(Part 2) Best products from r/drumcorps

This is actually something I wish I'd thought about more when I marched. I got really into working out, nutrition and supplements a few years after marching. The three I'd consider bringing/taking would be creatine, protein powder and a preworkout.

The creatine will help water retain in your muscles, which will give them more mass. Be careful with this though, because that means you'll need to increase the amount of water you drink, which is already at a high amount during the drum corps summer. It'd be super easy to become dehydrated while taking creatine, even if you are drinking a gallon or more per day.

The protein will help you build muscle. In general, it doesn't take a ton of protein to build muscle, not nearly as much as we've been led to believe, but I really don't think drum corps provided enough food in general to really build muscle. You'll want to balance this with a little bit of carbohydrates (which won't be a big deal, drum corps nutritionists predominantly keep members on a glycogen-based nutrition plan, so you should be fine) which helps with the protein synthases. I wouldn't go with a whey though, they don't digest as easy. Look for a hemp protein powder, you'll have better luck with protein absorption.

Preworkouts, honestly, are a lie. Don't get me wrong, they help you workout and I take one every morning, but purely because they have caffeine. I've been hooked on caffeine since high school and majorly missed it when I marched. I take Six Star because it's high in caffeine and zero carbs, but any cheap one will work. You can even do instant coffee. But being able to start your day with the ground running will just lead to more results.

If you're thinking about a fat burner, you don't need it. Drum corps in general will take care of that for you, and most add in a level of (slight) risk to the heart, which you want to keep as healthy clean as possible during the summer. The best thing you can do to burn fat is increase muscle mass, which creatine and protein will do. Caloric burn rate is a formula that's predominantly impacted by the amount of lean muscle, so increasing that muscle amount will increase your daily burn and your elevated-cardio burn rates automatically.

Note: pay super close attention to your health the whole time. I'm no doctor, I'm no expert, just a fitness enthusiast who also marched. And make sure at least one staff member knows exactly what you're taking (don't ask their permission, it's your life and health fitness plan, but if anything ever goes wrong it's important for at least some authoritative figure to know what you've been putting in your body).

Now if you REALLY want to burn some fat and try out an experiment I wish I'd known about when I marched, look up ketogenic-based diets v. glycogenic-based diets. The latter is what drum corps traditionally use, but my own personal research makes me believe that every drum corps and member would benefit from operating all summer on the former. You'd look better and have significantly more energy with a lot less crashing. But if a corps as a whole didn't adopt it, you'd need to supplement your meals with some additional supplements.

Anyways, this was a long answer, so sorry about that. Whatever you decide, be safe and let us know your results!

Here's my disclaimer: if you don't have access to a drum and at least one other person to practice playing clean with, you're already at a disadvantage. No pad feels exactly like a drum and when it comes down to the wire in an audition, what determines who makes the line is usually who can play clean consistently no matter where he is in the line.

Buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Control-For-Snare-Drummer/dp/1892764040

No matter where you want to march, it will be your ultimate tool. It will lay the foundation of your playing, and it will give you amazing facility on the drum. Play through all of it. Play through it at every dynamic. Play five lines and crescendo the whole thing. Do whatever you can to essentially turn the thing inside out on itself so that you get as much experience playing things your hands have never felt. The key here is repetition. You want to shed layers so that your hands become so refined that anything you're asked to play is practically second nature.

Once you've played through the entire book ten times, buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Accents-Rebounds-For-Snare-Drummer/dp/1892764067

Repetition, repetition, repetition. Variation, variation, variation. If something sounds disgusting, practice it until it's beautiful. You need to dedicate substantial time to practicing, and you need to always practice with a metronome. I advise against most phone metronomes, because they tend to be inconsistent. I recommend practicing for 90 minutes and then taking a 30 minute break. Practice consistently. Don't do eight hours one day and then take a week off. Two or three hours a day is ample practice time. You've got to be deliberate and take your practice time seriously if you want to make it. If you're unsure about whether or not you want to march, I'd advise against auditioning because the people who really want it are usually the ones who make the line.

