A drum corps is composed of three types of drummers, none more important than the others. The bass drum provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation for the band as a whole, the snare drummers provide the drive and dynamics and…
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Pipe Band Tempo Wars: Avoiding the Blame Game
Tempo has been an issue in every pipe band in which I've ever played. There have been tempo discussions at practice, tempo related comments after competitions and I have been yelled at and lectured at for tempo related issues. Tempo…
Video Blog: How to Improve Your FOCUS
The word "focus" is thrown around a lot. I hear often hear it in rehearsal and even more often on competition days. What does it mean? Is it possible to practice focusing? If so, what does that look like?
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Getting Your Drum Corps on the Same Page... Literally!
In my early years writing drum scores I used loose leaf paper, a pencil and (most importantly) a good eraser. There were virtually no music notation programs available and those that did exist could not handle pipe band drumming notation…
The "2346": A Warm Up You Can Count On
The importance of warming up before a rehearsal or performance cannot be overstated. If a drum corps is not warmed up properly it can mean the difference between success and failure on the field. So, which warm ups should you…