Trendmarching : Situs Library Marching Band Indonesia

colorguardcentral.com

When designing your own flag, a good place to start is looking at other already designed flags in Band Catalogs.  I recommend Band Shoppe or McCormick’s catalog.  They both have websites you can look at for flag designs.

Flag Design Shapes:  There are many variations of flag shapes that you can use when designing a flag, but remember that your show is in your creative control.  So, if you don’t find a flag shape you like, you can come up with your own shape.

What to use to Design your Flag:  A great way to visualize your flag and it’s colors is to use Microsoft Paint.  Microsoft Paint comes standard on any PC running Windows.  To access Paint, go to Start>Programs>Accessories>Paint.  Open the Program and use either the line tool, the box tool, or the pencil tool to draw the shape of your flag.  Next, use the same tools to draw the design in the interior of the flag.

In the image below, we use the box tool to draw the rectangle shape of the flag, then we used the line tool to draw the straight lines within the flag.

After you’ve drawn the outline of your flag design, now you can start to color it.  Use the Paint Bucket tool to fill the different sections of your flag with the colors you want to use.  (Tip:  You can double click on the colors in the color palette below to create a custom color)

Now, you can play with the colors until you come up with the perfect color combination for your flag.  (For more information on what colors mean, Click Here).  Below, we copied our flag and pasted four different version, using the paint bucket to change the flag colors.  To copy your flag use the selection tool (above the paint bucket) and select your flag.  Next copy it (ctrl + C).  Now paste the image (ctrl + V). Then, move the pasted selection away from your original flag.

After you’ve come up with the perfect design, Print it out and show it to your band director.  After it’s been approved find the colors that you want in a Catalog.  Most catalogs will send you swatches of all the fabric colors that they have for free.  Most of the catalogs also provide the service of creating the flags for you in the colors that you want…as long as it’s their design.  This can be quite expensive, ranging from $15-$70 per flag!

(Finished product of a flag designed in Paint)

Tags: Color Guard

Relaxation

By : Bryan Goff

Wait a minute, shouldn’t that be “One, Two, Ready, Play!”? One of the most common playing problems that have observed in my teaching is excessive tension, and the most prevalent tension problem us usually excessive embouchure tension on the first note. It is obvious that if we start out playing with too much tension, it will only get worse as we progress.

Imagine, for a moment, that you and your friend are taking a long, sleepy afternoon drive. You glance over and notice that your passenger is asleep – you know he’s asleep because his lower jaw is hanging open. This is a state of total relaxation, and of course you couldn’t form a descent trumpet embouchure with this total absence of tension – you have to at least close your lips! Now, imagine that your lips are closed, you have no hint of a smile, and your facial appearance is very somber and relaxed. Breath in through your nose and then blow – notice, there will be no lip vibration if you are totally relaxed; the air will simply blow your lips open without vibrating and producing a tone.

Now, as a tension awareness exercise, start with that same somber facial expression and start adding tension ever-so-gradually, until you have just enough “embouchure focus” (which equates to a slight amount of embouchure tension) to produce a pianissimo tone. By practicing this exercise regularly, you will hopefully find it easier to monitor the amount of tension that is present in your embouchure, and thereby increase your ability to decrease the amount of embouchure tension at the beginning of your performance and also to monitor and correct the amount of tension throughout the course of your performance.

In order to start with a relaxed embouchure, I offer another suggestion: take a long, slow, deep breath before playing your first note. For example, in 4/4 time rather than inhaling during a quarter rest prior to your entrance, try inhaling over a half rest or even 4 full beats. I think that in this long, slow breath you will find that you are much more capable of maintaining a relaxed initial embouchure than if you were to take in a quick breath.

Tags: trumpet

Have you been doing your lip flexibility exercises on a regular basis?

So often we tend to say that we have a few “set exercises” that are always included in our daily routine, but when we think back over the past couple of weeks’ practice sessions, we may realize that some of those exercises have been practiced rather sporadically (for me, single tonguing is most often ignored). Lip flexibility is another frequently overlooked exercise for may people. The best policy is to schedule these exercises at a specific point of the daily practice routine, usually sometime during the warm-up period.

