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Re: Enjoying Contests (long)

Cameron Mabon wrote:
> P.S. In evolutionary terms, brass bands (including all facets of the
> movement such as contesting, silly uniforms etc.) can probably be
> regarded
> as an E.S.S. (that is, an evolutionary stable strategy). The modern brass
> band exists because it works (for whatever reasons - musical, social or
> whatever), just as we all have eyes because they enable us to see,
> and seeing is generally
> a good thing to be able to do.

Cameron correct me if I'm wrong (you are obviously more qualified to
talk about this than I), but it appears your revision of evolution is
lacking of the main mechanisms. These are variations within the species
and random mutations which either survive or die based on criteria. For
a bird the criteria is living healthily to reproduce. For bands the
criteria seem to be producing the 'stuff' on the contest stage.

Now the contest stage is generally about music, yes. But how often do
you get comments from the conductor such as "let's impress the
adjudicator with our glock solist, so play it a bit louder" or when
deciding a tempo, it is a brave band that ignores the strict
crotchet-138 marking for example. Okay, middle movements will vary from
band to band, but how often will a band approach a section differently?

So we have a quasi-musical environment leading to bands all with common
expression. That's not what I want to hear.

On a simlar vein, people's lives have changed since 1900. Music is part
of life and we have seen it change a great deal as well. So why should
the instrumentation stay constant? I find comments such as "it was the
best way 100 years ago so it is obviously best now" rather odd in art.
Survival requires flexibility and possible adaption to new environments.

Don't get me wrong, I love listening to bands in a contest. But if you
take away the excitement of who's better than who, the bands are
generally musically all aiming for the way Black Dyke plays the piece.
Because that's what'll probably win it.

David

-- 
David Read			     Queens' College
dtr20@xxxxxxxxx		      Cambridge CB3 9ET


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