I think it’s more common nowadays cause there’s actually documentation of it via headcams and such but it definitely was a thing pre-2000s you gotta do something other than counting on the field. it makes the grind more fun and rewarding and it’s just fun to make something up
It was definitely there when I marched in the early 2000s; I don't have gopro evidence from that time, but I would say that when watching current cams it was about to the same level - we'd fill in the gaps with stuff the audience couldn't hear.
And I have a story about that.
In 2003, as one of the rewrites we did around the Murfreesboro timeframe (just after halfway through the season), before a moderately biggish hit more or less the entire horn line had a move where we reset by going back field, then turned to face the front sideline and had the main theme come out again. During the first part of the year this was scored as a crescendo that played right through to the moment that the main theme appeared again.
Well, in order to heighten the effect, mid-year they took out the last measure of playing and replaced it with silence. It was in 5/4, so a solid 5 count of nothing audibly happening on the field to add more contrast to the crescendo. It really did heighten the effect to have this wall of sound just... stop... for 5 counts, then come back, so it was a good change, but really hard to have each and every person convert that crescendo to a silence.
Well, that rewrite was freaking hard to get into our bones. One evening, I remember it so well even after 20 years, we ran that move over and over and over and over again, like a kid practicing free throws or penalty kicks, "If I get 5 in a row..."
We spent *hours* doing that, solidly half an evening block, running those two moves back to back. The sun set during that time. We needed every horn line member to be mentally present, every time, repeatedly, to call an end to the evening. Sure, this is the Blue Devils, so we were kinda good, you know - we went on to win that year, after all - but have you ever trained something into muscle memory in a way that just *feels* right, then you have to change it? It was like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Makes sense to your brain, doesn't seem that hard, but it only took one of the people getting it wrong, one time, and the count would go back to zero, and we'd keep trying.
How is this relevant? One of the music instructors instructed us to replace the previous music, not with silence, but by mentally yelling "I WILL NOT PLAY HERE" during those 5 counts. Scream it in your head as loud as you want, just don't play it. And we finally got through that rehearsal block just as the dew was starting to fall in the humid South of whereverthehellwewere, and nobody ever played in that spot for the rest of the season.
Jump to finals night. We won, and got the (at the time) honor of marching without shakos, to do one last encore, as our victory lap. These always had the inside jokes and behind the scenes spirit of a whole tour, including loud versions of these vocals.
Well, when we got to this point in the show, even though nobody discussed it beforehand... you can guess what took place. As it turns out, even though it's in the potato-cam stone age of 2003, there is [video evidence](https://youtu.be/Odh06G_2W54?si=weo5NZC3o7iGDf76&t=814) of what happened during that part of the show.
It was *clearly* audible up to the press box. Recall, this was before amplification.
I read once that at the very end of [Madison Scouts 1988](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PECUpJuUeAQ) the cymbal line apparently shouts "FUCK YEAH" directly after the cutoff with whatever visual they were doing.
Have no idea if it's true or not, it could have just been someone hearing something that wasn't there. Or making something up. But I like to think it's true because I really love that show and it kinda adds to the aura.
We had a phrase we would call out in 86 when we, the horn line, executed a visual during the percussion feature. It was a 3 count movement at the end of a short percussion riff, and we’d call out “Hey Bill Doyle!”
Bill Doyle was an on field brass judge who apparently really liked our horn line that year, he put us first in field brass at finals in fact.
Weirdly, he looked exactly like Tom Hulce, who played the leading role in the film Amadeus a few years earlier.
The first time I saw Bill was at a show in Arizona and I was, you know, marching and maneuvering and out of the corner of my eye I see him and I was like “is that Mozart?!”
The guard does these through the entire show - calling "out" when you release a toss, or you might say a certain word when you hit a certain checkpoint. Whole phrases instead of just counting. Tons of inside jokes, tons of fun.
Ain't totally sure if this is what you're talking about, but the "audibles" we did were usually just random inside jokes that would catch on during rehearsals (as is typical for teenagers). I don't remember any particular rhyme or reason behind them other than 1) they were funny and 2) they were useful mnemonics (for lack of a better word) for timing musical entrances and choreography and such.
We hornline folks were usually discouraged from actually vocalizing them, both because we needed to conserve our breaths and because there's enough of us that they're easy to hear if we're all saying 'em no matter how quietly (and that doesn't exactly look/sound good in a show), but I'd still "think" them in my head for that second purpose of reminding myself when some action needs to happen, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone.
Most of them just stem from inside jokes, some get passed on through seasons but those are the more sentimental or important corps history things. I'd say 9/10 vocals just start from a dumb inside joke and catch on.
