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chalker wrote:What specific changes would you make to the rules?

I would make the allowable ranges higher, especially if a percussion instrument is required again. The low range required huge bars, which made the instruments hard to transport or fit through a door like the rules required.

the bars wont necessarily need to be huge, only longer, which put in a special carrying case can easily fit through a standard door way.

I didn't like that the instrument classes were required. I felt it limited innovation - I lost count of how many flutes, xylophones and BMG instruments I saw at NY States.

Gillen wrote:Just the 8 note major scale.

At NY States competitors were not allowed to play the required scale, and were instead required to play a chromatic scale.

chalker wrote: We have a general policy of trying to make at least one significant change to each returning event. What specific changes would you make to the rules?

It would be disadvantageous to people just coming into the event next year in comparison to the veterans if you DON'T adjust the ranges or perhaps the categories or some other instrument requirement. I vote replacing wind with strings, and perhaps making percussion treble, and then strings bass. My reasoning is that some people also have a natural disadvantage if they can't already play a wind instrument, so they wouldn't have the breath support. As for the flipping of ranges, it makes it fair for percussion, too.

Flavorflav wrote:I didn't like that the instrument classes were required. I felt it limited innovation - I lost count of how many flutes, xylophones and BMG instruments I saw at NY States.

Gillen wrote:Just the 8 note major scale.

At NY States competitors were not allowed to play the required scale, and were instead required to play a chromatic scale.

Are you sure? Because they asked me to play all of my notes and I don't have a chromatic scale but I still managed third in the event. I'm fairly certain they gave you however many points you deserved out of the 6 possible range points regardless of whether your scale was chromatic or not. Do you know something more than me?

sweetp, scoring may vary between competitions.

I agree with the change in types of instruments. What I would find interesting- just a thought- what about allowing electrophones, the fifth instrument type under the Hornbostel-Sachs system? I think that would make teams more innovative.

Definitely allow strings, and perhaps let teams pick which instrument is treble and which is bass. I feel that giving the teams more leeway in designing their instruments would not only increase variety of instruments, it would also make the event approachable for a greater number of students (a guitar is a lot easier to play than a panflute, especially if you don't play a wind instrument in the first place).

I don't know if I like the idea of electrophones, though...it just seems out of place in an event where they require you to build your instruments because electrophones usually involve quite a few manufactured parts.

BRING OUR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS BACK!!

Zyzzyva, I went to NY states haha

Like others have said, it'd be wonderful if we were allowed to build string instruments.

Also, I feel that using a system of instrument classifications such as Hornbostel-Sachs would clear up confusions, there are some instruments that it is debatable if they are either percussive or string, and I feel clearing that up would be great.