Whats the Difference between DCI and MB?

Question

marching band is pretty much the same as drum corps...but whats the difference? age? sound? instraments? im just wondering.

Answer 1

There used to be a much larger difference than there is today.

Differences that still exist:

-- Marching bands are generally associated with a high school or university/college. Modern drum and bugle corps are usually independent organizations (although some Shriners chapters still have drum and bugle corps, and there are a few high school and college drum and bugle corps. In particular, the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the US Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, the Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, and the US Coast Guard Windjammers Drum and Bugle Corps are exceptions.)
-- Marching bands generally include a full range of wind instrumentation. Drum and bugle corps is (currently) limited to "valved, bell-front" brass instruments only. So, for example, trombones and sousaphones are (currently) not permitted in drum and bugle corps. Nor are woodwinds of any kind.
-- Also, drum and bugle corps brass instruments traditionally are pitched in the key of G, unlike concert/marching band brass instruments, which are in the key of B-flat (or sometimes F or E-flat).
-- Marching bands tend to be active in the fall during football season. Drum and bugle corps competitive season is in the summer, and the top junior corps travel thousands of miles each summer to compete against each other.
-- Because of the greater number of hours devoted to practice, drum and bugle corps shows tend to involve much more difficult drill than most high school marching bands, and the music tends to be more challenging. However, there are some top high school bands, particularly in the Bands of America circuit, whose musical difficulty and drill difficulty at least approaches the level of the better drum and bugle corps.
-- The ages of high school and college marching band members are usually limited by the ages of the students who attend the school. Junior corps in DCI have an age limit of 22; once you exceed that age, you "age out" and can no longer compete. There are also corps out there called "all-age corps" or "senior corps" which are competitive and for which there is usually not an age limit. These corps compete in a circuit called DCA. There are also corps out there that used to compete but whose members are generally too old or too busy to compete. These corps are usually referred to as "alumni corps", and they usually do parades and concerts only.

Other than that, they're pretty similar. They have similar percussion instrumentation, and the colorguard/auxiliary perform similar roles in both.

They have very different historical backgrounds though. Originally, the competitive drum and bugle corps movement began when World War I and World War II veterans returned home and joined the VFW and American Legion. The chapters wanted a way to compete against each other, so they got together and set up rules, trained judges, and started competing. Old-style drum and bugle corps emphasized military-style precision in marching and music, and many of the rules they created were strongly based on this philosophy.

In the early 1970s, some of the top drum and bugle corps got together to form Drum Corps International so they could set their own rules and control their own finances.

Since then, many changes have occurred, particularly in the brass instrumentation. Originally, the corps used true bugles pitched in the key of G with no valves. Since this severely limited the music that could be played, bugles evolved to include first one horizontal piston, then a horizontal piston with a "slip side" to lower the pitch by a half-step. In the 1970s, bugles had a horizontal piston with a "rotor" that gave the instruments the equivalent of two valves. In the 1980s, two upright valves were permitted. In the 1990s, three-valve "bugles" were permitted but were still required to be in the key of G (unlike band instruments, which are generally in the key of B-flat or F). In 2000, DCI permitted regular band instruments to be used (as long as they are bell-front and valved), so slowly but surely, the differences between drum and bugle corps and marching bands are disappearing.

Wow, I bet that's a lot more than you were looking for. :)

Answer 2

There's a HUGE difference between DCI and a marching band. Drum corps only contain brass instruments and percussion, no woodwinds. The age range is pretty much the same for both. Drum corps tend to be much better performance wise because they spend their entire summer working on their show. DCI is kind of the equivalent of the NFL or any other kind of major league. Most marching bands don't play at the same level as drum corps, since drum corps have plenty of time to fine tune their show. One other thing is that drum corps is its own league. They don't play at football games like marching bands do. I don't know if this is more than you wanted, but I hope it answers your question.

Answer 3

Drum corps focuses mainly on percussion, while marching bands display woodwinds, brass, and sometimes even stringed instruments prominently. Unless, of course, you refer to a drum and bugle corps, which usually strictly includes percussion and brass players. Likewise, a drum and fife corps, usually piquing a historical interest from Revolutionary times, has only drums and fifes.

Answer 4

Dci Bands

Answer 5

Dci Marching Band