Below is a progression of three lip slurs which I have found to be very useful, not only for myself, but for my students, as well. You know the routine – go down chromatically through all valve combinations and back up. Those who cannot attain the upper register in a relaxed manner, might find it easier to start at the bottom (1-2-3 valve combination) and work your way up, as high as you can comfortably do so.

I hope you find this to be a very beneficial 20 minutes (18 min. 12 sec. to be exact) in your daily routine. Remember: every day!

By : Bryan Goff

Tags: brass, slurs

By : Bryan Goff

I keep repeating the theme that in order to not neglect certain playing techniques, we must include these techniques in a specific slot in our regular daily practice schedule. I have previously mentioned techniques such as lip slurs and single tonguing. I feel that it is also important to ensure that we at least include a minimum amount of pianissimo and fortissimo playing every day.

Pianissimo playing requires embouchure control, steady breath control, and suppleness and responsiveness of the embouchure. Fortissimo playing requires, in addition to strong air support, embouchure strength and the ability to control the aperture when subjected to a large volume of air. In short, the extremes of dynamic range require totally different types of physical control. Obviously, the only way to develop and maintain control at these extremes is to practice at these levels, for at least a few minutes, on a regular basis.

I would speculate that most trumpeters who are reasonably accomplished, spend the largest proportion of their daily practice time playing mezzo forte or louder. The reason for this is that their sense of good solid air support will most naturally result in a full, resonant, and somewhat loud tone. (On the other hand, it might be a good idea for less accomplished players to consciously spend a greater amount of time playing at loud dynamic levels to develop a better sense of good air support). It is my belief that these accomplished players may need to purposely include some supplementary pianissimo selections every day. Likewise, even if a player does much of his performing at a loud level, he will not be able to control those fortissimo passages when called upon, unless he has included at least a little fortissimo playing in his daily routine.

Personally, I can discipline myself to include tonguing and lip flexibility exercises in my daily routine, but to include exercises that are designed solely for the purpose of playing at loud and soft dynamics is, for me, extremely boring. I really prefer to cover my dynamic extremes by playing selections from actual musical examples, orchestral excerpts for example.

I would like to suggest that you pick a few of your favorite excerpts which represent extremes of dynamic levels and play them at a specific point in your daily routine.

