Drum Majors - For Real ?

Over the past few months both Delphi Forums and PBF have had threads on the issue of drum majors.

On PBF not much can be said or "I'm a D/M from Northern Ireland" is likely to cut you off if she doesn't like what you say......

So what do you really think of them or D/M competitions?

I personally recall the days when they were worth a lot. Drum Majors both military and in civvie street were largely drummers in their own right who taught drumming. They were also the band quartermasters, in charge of dress, turn out and discipline, and in charge of logistics. They were normally ex military people and very highly respected.

I can recall days of marching down the street when the D/M often would not even have to confer with the P/M......the D/M knew the sets and knew the tunes the band could play and knew when it was appropriate to place certain tunes/sets.

Sadly, that seems to be long gone (the military excepted)......

Nowadays, bands seem to have wee lassies and laddies twirling their maces, appearing to be more like majorettes than serious drum majors. I have met some that know nothing about drumming, have no idea what tunes their bands play and know "sweet fanny adams" about dress, drill and turnout......in fact quite the opposite...many can't even salute properly.

A couple of years ago, my own band (not that much of it exists as a band) was in another country and a drum major from another country, a civilian tried to "rule the roost" and was subsequently told no uncertain terms to "feck aff".....he was overpowering and had never served in the military and knew nothing about drumming or drill and turnout. In fact....he knew nothing about drum-majoring nor about pipe bands except for the smelly broon stuff he'd been told whilst playing in a 4th grade band several decades before.

I wasn't there but if I had been, I'd have personally shoved his Aussie mace where the sun don't shine.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for the military type drum-majors of yesteryear but have no respect whatsover for the silly wee lassies who play at it today.

I mean no respect to Tankiedrummie........I certainly don't want a Challenger Mk2 120mm calibre shell up my arse......on the contrary I very much respect what he does......but what do the rest of you think of how drum-majoring has changed over the past 20 or 30 years?

In "civvie street", do they actually contribute anything to a pipe band?

Or are they just a bunch of wee boys and girls.....who would be better spending their time doing the majorette thing?

There is one on PBF who is D/M of a G1 Canadian band and yet she lives in another country and never seems to actually be with the pipe band, except when they are at the Majors. What on earth does she contribute?

That being the case, what is the point in actually having someone like that as drum-major?

I mean, they don't arrange band logistics, they don't teach drumming, they have nothing to do with arranging music and can't even drill the band.....am I missing something here?

So OK.......maybe I now have to get a good BVR, but it really needs to be asked seeing as elsewhere
there are those who won't allow the topic to be properly discussed.

i've been saying this for years ron.

Our DM is a competing DM - but spent years in the army. And so are many of the DMs in scotland.

Maybe i'm wrong here, but it only seems to be the ones outside of scotland who cant actualy play anything....

Oh.. btw... i ment to ad

i have nothing against the kids doing it if they cant play anything - it's a bit of fun for them. But when they go into the adults, i think it should be compolsury for them to be able to atleast play bass/tenor

They are a waste a space 'n drinking time. That is apart from the obvious as you stated Ron, the military D/M does serve a purpose and does in fact contribute to the daily running of the band, our D/M was an excellent bugler and bass drummer, his drill was first class and his turnout 2nd to none...Ex R.I.R ( the Rifles )

Jimmy organized the battalion solo's 'n judged our turn out prior to competing.

These others that prance about 'n demand a band plays for them directly after competing....I HAVE NO TIME FOR.

darn.....the post didn't quite stir up the keech that I thought it might lol

Nowadays, bands seem to have wee lassies and laddies twirling their maces, appearing to be more like majorettes than serious drum majors. I have met some that know nothing about drumming, have no idea what tunes their bands play and know "sweet fanny adams" about dress, drill and turnout......in fact quite the opposite.

Well that sums it up, doesn't it!
The way many bands are run these days, they wouldn't cope with a real DM. Bands are full of people who don't want to be told anything.