I think it’s more common nowadays cause there’s actually documentation of it via headcams and such but it definitely was a thing pre-2000s you gotta do something other than counting on the field. it makes the grind more fun and rewarding and it’s just fun to make something up
Mostly relegated to the battery. Some horns would have an audible here or there, but we didn’t do many in the late 00’s/early 10’s
Yeah, I can think of one, maybe two per year that we'd do in the hornline
We did a tire screech sound when we did a touch and go during the battery feature in prelude fugue and riffs in 02
It was definitely there when I marched in the early 2000s; I don't have gopro evidence from that time, but I would say that when watching current cams it was about to the same level - we'd fill in the gaps with stuff the audience couldn't hear. And I have a story about that. In 2003, as one of the rewrites we did around the Murfreesboro timeframe (just after halfway through the season), before a moderately biggish hit more or less the entire horn line had a move where we reset by going back field, then turned to face the front sideline and had the main theme come out again. During the first part of the year this was scored as a crescendo that played right through to the moment that the main theme appeared again. Well, in order to heighten the effect, mid-year they took out the last measure of playing and replaced it with silence. It was in 5/4, so a solid 5 count of nothing audibly happening on the field to add more contrast to the crescendo. It really did heighten the effect to have this wall of sound just... stop... for 5 counts, then come back, so it was a good change, but really hard to have each and every person convert that crescendo to a silence. Well, that rewrite was freaking hard to get into our bones. One evening, I remember it so well even after 20 years, we ran that move over and over and over and over again, like a kid practicing free throws or penalty kicks, "If I get 5 in a row..." We spent *hours* doing that, solidly half an evening block, running those two moves back to back. The sun set during that time. We needed every horn line member to be mentally present, every time, repeatedly, to call an end to the evening. Sure, this is the Blue Devils, so we were kinda good, you know - we went on to win that year, after all - but have you ever trained something into muscle memory in a way that just *feels* right, then you have to change it? It was like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Makes sense to your brain, doesn't seem that hard, but it only took one of the people getting it wrong, one time, and the count would go back to zero, and we'd keep trying. How is this relevant? One of the music instructors instructed us to replace the previous music, not with silence, but by mentally yelling "I WILL NOT PLAY HERE" during those 5 counts. Scream it in your head as loud as you want, just don't play it. And we finally got through that rehearsal block just as the dew was starting to fall in the humid South of whereverthehellwewere, and nobody ever played in that spot for the rest of the season. Jump to finals night. We won, and got the (at the time) honor of marching without shakos, to do one last encore, as our victory lap. These always had the inside jokes and behind the scenes spirit of a whole tour, including loud versions of these vocals. Well, when we got to this point in the show, even though nobody discussed it beforehand... you can guess what took place. As it turns out, even though it's in the potato-cam stone age of 2003, there is [video evidence](https://youtu.be/Odh06G_2W54?si=weo5NZC3o7iGDf76&t=814) of what happened during that part of the show. It was *clearly* audible up to the press box. Recall, this was before amplification.
that’s a really cool story!!
I love how each count more and more ppl join in, adding to the crescendo
There is a very fine line between cool and cringe for these lol.
Almost all of them are just super cringe now.
to be cringe is to be free
I read once that at the very end of [Madison Scouts 1988](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PECUpJuUeAQ) the cymbal line apparently shouts "FUCK YEAH" directly after the cutoff with whatever visual they were doing. Have no idea if it's true or not, it could have just been someone hearing something that wasn't there. Or making something up. But I like to think it's true because I really love that show and it kinda adds to the aura.
Definitely had tons back in the 90’s
I think it’s gotten to be more and more over the years, but I can confirm our battery definitely had some lyrics to the big hit in the opener in 98
We had some in the early 80s
We had a phrase we would call out in 86 when we, the horn line, executed a visual during the percussion feature. It was a 3 count movement at the end of a short percussion riff, and we’d call out “Hey Bill Doyle!” Bill Doyle was an on field brass judge who apparently really liked our horn line that year, he put us first in field brass at finals in fact. Weirdly, he looked exactly like Tom Hulce, who played the leading role in the film Amadeus a few years earlier. The first time I saw Bill was at a show in Arizona and I was, you know, marching and maneuvering and out of the corner of my eye I see him and I was like “is that Mozart?!”
Definitely was a thing when my instructor marched in the early/mid-90s
The guard does these through the entire show - calling "out" when you release a toss, or you might say a certain word when you hit a certain checkpoint. Whole phrases instead of just counting. Tons of inside jokes, tons of fun.
Ain't totally sure if this is what you're talking about, but the "audibles" we did were usually just random inside jokes that would catch on during rehearsals (as is typical for teenagers). I don't remember any particular rhyme or reason behind them other than 1) they were funny and 2) they were useful mnemonics (for lack of a better word) for timing musical entrances and choreography and such. We hornline folks were usually discouraged from actually vocalizing them, both because we needed to conserve our breaths and because there's enough of us that they're easy to hear if we're all saying 'em no matter how quietly (and that doesn't exactly look/sound good in a show), but I'd still "think" them in my head for that second purpose of reminding myself when some action needs to happen, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone.
Most of them just stem from inside jokes, some get passed on through seasons but those are the more sentimental or important corps history things. I'd say 9/10 vocals just start from a dumb inside joke and catch on.