xkcd

by **cyberdeftly** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:39 am UTC

Never in band so here's my response:

I like how this comic makes it appear like every department/grocery store has a godlike alter on which a dj masterfully spins the muzak that plays inconspicuously while you shop and that he has the ultimate power of turning that muzak on and off at will just to mess with old band members habits.

by **Deviant** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:41 am UTC

Anyone happen to know what the music actually is ? Im tempted to write it out and have a go but dont have time this morning... Maybe this evening.

by **Mercat** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:45 am UTC

Deviant wrote:Anyone happen to know what the music actually is ? Im tempted to write it out and have a go but dont have time this morning... Maybe this evening.

Word on the street is "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. I almost put it in Finale to figure it out, but several people beat me to the punch so I'm taking it on their word as band nerds.

Also, the chords appear to be correct for the theme, so, yeah.

by **rawling** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:52 am UTC

ocarina_21 wrote:Walking in time with music is all well and good, but people look at you strangely. Particularly when you're listening to "First Circle" by Pat Metheny. Alternating bars of 12/8 and 10/8 (Counted 1-2-3 1-2 1-2-3 1-2 1-2 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2 1-2) with some bursts of 8/8 and steady 12/8 have a tendency to turn heads as you walk.

QFT. I can barely keep time in my head with that song, let alone walk to it. Want to play it in my big band one day

by **Adventurer** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:59 am UTC

I've almost fallen victim to this practice myself in supermarkets when a store manager using the tannoy cuts through whatever song is playing. Don't think I've ever stumbled, but it can cause serious mental anguish in the biscuit aisle.

I also was wondering what the tune would be, but when I found out I realised it could never have really been anything else.

Hurrah for the return of "My Hobby"!

by **Duck** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:00 pm UTC

When jogging or running when listening to music (on headphones), I like to keep my steps in time. There are times however when it feels very wrong to be walking in time to music. For example, at a club where people are dancing, and you decide you need to walk across the dance floor. When that happens, whatever song is playing, I feel like I'm stayin' alive, stayin' alive...

by **suso** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:01 pm UTC

Sweet. Not all bands start off with their left foot though. My high school marching band started with the right foot I think. And the drum and bugle corps I was in started with the left. But its been so long I'm not sure, I just know that they were different. I forget what we did in college band.

by **LittleChrist** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:59 pm UTC

As a music geek, the first thing I did with this comic was to check the key signature/time/musical correctness of the song. I then read the comic, then attempted to figure out what song that was. Unfortuately, I was thinking marching band songs, so I had to listen to the midi to get it.

After 4 years in an JROTC school where I was forced to march and then in the later years teach marching, coupled with 4 years of marching band, I am just starting to get over syncing my steps with people around me/leading with my left foot/walking to the tempo or beat. The last year of marching band I was the student conductor (Band Major-for you ROTC buffs). I so would have my band march to this song if I could do it all over again.

by **Robin S** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:03 pm UTC

If they were in a marching band and haven't learnt how to correct falling out of sync, they deserve it.

by **Manial** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:35 pm UTC

Wow classiest Rickroll ever

Bajakens wrote:Man... It would make my day if I heard that song in a store.

I have actually heard it in a supermarket, and when I recognised it I shouted out... unfortunately I don't think anyone realised except me, so I got a lot of weird looks.

Also, isn't there a Family Guy episode where Brian sings it?

by **rrwoods** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:48 pm UTC

Agreed, classiest Rickroll ever.

I'm appalled that no one has pointed this out: The flags on the downward-facing 1/8 notes are pointed the wrong direction.

by **Ren** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:02 pm UTC

I guess that's true, but flags aside--and considering most people, when they put musical notation in their comics, just do something stylized--I have to say it's very well done, notationally. And I am *incredibly* impressed that Randy managed to rickroll everyone who sees that comic without them realizing it at first.

by **suso** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:10 pm UTC

SWGlassPit wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjr-ziB2e4w (Glassmen 2004 excerpt--I'm in this one--guy playing marimba in the white shirt just to the right of the podium)

NO WAY! I marched Glassmen Contra Bass in 1994 (The Moody Blues show). And here I thought I might be the only one that would get my own drum corps reference. In a way I'm surprised to see so many drum corps people here, but in a way, I'm not.

by **khmer** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:11 pm UTC

adlaiff6 wrote:-1 for parallel octaves

ooooooh shiiiiiit it's like bach is my dad

rrwoods wrote:I'm appalled that no one has pointed this out: The flags on the downward-facing 1/8 notes are pointed the wrong direction.