I'm considered (here) to be old fashion. If you're going to have a band that 'marches in parades' then you need a DM that knows what he's doing and has the authority to keep everyone on the same page. If you're a band that only does performances, or only competitions, then piss off the DM, he's not needed, particularly if he's not allowed to tell you you've got the wrong damn hose on, or if he has nothing to contribute to the performance.

Rant over!

Sorry,

But they are waste of space and MY time

Bands having being made to play for them is a disgrace,

Iam personally sick of it, the only good thing about being in grade 1 is that you don't often have to do it

AND then at the finale, proper musicians have to stand in the pissing rain, and wait for all the grades of drum majors to be called out.

They do the 'dress thing' yet they are so dim they all stand there in pipers Glengarry's

They should have atape or CD, do it themselves, and have their own wee prizegiving well away from the rest of us,

Even better, they could have it on a different day.

There are a lot of people who enjoy the spectacle of DM,s at competition, well thats what ime told, ime not a fan of what seems to be a new breed of people in the Pipe Band World
'I cant be a Piper/Drummer because it seems like an huge amount of effort but I like beeing involved with Pipe Bands'
Hats off to the guys like Tankie who are also drummers in the band minimum some even lead tip,
How hard is it to put your kit on straight !!! Dont answer that Iain !!!
we seem to be getting an ever increasing amount of adults/parents coming into learn but struggle with the work/home/pb split so want to be involved in other un-needed ways that dont mean they have to be at every practise night or practise for the 10-12 hours weekly
i was having a word with our president last night and reminising about a dearly departed PM who we both had played under and used to chase all these kind of people , in fact if he found a loose joint on your pipes your pipes were in your box and you were in the hoose before you knew what had happened !!!!!

Back to DM,s i dont really see a need for them but i suppose its like everything else, if you get a good one they can help a lot , like carrying the capes , fetching the water when tuning up, running back to the car when the pm forgets the box of tricks, puting up the gazebo, going for the extra beer and meat for the barbecue, !!!!
As for the Prize list , well if they can drop the Midsection awards and they are players why are we standing waiting on the DM,s getting prizes before the bands !!!!

Piping Connections wrote: How hard is it to put your kit on straight !!! Dont answer that Iain !!!

Would I be correct in assuming that remark refers to a certain waistcoat??????

Redneck wrote:

Piping Connections wrote: How hard is it to put your kit on straight !!! Dont answer that Iain !!!

Would I be correct in assuming that remark refers to a certain waistcoat??????

You got it in one m8

Not my fault........the sun was in ma eyes.

Redneck wrote:Not my fault........the sun was in ma eyes.

Aye Aye Aye thats the way i remember it as well NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Piping Connections wrote:

Redneck wrote:Not my fault........the sun was in ma eyes.

Aye Aye Aye thats the way i remember it as well NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmm, was it the cans we had fer breakfast then?....

See the Memory is great when you use it !!!!

Redneck wrote:

Piping Connections wrote:

Redneck wrote:Not my fault........the sun was in ma eyes.

Aye Aye Aye thats the way i remember it as well NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmm, was it the cans we had fer breakfast then?....

am guessin the cans ye had for breakfast were fine..

it was probably the ones ye had for; brunch, lunch, afternon snack, afternoon tea, starter, main course, pudding, after dinner drink, snack at night and supper that were the ones that did it m8...

Piping Connections wrote:See the Memory is great when you use it !!!!

Who said anything about memory?.............flash backs more like it......

Iain 'Bourne' Redneck

Flashbacks only happen when the Blood - Alchahol level gets down to twice the legal limit for driving Iain

is that good ?........

Redneck wrote: is that good ?........

Prob the best way to be these days

Ach a knew there was a valid reason fer those btls a Liverpool bein' in the fridge.

Redneck wrote:Ach a knew there was a valid reason fer those btls a Liverpool bein' in the fridge.

yeah m8 but they dont get a chance tae cool down , they arent in long enough !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

, aye but a buy 'em oota the cooler in the offes