Get on YouTube and check out some different lines from the past maybe three seasons. Listen to as many as you can and see which lines really pique your interest. Then get on Google and look for audition materials (either from past years or current materials). A lot of corps require you to buy their audition materials so if that's an issue for you, you could try another corps. Or you could step up your game, get back on YouTube, try to find some videos of the drumline warming up, and figure out their exercises on your own. Be wary though; that's a pretty significant undertaking.

My best advice is to take initiative, and to try harder than you want to. You'll have to do both of those things if you spend a summer with a corps anyway, so it's better to start now. Best of luck to you.

Here are a couple tips and tricks from personal experience when I marched:

• If you can afford it, get a big rolling duffle like this one. They are pricier, but if you plan on marching multiple years, a high quality one should last you at least 3 seasons.
  
• An air mattress is something else you shouldn't go cheap on, I really recommend getting an AeoroBed. The cheap Intex brand that Walmart sells may be tempting, but I know so many people that couldn't last an entire season with an Intex bed. My AeoroBed got me 2.5 years before it crapped out mid way through my ageout summer.
  
• As others have said, feet are your most important asset. Don't go cheap on shoes and bring plenty of socks.
  
• Microfiber camping towels are useful because they'll save packing space and dry faster than a normal towel.
  
• Don't bring regular laundry detergent, get those Tide Pods, they are much easier to store and you don't risk a liquid spill. 10-12 should be enough to get you through the season (2 per laundry day).
  
• Gallon zip lock bags are incredibly useful for storing liquids such as your bath soap, sunscreen, etc. There's nothing worse than opening your suitcase at a housing site at 3 AM to discover your shampoo spilled all over your bag.
  
• Concerning sunscreen - if you have fair skin, don't get anything less than SPF 50 and apply BEFORE EVERY BLOCK. Bad sunburns can seriously ruin your summer. I recommend getting cream over spray - it's cheaper, bottles last longer, and it usually works better.
  
• Concerning showering - if you don't already, use a loofa. It will do a much better job of getting the dirt out, and you'll find that you'll use less soap per shower. There's nothing worse than running out of soap with a week before your next Walmart run.
  
  I could probably write a whole book about packing tips, but these are probably some of the most important. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions!

I brought some Monoprice 108323s on tour last year, and just had them folded up hanging on a bungee cord above my seat. They're cheap-ish (I got them for like $20), so you don't have to worry a whole lot about breaking or losing them, but they're also pretty good headphones for the price point. They don't have active noise cancellation, but they blocked out most of the noise on the bus when I wanted to get some sleep. They've lasted me 2 years of casual use and one season of drum corps so far, probably the best $20 I've ever spent. The only downside is that the stock earpads are a little uncomfortable, but I was able to get some comfortable replacements pretty inexpensively on their website.

The mic you posted is more expensive than any that I've used for corps, but for reference this was shot on a ~45$ Takstar sgc-698, which sounds pretty good for the the price, and I've also used the ~130$ Zoom H1 on this and this which sounds even better. That Rode mic you posted will likely sound much better than either of those two since it's higher price (and from pictures I've seen, I think it's a similar model to the one HorlineFanatic uses)

> I have the recorder, they have the memories.

Faaaaantastic!

Yamaha makes this fun little instrument. They call it a "fife," though it's more like a recorder with a plastic flute mouthpiece. Anyway, it's small, light, fun, cheap, and a great way to annoy entertain others.