Tags: trumpet

Ditulis Oleh: Henry Goeltom*

Fitur Review Alat akan menjadi tambahan menu di situs Trendmarching. Fitur ini berdasarkan hasil olah dan uji coba yang dilakukan redaksi dengan melihat kelebihan dan kekurangan pada alat-alat yang masuk ke meja redaksi sebagai bahan materi bagi pembaca dalam membeli perlengkapan marching band anda. Materi Review alat terdiri dari Full specifications, Key features, Main disadvantages disertai foto-foto alat yang dibahas. Semua alat yang direview bersumber dari distributor alat marching band di Jakarta. Pada review alat kali ini redaksi menurunkan Premier Revolution Series Indoor Marching Snare Drum dengan model PRE REVO 14×7 38207 EBC. Full specifications : General Brand : Premier Revolution Series Indoor Marching Snare Drum Model : PRE REVO 14×7 38207 EBC Status : Available. Distributor Indonesia Wijaya Music Jl.Pasar Baru No.12 Jakarta Pusat 10710 . Mala, Rajendra : Ph:+62-21-3442154 / 3860672 / 3442767, Fax: +62-21-3802234 Ukuran Dimensions 14×7 inch Weight Gambar Tampak depan PRE REVO 14×7 38207 EBC Tampak bawah PRE REVO 14×7 38207 EBC Tampak depan PRE REVO 14×7 38207 RC Warna (Drum Finishes) Flame Red Lacquer (RC) Black Lacquer (EBC) Ivory White Lacquer (IWC) Design (Featuring) “B.S.A.” Bilateral Snare Adjustment technology (patent pending) Aluminium and GFL (glass filled nylon) componentry for added strength and reduced weight Die cast Aluminium rims Die cast Aluminium suspension rign 6mm / 6ply Birch free floating shell. Shell internally lacquered for increased response and warm tone Head Cybermax batter head by Remo USA. Harga(PCS) PRE REVO 14×7 38207 EBC Rp 9.046.000 PRE REVO 14X12 38214EBC Rp 9.292.000 CARRIER VEST SNAR/ TEN CON Rp 738.000.00 RKS SNR ADAPT ROD HTS 184 Rp 425.000.00 PRE REVO 14×7 38207 EBC masuk dalam jajaran produk Premier Revolution Series Indoor Marching Snare Drum. Snare drum untuk marching ini hampir sama spesifikasinya dengan model 38214 14×12 EBC, yang membedakan dari segi ukuran dimensinya. Jenis PRE REVO 14X7 38207 EBC di produksi untuk kalangan pemakai dalam ruangan tertutup(Indoor Marching Snare) dan sangat cocok dipakai marching band tingkat SMP, SMA walaupun tingkat Unversitas dan Umum juga sangat mungkin menggunakan alat ini. Redaksi sempat bertanya-tanya kenapa Premier mengeluarkan size 14×7 ini sementara di Indonesia kalangan marchers lebih suka memakai ukuran 14×12. Revo ukuran 14×7 ini di klaim Premier Percussion memiliki daya tahan dan modernisasi model. Diciptakan untuk memenuhi keinginan masa depan marching percussion ensemble. Inovasi dan pengembangan Premier ini menghasilkan snare drum unik yang bisa anda pakai bagi band anda dengan kualitas suara yang bersih. Key Feature PRE REVO 14×7 38207 terletak bahan pembuatnya dari New Aluminium dan G.F.L (Glass Filled Nylon) yang memiliki kekuatan daya tahan dan awet, serta mengurangi berat snare jika digunakan bersama carrier. Bahan dari New Aluminium memang lagi trend dan banyak digunakan oleh industri untuk membuat peralatan elektronik yang ringan. Redaksi mencoba memainkan alat ini dalam posisi berjalan dan diam sangatlah ringan. Jika seorang pemain snare drum memainkan alat ini pastilah konsentrasi pemain tidak akan terganggu lagi terhadap beban yang dipakai, maksudnya pemain tidak akan kecapean menyandang alat ini dan bisa lebih fokus pada display and showmanship. Pemain yang sudah biasa memakai snare drum yang berat pastilah tidak sulit beralih ke perangkat ini tinggal adaptasi dalam latihan-latihan rutin akan memudahkannya. Kelebihan lainnya adalah Premier mengembangkan design teknologi baru yang dalam proses di patent kan dengan nama”B.S.A.” Bilateral Snare Adjustment technology, rahasia didalam teknologi ini nampaknya dirahasiakan pabrik Premier, redaksi masih belum paham detail maksud teknologi ini, tapi dalam bahasa marketing mempatenkan suatu teknologi dalam suatu produk sudah menjadi nilai jual ke konsumen. Kalau kita lihat pada bagian Full Specification pada Gambar tampak bawah PRE REVO 14×7 38207 terdapat 16 strand snare cartridge. Foto lebih detailnya sbb : Dipadu dengan New “Blasted Chrome” sebagai hardware finish, maksudnya perpaduan 16 strand snare cartridge dengan Blasted Chrome membuat alat ini tidak mudah kendor atau rusak. Jika kita berkali-kali membuka dan menutup tuas 16 strand snare cartridge. 16 helai tali snarenya tidak mudah kendor dan putus walau seketat apapun kita dalam mengunci snare drum head. Walaupun berukuran 14×7 Shell di dalam snare ini tetap dapat menghangatkan bunyi yang dikeluarkan karena didalam shell nya sudah di pernis untuk memproduksi response getaran via stick dan dapat membulatkan bunyi(tone) yang keluar dari alat ini. Hal yang menarik lainnya adalah pada drum head dimana menggunakan Cybermax Batter Head by Remo USA dengan feature high tension, offer exceptional strength, responsiveness, precision and stability. Saat menggunakan PRE REVO 14X7 38207 dengan memainkan Tripplet dan Diddles pada bagian Batter Head Cybermax Remo ini, redaksi merasakan respon yang sangat cepat dan baik dengan stick dan tidak terlalu berpengaruh dengan tinggi rendahnya settingan pada drum head. Suara yang dihasilkan sangat kuat dan bulat tedengar jelas nyaring dan tidak kotor. Cybermax ini memang sangat cocok digunakan pada ruangan indoor dalam permainan solo maupun ensemble. Cybermax Batter Head Remo ini juga bisa digunakan di oudoor tapi redaksi belum mencobanya secara langsung. Secara keseluruhan dari uji coba redaksi: Kualitas produksi suara yang dihasilkan snare drum ini sangat bersih dan fokus, kontrol stick dan snare sangat nyaman. Designnya bergaya(style) futuristik dan finishes yang bagus, mekanisme struktur konstruksi hardware ditambah Cybermax Batter Head Remo membuat snare drum ini gagah digunakan ditambah dimensi sizenya 14×7 menjadikan snare drum ini ringan, mudah di bawa dan di rawat serta hemat tempat jika di packing bersama perlengkapan alat marching lain seperti tom dan bass drum. Kelemahannya snare drum ini harus berada pada suhu yang tidak boleh panas, minimal disimpan dalam ruangan sejuk atau ber AC. Hal ini membuat kalau latihan di outdoor usahakan jangan saat terik matahari. Hasil Pengujian : Fungsionalitas(20%) 8.0 Fitur (40%) 9.0 Kemudahan(30%) 9.5 Harga(10%) 7.0 Rating 8.3 *Owner Trendmarching Sumber : http://www.trendmarching.or.id

