 PM)shoju Wrote: Psy - Gangam Style
half a BILLION Views on You Tube. He just recently signed with a record label. He was in the top 100 Most viewed Youtube Accounts (that's top 100 out of everyone, not some specific thing)
His song is blowing up charts in Europe right now, and is a viral video sensation, NFL Players are even mimicking the dance.
My son just asked me to put that song on his Ipod.
(I introduced him to it a few weeks ago because I am Internet Dad)
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Quote:SERIOUSLY!?
Seriously. Most of my time online is spent in programming forums and IRC channels, with a bit of time in gaming forums such as this one. I don't use any social media sites and I generally only use YouTube for instructional videos. I also don't watch TV, don't listen to the radio, and don't read newspapers or magazines.
So while I do spend a lot of time online, I'm probably oblivious to 95% of popular media culture.
"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?"
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