Whoops! I think that's a bug in the notation software I used, the output from which xkcd transcribed for the comic.

Also I hope someone caught that the Fm chord in the second measure is nearly impossible to play

by **AvalonXQ** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:21 pm UTC

Jerf wrote:To the people wondering "Hey, how do marching bands handle non-even time signitures?", the answer is, mostly they don't. Most stuff I've ever played, or heard played, is generally metrically simple.
After that, how it is handled is up to the choreographer, of course. The easiest solution, if you insist on playing something funky, is to be standing still at the time. But beyond that, you really can do anything you want with training and practice, it's just that you don't have an infinite amount of training and practice time. Nothing stops you from marching around to a 7/4 song, except that you'd have a lot of learning and training and practicing and possibly the odd collision resulting from fighting years of habit...

My freshman year, my marching band (which prided itself on doing complicated sets to symphonic-quality music) did Stormworks -- one of the main pieces being 5/8. I still remember learning the full-band elevated set where we crab-stepped through a mesh in stutter step (one foot's step lasting 3/8ths, the other lasting 2/8ths). Oh, and this particular mesh was done with horns at the 45 -- on toes. In geometric configuration so if you were slightly off in your dressing it was obvious.

by **littlebee** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:49 pm UTC

Adventurer wrote: it can cause serious mental anguish in the biscuit aisle.

You have an entire AISLE for biscuits? WANT

by **Contrabass** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:55 pm UTC

I've always wondered if this forum had a lurking Corps crowd. Right foot stepoffs here...

by **Robin S** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:04 pm UTC

rawling wrote:
ocarina_21 wrote:Walking in time with music is all well and good, but people look at you strangely. Particularly when you're listening to "First Circle" by Pat Metheny. Alternating bars of 12/8 and 10/8 (Counted 1-2-3 1-2 1-2-3 1-2 1-2 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2 1-2) with some bursts of 8/8 and steady 12/8 have a tendency to turn heads as you walk.

QFT. I can barely keep time in my head with that song, let alone walk to it. Want to play it in my big band one day

Try walking in time to "Dance of Eternity" by Dream Theater. That song needs to be used for DDR, or possibly Guitar Hero.

by **Stief** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:09 pm UTC

I now know it's Never gonna give you up, but first listen to the midi posted earlier made me think of Robo's theme from Chrono Trigger...

They're very similar

by **Banksy** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:12 pm UTC

GodShapedBullet wrote:What do band kids do to stuff that is in 5/4?

That should be enough to break their hearts if not their legs.

They cry.

Damn you Dave Brubeck, damn you.

by **luminos** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:18 pm UTC

Well, this comic forced me to register just to say how amazing this comic is. Now I'm tempted to have some one try it on me to see if it works.

by **dharmamama** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:26 pm UTC

Manial wrote:Also, isn't there a Family Guy episode where Brian sings it?

Your wish is my command... well, this once, anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpTw3GZU0Zw

It's been... quite a while since marching band (*cough* 1983 *cough, cough*), and I will still sometimes sync up to people if we're walking beside each other.

by **Masuri** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:28 pm UTC

jacjac10 wrote:What's bad is when your turn signal and car radio are beating two completely different pulses. That'll drive you insane.

Argh, I am glad someone else is bothered by this! Sometimes, I simply have to mute the radio until I can turn - or turn it up waaaay loud.

Also, I'm pretty sure this habit never goes away - especially if you were part of the drumline.