So i tried to find it on Costco.com and i can’t bc it was 2 years ago :( but I’ve searched sleeping mats/ camping mattresses and this one seems to have good reviews! About $160 for a twin size mattress which is very pricey but i think it’d be a good investment. There are lots online though so I’m sure you could find a cheaper one! I’ll let you know if i get ahold of the Costco one Better Habitat DreamReady Portable Kids Sleeping Mattress (Ages 4-12; 62x26x2”). [Solid Memory Foam, roll Out Convenient & Safe Sleep pad w/Waterproof Cotton Terry Cover & Travel Bag] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKT17Z3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9kqUCb2BBDN3H

Try and get the jack guy from the other comment to talk about this too because he is going to march with them. But for me, definitely LONG TONES, LIP SLURS AND BREATHING EXERCISES!!! Those are the keys to being a good brass player in general. Start working on finding/practicing your Technical and Lyrical Etudes. Also I have found these things to work well for finger dexterity. It helps with fast passages and things like that.

http://www.amazon.com/Hemiplegia-Exercise-Trainers-Rehabilitation-Equipment/dp/B00KW4ZVIU

For breathing do in 4 out 8, in 4 out 10 all the way out to 16. Then in 2 out 4, in 2 out 6 all the way to 10. The do the same but with in for 1. They will teach you more breathing exercises at the camps too.Try to get your hands on a marching euph... that'll be the best!

i asked a well-respected brass instructor about this a while ago, and what he told me is that playing with ear-canal sealing ear protection creates a false inner pitch that's about ten cents higher than your natural pitch. he wouldn't let us wear any ear-canal sealing ear protection for this reason- stuff like earasers, those plugs you linked, and so on.

they honestly probably don't create that big of a difference in your personal practice, especially if you play with a tuner. just something to think about.

also fwiw the eargasms you're linking to are mega overpriced for what they are. etymotic research is the originator of the high-fidelity cone plug design, and you can get theirs on amazon for a little less than half the cost of those eargasm plugs plus a cord at no extra charge. check them out here. i wear them at most rehearsals i teach, now. they're indispensable.

Quite often the symptoms of anxiety have much more to do with biochemical imbalances, and less to do with psychological factors.

Psychological factors can, however, become an amplifier even if not the primary cause, which is why these are often deemed culprit.

Without getting into the details of biochemistry and specific chemical relationships involved in neurotransmission, I will simply say that B vitamins and magnesium have a strong connection to with aspects of brain function (more correctly lack of proper function) that trigger anxiety.

One of the most important of the B vitamins in connection with balancing anxiety is B12 (though B5 and B6 in combination with magnesium also help).

If you are vegan, vegetarian, or do not each much meat/fish/eggs you most certainly have low levels of B12 if not taking vitamin supplements.

Here is more information on B12 from NIH - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

I strongly recommend taking Neurobion Forte tablets each day, which are essentially a high dose of vitamin B complex.

Neurobion Forte tablets:

https://www.amazon.com/Neurobion-Forte-Tablets-Vitamin-Complex/dp/B016IPO3Z8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Neurobion&qid=1559324959&s=hpc&sr=8-2

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Do also take simple Magnesium, as it helps with vitamin absorption/retention:

https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Bounty-Magnesium-Supplement-Vegetarian/dp/B00H5PJ0HW/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=magnesium&qid=1559326242&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Great recommendation, thanks!

EDIT: The link if anyone is interested.

Because no one else answered this dude

I havent been through the season yet, but for the last few camps Ive used a self inflating sleeping pad (as have many others). It folds up real tight, and can be inflated extremely easily. Its not the most comfortable thing in the world, but I far prefer it to the air mattress I was using for the first few.

It saves space and is pretty cost efficient.

This is the one Ive been using.

https://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Camp-Self-Inflating-Sleeping/dp/B076P35JZR/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1525231473&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=self+inflating+sleeping+pad&psc=1

I used [this](https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics\-Strap\-Camera\-Mount\-GoPro/dp/B00R4YCKIK/ref=sr\_1\_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526424658&sr=8\-3&keywords=gopro\+head\+strap](https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Strap-Camera-Mount-GoPro/dp/B00R4YCKIK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526424658&sr=8-3&keywords=gopro+head+strap) head strap and it worked pretty well. If you play a drum you'll have to angle it like straight down. If you want to see the video PM me.

edit: formatting fail fixed