Ensemble and drumming

Many e-mails have been received from people responding to the 2004 article on ranking spreads that was reposted after the World’s. As the article discusses, the most common confusion is about two piping judges being far apart. But if input from readers is an indicator, radically different drumming and ensemble rankings are also a huge cause for concern.

There seem to be lots of cases of a band being very high up in drumming and much lower in ensemble, and vice-versa. It begs the question, what use is drumming if it doesn’t help the overall appeal of the band? If the drum section is supposed to accompany the pipe section, and if its sole purpose is to enhance the music, then why do drumming judges continually reward the technical over the complementary?

If the late Johnny Cochrane were a drumming judge, perhaps he’d remark, If the score don’t fit it, you must say “Quit it.”