My Top 10 DCI Ballads

All rights go to the original owners of these videos and the corps who did the amazing job of performing these shows.

[@Toast408]

Scv is hands down one of the best ballads ever

[@SSAS1129]

bloo 15 is by far my most favorite ballad of all time, it’s the only time i’ve ever cried while listening to something

[@jamescountey1157]

Very good post we all have our favorites and may put them in different orders.Its fun to watch what other people think and going back in time with the beautiful ballad's. For me id call a tie between Blue Devils 2017 and Santa Clara Vanguard 2018 as #1 . Interesting ballads are for suttle low key showing off your brass. Blue Devils in 2017 showed off the whole Corp with that powerful Ballad. Santa Clara Vanguard did just about same thing In 2018 especially with that powerful hornline at the end with the great solo

[@DrHexagon_]

21:45 is one of the coolest effects I’ve ever heard, that ballad has always been insane

[@thenerfnerd6659]

i don't care what anyone says, bluecoats 17 and blue devils 2022 will never not be my 2 favorite ballads of all time. they just hit some type of way.

[@caivean2337]

bloo 15 being 1 is so right

[@not_meepington]

it’s kind of interesting how much classical music shows up in marching band. The first entry here was rach 2 lol Note: rach 2 has one of the best 2nd movements I’ve ever heard so I’m not surprised it’s on this list, even with different instrumentation.

[@jcat2_086]

In terms of why jazz music isn't AS popular (since it still shows up a decent amount) is because a majority of jazz music straight up doesn't work for drum corps. I'd say at least 95% of jazz in DCI is inspired by Big Band, with less than 5% (if that) being combo-style jazz (which itself makes a majority of jazz music). This doesn't even touch the fact that the #1 most important part of jazz is improvisation, which is basically absent from drum corps music, making drum corps basically the antithesis of jazz music. (This also isn't a condemnation of big band or jazz representation in corps, I play in a few big bands and write mostly big band music, and love seeing it in DCI)

[@recastle8051]

Why is the 2014 bd video a whole step sharp 😂

[@CrownFan]

Dang, I knew something was wrong with it 😭

[@stefanstalknecht]

Bluecoats 2017 🔥

[@shiprx]

I love bloo 2015

[@user-vs3iv7vl1y]

Need to go back further in time…Phantom ‘93 Fire of Eternal Glory or Phantom ‘94 Claire de Lune…both worthy of top 10

[@jakeandhenryvideos]

No videos before 2014?

[@agogobell28]

Yeah there’s a whole host of older DCI that this person completely neglected. When I think of beautiful slow lyrical pieces from DCI, it’s stuff like BD 1991, Garfield 1984, Phantom 1995, Freelancers 1991, SCV 2000….

[@neal0071234able]

Scv adagio for strings 2000 thats a standard setting middle of the show ballad..

[@johnflorio3576]

Spirit of Atlanta 1979.

[@williamsanborn9195]

No lie, I kinda like to replicate the horn snap from SCV18 on my trumpet lol

[@twalters2962]

how do you get the sound?

[@voiceofreason9238]

@@twalters2962 Practice. :)

[@henry1793]

@@twalters2962 you have to make sure the third valve slide is well lubricated. Push out the third valve when holding your instrument in down position. Then when you snap up the horn to playing position you have to pull the valve slide in very fast. Thats what makes the noise. If you do it right its pretty loud :)

[@andrewcordova3709]

No way bro didn’t put Crown 13 on here

[@bloo14738]

Bro that ballad is terrible

[@larry2447]

Terribly EPIC.

[@andrewcordova3709]

@@bloo14738You mean the ballad that made Brass judges cry because it was so good?

[@mr.nutes_342]

Bloo2016???

[@bloo14738]

That’s what I’m sayin

[@catwithabat7163]

Kinda sad, no CC22 or BC16

[@Kb50104]

Phantom 2008???

[@MrDavegiven0330]

2023 Phantom, but not 2011 Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral?

[@neal0071234able]

The lords prayer from 2003 or how about fire of eternal glory think thats 1993 ..

[@mazda_rt24-p]

That was the closer

[@Llamal0rd5]

INFERNO, YESSSSSSSSSS🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@eleventhrunner8778]

Bluedevils? Come on man.

[@AnotherDCINerd]

I don’t think anyone could ever say with a straight face that bd 2017 isn’t a top 3 ballad minimum, bc 2016 isn’t a top 10, but bc 2015 is top 1, like never heard 2015 before and I almost closed the vid watching it.

[@gabrielfaure9091]

Immediately lose all credibility with the oldest show being from 2014