Tags: Percussion, premier

By many accounts the history of the snare drum dates back to the Tabor, pronounced “tay-bur” found in Medieval Europe around 1300. It was a doubleheaded drum that had a single snare strand called a Tabor. In the Middle Ages the tabor was often played in unison with a three-holed pipe flute. Modern European folk music continues the tradition to this day.

The use of a snare drum in the military, probably came directly from instruments that were used by the powerful Ottoman Empire’s armies in the 1500s.The Ottomans possibly influenced Swiss drummers, which in turn influenced their local drum builders.

It became very popular in the 1400s with the fife-and-drum corps of Swiss mercenary foot soldiers for relaying signals.This version of the drum was a very big instrument that was carried over the player’s right shoulder, secured by a strap.

This longer “side drum” became better known as a field drum. The drum heads were tensioned by pulling a rope, very much like lacing a shoe. The method was to lace a cord in a W or Y pattern around the shell. Around the same time frame the European version of the snare drum spread to other countries. England had similar drums by the 1500s, although the name tabor was replaced with drome or drume.

In the 1600s, new methods of tensioning the drum were developed. This allowed the snares on field drums to be tightened more securely with screws. The former loose rattle sound of the snare’s gut was now more of a tight snap.

The increase in the tension on the drum heads allowed drummers to play faster and more complex rhythms. By the mid 1800s, snare drums were being built from brass and reduced in size for a higher pitched, crisper sound popular in symphony orchestras.

Classical music added the snare drum to provide color, or timbre, for march-like segments of music. In the 19th century it replaced the tenor drum of military bands. The sound of a marching snare is a classic military sound.

Modern Snare Drum Evolution

After 1900, drum and bugle corps increased the snare drum’s popularity. Metal counter-hoops were added to tighten the drumheads more efficiently. The now familiar coiled wire came into use for the snares.

Bringing the history of the snare drum into the modern era was its use in a trap-set. Traps were a mixture of drums, percussive insruments and cymbals assembled into a set of drums or drum set. This innovation was used in a variety of ways, including silent movies, jazz and ragtime music.

Rock-&-Roll emphasized a steady backbeat while Jazz use of the snare drum is known as comping, or supporting and interacting with the other musician’s in the band. In response to these popular music styles drum companies started making many different sizes and types of snare drums. Since the 1950s, improvements such as plastic drumheads and high quality snare throw-off mechanisms have allowed better sound control and great dependability.