Just as an aside for the drum corps folks: Where do you get your quality recordings of DCI music? I've found some of it on iTunes, oddly enough, but other than that, you kinda have to scrounge it.

by **Contrabass** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:33 pm UTC

Masuri wrote:
Just as an aside for the drum corps folks: Where do you get your quality recordings of DCI music? I've found some of it on iTunes, oddly enough, but other than that, you kinda have to scrounge it.

There used to be an IRC channel with everything you could imagine... Mp3s, Tour DVDs, Legacy Collection, etc. Then someone posted it on DCP, and it was overrun.

by **fjman** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:39 pm UTC

As a drummer that played with polyrhythmic stuff in my free time, you'd never trip me up! Never!

It was always fun to march in 3/4 to screw with the people behind me (the 1's still lined up correctly).

by **Delalyra** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:43 pm UTC

Rickrolled, oh my god YES.

by **NoPance** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:43 pm UTC

GodShapedBullet wrote:What do band kids do to stuff that is in 5/4?
That should be enough to break their hearts if not their legs.

You just alternate between left foot on the downbeat and right foot on the downbeat. After two measures you're back on your left (10 beats) so it's all gravy. Works with any odd meter grounded in quarters.

In drum corps I had several passages that we had to march in 7/8. Now that messes with your head.

by **LauraSakura** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:49 pm UTC

noooo.. its so true!!!

... i don't walk in step on purpose, it just...kinda happens now :-O

by **Robin S** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:54 pm UTC

fjman wrote:you'd never trip me up! Never!

Never gonna trip you up...

by **cstar** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:55 pm UTC

In my HS Marching band we did some stuff occasionally in 7/8 and maybe 7/5 or something? On the one 7/8 measure (since there weren't two) that was just a one measure halt which was intended to be rather loud so the halt helped anyway. The director just composed the stuff that doubled up in the doubled up time (I think we had 14/10 for the 7/5 but I could be incorrect) to keep with a left foot start.

We played some pretty neat stuff my last two years of HS. We did ELP's Karn Evil 9, Roundabout by Yes, and then my senior year we did Don Ellis' Strawberry Soup, Rush's Distant Early Warning, and a piece called New Rhythmics which was allegedly written by the Cavi's staff but wasn't used in any of their shows. We got better responses with these pieces than the plain theme-shows all the other bands in our area did.

by **stillbored** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:18 pm UTC

CatProximity wrote:This hobby is related to another fun one. Going to a Music Major hang out and playing just "shave and a hair cut" on the piano, leaving off the "two bits" part. Inevitably this will drive one of them crazy enough that they will come to the piano and finish it off.

As a former music major, I can relate to this one. My roommate at the time (also a music major) would play various scales on his keyboard (knowing full well I was listening) a purposefully mess up the last note, just to watch me cringe.

I've been through marching band and drum corps, and this comic is so true. Great work, got me to sign up for the forums, haha.

by **3clipse** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:20 pm UTC

Ahahahahahaha.

I'm not a marching band kid, but I've played drums for 13 years, and this happens to me all the time. If the beat on the music I'm listening to changes or someone stops the music I get tripped up.

by **segmentation fault** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:47 pm UTC

as an ex-marching band kid: i get it. very much so.

by **Sly Si** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:57 pm UTC

Wow, this was one of my favorites ever.

Several people are saying they've been trying to kick the habit of walking in step to music. Why would you want to kick that habit? Embrace band-geek-dom! I'm in a scatter band now, and I still hang on to some old band habits, like walking in step (on the rare occaision that I'm moving while playing) and doing a snappy horns-up.

Has anyone ever played Serenade for Wind Band? It was apparently written as a recessional at the composer's wedding, and it's in 11/8, 13/8, and 7/8, switching around throughout the song. I imagine he had some fun with his wedding party with that one.

by **khumbu** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:16 pm UTC

Why would you *not* want to march in time? It's a good workout once you break the 160 BPM mark

I don't usually trip when this happens, I just feel like a jerk because I've obviously gone over the amount of drill sets I was told to, and usually stop a step and a half later... I march snare drum in corps at the moment. What's up with all the people giving mad props to DCA corps? Not that they don't have insane chops or anything, but the drill tends to be too boring for my tastes (especially corps like the Bridgemen :-X).

