I try out in a few days. I will be a junior next year, so hopefully I make it after last year where I got cheated out of the spot.

Well, this is off topic and off topic at the same time. Do you think it is better to hand out a tryout piece a month or a week before the tryouts. A month gives students adequate time to learn the piece and perfect it, but it also gives a student enough time to learn only that piece and make it seem like they have talent (but don't). However a week shows who is practicing, who can learn the piece with speed and accuracy and who can perform under pressure. A week also assumes that everyone in the drumline has time to learn the music. Where do you stand? I personally think a week is better. A month just gives kids with no talent a long time to work out all the problems and more or less BS the piece.

i agree with you..1 week

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!! 1 WEEK but their should also be a mini-solo sight read last day of tryouts i think

Our tryouts were yesterday... it was sad, i think I was the only one that practiced. I'll probably get tenors again... was hoping for snare XP Results go up later today.

to JoeGrinstead:
Your tips are great, but one thing I disagree with is the Magnum sticks thing. I believe it is best to practice with the sticks your d-line uses.

And to Anyone:
Also, though some of it pertains to just quads, there are some excellent tips on playing drums in general in the Q-Bible, by Mike Stevens. Particularly his statement on the "Nirvana" state.

I completely the q-bible really is the quad bible, and the magnum sticks i've heard both sides this is just my opinion

Understand what criteria your line is looking for. For instance (this is probably true for most lines) but stick heights are critical to playing. And this happened to a snare last year, be sure you hold the stick the right way no wandering fingers

Yeah, today was final placements and i was happy. They will post the layout of the line tomorrow. I was on tenors the entire time, so i was happy.

There are only two working stands so i used a carrier the entire time and i think it made me look better. Everyone tells me I'm going to make tenors so I'm pretty sure I did.

We got a new marching snare drum today and it is a white Pearl ffx i believe, it's really small like a wedge drum, like for indoor. That good drum makes me wanna play snare like i used to. Our drum captain Derich was saying if I make snare we're all getting really good binders for our music but then he said i probably won't because I'm the best tenor player, so I was like sweet!

I only got one corrective comment today it was just to play lower cause I was beastin' lol. We should be getting Blue Stars drums next year because of our connections (or rather this year i guess) I wanna get the other drums we would get new that are just like blue devils but it sounds like we're just getting plain white ones from blue stars.

I also helped everyone he put on tenors know the part for the temperary warm-ups for tryouts (like pre-warm-up warm-ups lol) and had everything done before he asked.

Yesterday I had a snare pad and sticks for someone to use because we didn't have the Pearl snare. So I come over prepared so I think I'm on his good side.

I kinda wanna play snare again, so I was thinking should I practice traditional and matched so I could play tenors this year and snare next? I kinda wanna play both. But then again I wanna get real good at one and do drum corps and join an independent line...

confidence is key. If it says forte don't be shy and play at 4 inches. Secondly lightly grooving to the tryout pieces (not exercises) can be a sign that you are comfortable with the piece and arent so concentrated on the music that you won't be able to march. Thirdly, people at our school usually don't think of this but, mark time. It shows you know where the beat is and a have a sense of timing, which is good. Don't let the judges freak you out. I know at our school, you would think that the judges were serial killers the way they watch you during the tryout, don't let it freak you out.