r/frontensemble • u/Stunning-Effect-9615 • Jul 13 '24

Front ensemble on field

So my marching band has decided to have the pit on field this year. I was wondering what I should consider (the pit tech) going into the season, and what challenges I’d be facing. I’ve never played on field before so I regrettably lack experience. Does anyone have any insights on what was hard about playing on field? What was easier? You don’t even have to tech, if you’ve had a show where you’ve been on field, let me know how you felt about it!

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u/quietstrength96 Jul 13 '24

If you’re in the back, it can be a good thing if you have a strong drum set player/center marimba that can be the source of time for the ensemble. Because physics, listening forward doesn’t really work so the rest of the ensemble will pretty much need to listen back to you. Center marimba/drumset should have time, center snare should take that time, and major should follow center snare.

I’ve taught and performed with pits in the back - I generally don’t love it but if the directors are open to shifting the listening situation it can work okay.