In regards to the left foot/right foot thing: I auditioned for a LOT of corps this year, and the Cadets was one of them. It got screwy, because only whend I'd practice Cadets music I'd make a point of leading with my right. However, if I forgot to do this, I wouldn't realize I had screwed up, because I'm so used to leading with my left. The Cadets use the right foot first mainly to add another mental responsibility to the marchers (other than, you know, dressing, playing, breathing, marching technique, keeping your face relaxed so any pictures don't come out bad..); in the early season, it basically helps you work on keeping your focus even stronger by making you think just a little bit more. It works pretty well, as far as I can tell

.

Cadets 2005 (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=0)
Is the best show ever, period. It's even tied with Cavaliers 2002 for highest score ever:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=1

Also must watch:
Cadets 2007 http://video.google.com/url?docid=6708394241360112002&esrc=sr1&ev=v&len=839&q=cadets%2B2007&srcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D6708394241360112002&vidurl=%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D6708394241360112002%26q%3Dcadets%2B2007%26total%3D1864%26start%3D0%26num%3D10%26so%3D0%26type%3Dsearch%26plindex%3D0&usg=AL29H21qf5rcOnBZTVXLoEw-c9xKN5q57g
Cavaliers 2006
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 1325483042
Blue Devils 2003
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 3847720082
Crusaders 2000
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 8671522697
Cadets 2000
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 2499191144

And if you like drumlines.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwKL2DCrcMk (Cadets 2007 drum break)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhivi5_-68 (Cavies 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9wXM-AoLfw (Jersey Surf)
Anything on the Vic Firth site...

Also, coolest hornline warmup ever (thanks Blue Devils!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ-r-Hyr1sE

by **SWGlassPit** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:20 pm UTC

To answer a couple questions--

04 was my last year in corps, with the Glassmen
I also marched (stood?) Southwind in 02 and 03 and have many friends there who suddenly found themselves corpsless this summer.

Yes, Madison Alumni Reunion Project is incredible, especially in person in the press box in Madison :twisted:

All of a sudden, my online lives are colliding here. I'm actually one of the moderators on DCP (sn: Tristan).

suso: Did you guys wear those godawful technicolor uniforms in 94 as well, or were those only 93? Also, did you march with Kevin Gamin?

khumbu: Respectfully disagree on Cadets 05--I actually hated that show, but to each his own, right? Cadets 2000 is fantastic though, and I already posted BD 2003 in my earlier post. Cavies 02 is the show that kept me going all season long--I couldn't get enough, and actually the book from that has really influenced my writing style for the pit that I teach.

by **Robin S** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:24 pm UTC

khumbu wrote:[A bunch of links]

Posting links, especially that many, as a new member won't make you popular with the moderators (see the Rules thread).

by **aaron** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:25 pm UTC

adlaiff6 wrote:-1 for parallel octaves

haha yes.

one of the most well thought out rickrolls ever, and a completely true comic. probably one of my favorites.

by **stillbored** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:32 pm UTC

SWGlassPit wrote:Respectfully disagree on Cadets 05--I actually hated that show, but to each his own, right?

Seconded.

by **khumbu** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:37 pm UTC

SW: Completely understandable. I'm only obsessive over Cadets because my first show ever was the 05 finals (they were near where I live), and Cadets happened to win (and I really liked their show). Also, since Cadets is kind of the only World Class corps in the Northeast now (except Crusaders, but they practice mainly in Florida, wtf?!), I kind of have to like them, as they're the only World Class corps I'll probably end up being able to march (hopefully?).

Sorry about all the links, I got, uh, really excited (corps is one of the only things I consider myself remotely knowledgeable about, and I love all those shows). Feel free to get rid of them if they're in bad taste.

Also: as far as time signatures go, the worst are definitely 7/8 and 11/8 (because they're so close to 4/4 and 12/8), as well as stuff you find in exercises (in SCV's Zapadiddles, one section goes 3/16, 5/16, 7/16, 9/16, which is hard to feel if you're going fast enough).

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