The range of snare drums available today is staggering with many technical advancements in materials, shell design and hardware. That being said, the modern snare drum is still very much like its centuries old ancestors. The history of the snare drum has its roots as an Ottoman and Swiss military instrument. It has become the driving force behind many music styles around the world.

This is a great example of how this simple device evolved into an icon known the world over as the good ol’ Snare Drum.
The Tabor – An Ancient Precursor in the
History of the Snare Drum As We Know It.

Sumber : DrumMuffler.Com

Tags: snare drum

By : Bryan Goff

Scales, ugh! I’m certain that is how many of my students feel about playing their scales. However, probably nobody (no, not even those students) will deny that the mastery of scales is one of the most important building blocks in the fundamentals of almost all of the music which we play.

Scales are easy. Really! Learning scales is a simple motor skill where, with enogh correct repetitions of an action, that action is stored in the brain as a habit. The keyword here is correct repetitions. The brain cannot tell the difference between correct and incorrect scales. When we play a scale with a couple of wrong notes, the brain simply stores that as another action which we have performed, potentially building the beginning of a “bad habit”. To store the correct scale pattern as a habit we might have to play the scale 2 or more times correctly to cancel out the one time when we played it with an error.

In tabulating the total number of correct repetitions, we might think of it as positive and negative numbers: a correct repetition counts as +1, whereas an incorrect repetition counts, not as a zero but as a -2.

Therefore, it is extremely important to avoid making mistakes. This seems like such a self-evident truth, yet how does one totally avoid making mistakes?

• First, play slowly enough that you don’t outrun your ability to play perfectly. Start at a slow tempo and do not try to pick up the tempo until you are certain that you can do so without missing any notes.
• Use music at first. Ultimately your scales should be memorized. However, if you attempt to play by memory too soon you may be guessing at the notes and you will make mistakes, giving reinforcement to the wrong patterns.
• Try practicing short patterns derived from scales which will indirectly help reinforce the full scale patterns. Clarke’s Technical Studies are good for reinforcing scale patterns. Also, following is an exercise which I call half-scale patterns which I find helpful with my students here at FSU:

These exercises are notated in their entirety and are available in PDF format for you to download and print at:

half-scale patterns

Tags: trumpet

“One, Two, Ready, Tense-up”

By : Bryan Goff

Wait a minute, shouldn’t that be “One, Two, Ready, Play!”? One of the most common playing problems that have observed in my teaching is excessive tension, and the most prevalent tension problem us usually excessive embouchure tension on the first note. It is obvious that if we start out playing with too much tension, it will only get worse as we progress.

Imagine, for a moment, that you and your friend are taking a long, sleepy afternoon drive. You glance over and notice that your passenger is asleep – you know he’s asleep because his lower jaw is hanging open. This is a state of total relaxation, and of course you couldn’t form a descent trumpet embouchure with this total absence of tension – you have to at least close your lips! Now, imagine that your lips are closed, you have no hint of a smile, and your facial appearance is very somber and relaxed. Breath in through your nose and then blow – notice, there will be no lip vibration if you are totally relaxed; the air will simply blow your lips open without vibrating and producing a tone.

Now, as a tension awareness exercise, start with that same somber facial expression and start adding tension ever-so-gradually, until you have just enough “embouchure focus” (which equates to a slight amount of embouchure tension) to produce a pianissimo tone. By practicing this exercise regularly, you will hopefully find it easier to monitor the amount of tension that is present in your embouchure, and thereby increase your ability to decrease the amount of embouchure tension at the beginning of your performance and also to monitor and correct the amount of tension throughout the course of your performance.

In order to start with a relaxed embouchure, I offer another suggestion: take a long, slow, deep breath before playing your first note. For example, in 4/4 time rather than inhaling during a quarter rest prior to your entrance, try inhaling over a half rest or even 4 full beats. I think that in this long, slow breath you will find that you are much more capable of maintaining a relaxed initial embouchure than if you were to take in a quick breath.

