I will attempt to capture a typical day filming drumlines for Drumline TV, but first I need to cover a little history and why I'm passionate about capturing drumlines on video.

I played in the drumline at Prospect High School in Mt. Prospect, IL in the 80s, and had many great drumming experiences, including indoor drumline competitions, marching the Electric Light Parades at both Disneyworld & Disneyland, and marching in the Granddaddy of all parades...The Rosebowl Parade in 1986! That was a real treat...getting on TV and seeing tons of people line the 5 1/2 mile parade route.

My drumline instructor was none other than Bret Kuhn of The Cavaliers fame, so I had a great foundation and exposure to top-notch drumming instruction. I was turned on to DCI in 1983, and fondly recall being pulled into the Drum Corps World every fall via the PBS broadcasts.

Later on, I marched at Western Illinois University, and had more exposure to drum corps by friends who shared their wild stories from summer tours....most of them marched Geneseo Knights...a few in Cavies or Cadets.

WIU Drumline, 1990 - I'm the closest snare

 

I never marched corps...I couldn't swing being gone on tour and saving for college tuition. So....I had to live vicariously through their stories of edging out certain corps, bus breakdowns, and the goofy corps traditions they had.

I was however, able to hop back in the saddle and relive the glory days playing top bass drum for a local drumline called Crystal Lake Strikers. This line is comprised of former college & corps drumline players who love marching and performing as much as I do. If you've aged out but still have the itch to play in a drumline, check them out.

Because of my exposure to Drum Corps and playing in some great drumlines, the "bug" has never left! Now, I want to capture some of the visual & technical aspects of playing in a drumline, and share that with many drummers & fans online. The biggest platform for sharing these videos is YouTube. Check out the comments below some of these videos....a lot of passion and respect for what these guys & gals do!

A Typical Drumline Filming Day

I try to plan my filming schedule based on competitions in the Upper-Midwest area (IL, IN, IA, WI, MI), and which shows have corps that I need/want to record. I like to capture as many different lines (and pit) as I can.

Handy schedule on my phone!

 

Certain lines hardly have any presence on YouTube, so I like to make sure they get their fair share of coverage. It's also nice to film lines that are a long way from home, and provide family and friends a peek into how they are progressing on tour.

My to do list includes getting good directions to the show locations, bringing bug spray, money for food/drinks, and making sure I have all the essential recording gear....batteries & extra blank tapes are a must! I also try and scope out where all the outlets are, in case I need to recharge the camera.

No GPS...just screenshots to guide the way

 

Once I successfully find the show location (getting better at this), I try to find a good central location to park, so the walk back to the truck isn't as far. This doesn't always work out for the best.

I can laugh now, but my truck was towed away while I was filming at DCI 2010 Finals in Indy! A front gate security guard gave me permission to park in a tow zone because the park was taken over for DCI festivities and parking was "open". It took me 2 hrs. to locate my impounded truck and walk a mile with all my gear. Fortunately, park security paid the $165 fee to get my truck out of impound....this ended a long day of filming some great lines like Phantom and Blue Devils.....it was time to head back to the hotel and call it a day!

Troopers Drumline

 

For me, the biggest challenge to filming drumlines, is trying to find out where they are going to warm up. I compare the process to the popular Discovery Channel show, Storm Chasers. Instead of "where is the tornado going to touch down, so we can intercept & film", it's more like...."where is the next drumline going to set up, or where are they all hiding"..."I hear drumming, but I can't tell which group that blip is on the horizon"

Finding drumlines is like storm chasing!

 

I have asked everyone from drum corps cooks to brass players walking by, if they know where their drumline is planning to warm up. I get a lot of blank stares here. Sometimes I get lucky and find a group of drummers checking out drumlines, and they tip me off and point out where all the lines are located....these are my spotters and they save me from a lot of extra walking.

One older couple (he took the photo above) observed all the walking I do and said that I really need to invest in a golf cart to get around quicker. Great advice!

Maybe I'll meet up with some of you at a show...hopefully on a golf cart filming away.

Be sure to check out all the great drumlines I filmed in the last few years [here] or head over to our main YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/DrumlineTV

DrumlineTV.com is your source for great drumline videos from your favorite drum corps, high school and college marching band drumlines around the world. Our catalog of drumline videos include top drum corps like Blue Devils, Bluecoats, Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers, Madison Scouts and Phantom Regiment. The DrumlineTV network is a part of The Drum Experts larger network of drumming web sites.

This website is not affiliated in any way with (DCI) Drum Corps International or any of its subsidiaries. The information contained therein represent the opinion of The Drum Experts and is for fan purposes only.