Tags: trumpet

Oleh: Marko S Hermawan Jupiter Indonesia Endorser Salah satu tujuan saya memberikan pemaparan pada episode sebelumnya adalah untuk menstimulasi rekan-rekan yang juga duduk ke pendidikan tinggi untuk juga berkontribusi terhadap kemajuan marching band di Indonesia. Dari unit yang mengikuti beberapa kejuaraan bergengsi di Indonesia seperti GPMB, beberapa berasal dari unit universitas. Dalam satu unit saja terdiri dari 80 sampai 100 anggota, berasal dari berbagai fakultas dan disiplin ilmu. Mari kita simulasikan ide sederhana ini: 1 unit marching band universitas = 80 calon sarjana/diploma = 80 topik skripsi/TKA 1 kejuaraan marching band biasanya terdapat 4 unit universitas x 80 personil = 320 calon sarjana/diploma. 320 calon sarjana/diploma = 320 skripsi/TKA = 320 ide/topik = 320 topik marching band Lebih hebatnya lagi, di Indonesia, terdapat lebih dari 20 universitas yang memiliki kegiatan marching band, yang mana kalau semua berkontribusi dengan topik berbau marching band, maka akan terdapat 1600 TOPIK / IDE MARCHING BAND !! Dan ini baru satu angkatan saja. Sangatlah indah jika semua ini terjadi demi kemajuan marching band di Indonesia. Ide-idenya pun barangkali tidak terlalu sulit dan bisa di relasikan dengan berbagai disiplin ilmu dan jurusan studi. Tidak harus mereka yang berasal dari jurusan musik dapat membuat skripsi tentang marching band, ilmu-ilmu eksakta seperti fisika, teknik elektro, mesin dan ilmu kehutanan pun bisa. Salah satu ide yang saya kemukakan diatas barangkali bisa diperluas menjadi topik skripsi yang menarik, seperti: 1. Psikologi perkembangan anak dan drum band anak (psikologi), 2. Metode efektif dalam mengajar musik di marching band (pendidikan) 3. Sosio-komunikasi antar pemain marching band (ilmu komunikasi), 4. Leadership dalam sebuah marching band (managemen), 5. Standar akuntansi dalam marching band (akuntansi), 6. Unsur kebudayaan x dalam mempengaruhi kerja sama dalam latihan marching band (ilmu budaya/kesusasteraan) 7. Hal-hal yang mempengaruhi proses pengaratan alat tiup logam (kimia/farmasi) 8. Pengelolaan kayu x sebagai bahan dasar pembuatan snare drum / marimba (kehutanan/pertanian) 9. Proses pembuatan vibraphone menggunakan logam x (teknik mesin/eletro) 10. Proses penentuan frekwensi suara yang ideal pada bar marimba (instrumentasi/fisika) 11. dan lain-lain Mengenai literatur dan referensi berkaitan dengan marching band, jangan takut. Internet adalah salah satu sumber luar biasa banyak untuk mengunduh semua sumber-sumber itu. Website seperti www.jstor.org dan proquest berisi ribuan bahkan jutaan artikel yang berasal dari jurnal-jurnal internasional, yang dapat kita unduh untuk melengkapi penelitian kita. Masih banyak ide yang bisa muncul dari aktifitas yang kita gandrungi selama kuliah, pagi siang malam bersama latihan yang melelahkan dan menghabiskan waktu. Alangkah baiknya kesemuanya itu dirangkum dalam sebuah karya tulis yang akan diakui institusi tempat kita menimba ilmu. Sehingga secara tidak langsung para petinggi universitas, baik dosen, dekan dan rektor akan menghargai kegiatan marching band di Indonesia. Ini adalah sebuah ide sederhana. Seperti kata pepatah, “kalau bukan kita, siapa lagi”, sangatlah tepat untuk memacu kita berkreasi di bidang pendidikan marching band. Selamat berkarya !! Marbo Ps: barangkali dengan mempelajari semua aspek dalam marching band, rekan-rekan bisa mendirikan perusahaan kecil untuk reparasi alat marching band, seperti di website ini: http://www.doctorvalve.com/ selamat mencoba…

Tags: Add new tag, education, marko s hermawan