• All Cadences must be original material and written by the person who is submitting it
  
  
• Instrumentation will be as follows: snare, tenor(4, 5, or 6 drums) and bass (4 or 5 drums) NO CYMBALS
  
  
• Each cadence must be marchable. There is no restriction on length or difficulty, but it must be in a "marchable" time signature (4/4, 3/4,2/4 etc) 13/16 doesn't work
  
  
• Each cadence must be accompanied by an mp3. There are many soundfonts and programs to accomplish this floating around, so hopefully this is not a problem for anyone.
  
  
• Cadences must be submitted in PDF format. If you do not have a program to create this file type, I suggest either CutePDF or PDF995. Both are free and easy to find on the internet. Also, please include the original file (finale, sibelius, etc) in your email.
  
  
• Each cadence must have a name. The name can not include any part of your DLO username or your real name. Also, do not put your DLO name or real name on the cadence anywhere (there is a reason)
  
  
• There will be a panel of judges to determine the finalist cadences; the winner will then be determined by a DLO community vote. We will announce the names of the judging panel later.
  
  
• Attached to this post is a sample notation file. This includes actual music examples of a "standard notation" that will be used for this contest. All submissions must use this "standard." I understand that some of the symbols will be different than what you are used to, but this will make the process much easier for judging/voting purposes. If you do not use this "standard" your entry will be disqualified.
  
  
• NOTATION IS VERY IMPORTANT. Unless the sticking is natural (RLRL), then it must be notated. This includes bass drum unisons. Dynamics, etc (if applicable) need to be included in your submission. This way your cadence is interpreted just as you envisioned, and nothing will be left to the imagination of the judges (trust me, that is a scary thought)
  
  
• When you are FINISHED with your cadence and ready for it to be submitted, you will need to send an email to . The subject header should read "Cadence Contest Entry: (your cadence name)". The body of the email should include your real name (first and last), DLO name and the title of your cadence. You are not allowed to share the name of your cadence with anyone, or your entry will be disqualified. The judges will only know the name of the cadence, and not the composer. This will allow the judging to be impartial.
  
  
• Some of you are probably wondering 'what is my incentive for entering?' Well, first you will have your work judged by a panel of your drumming peers and you will receive constructive praise and criticism that will help you with your writing in the future. Also, all of the finalist cadences (and select ones of the other entries) will be posted on DLO for everyone to enjoy. Finally, there will be a prize for the winners. The exact prize or prizes are still being finalized, but I promise you they will be percussion related.
  
  
• The earliest date for submission is October 1st with the last day for submissions being December 31st. That gives everyone roughly 2 1/2 months to get something prepared. This long time frame is due to many members of this site being involved with high school marching bands during this same time. Hopefully, everyone will have plenty of time to get a cadence submitted.
  

• PLAYABILITY : Realism of what is written on the page. Can a line realistically play this piece? Are the tenor parts too wierd and outrageous that only the 92 SCV quad line can play them? Also, does the tempo fit the amount of notes on the page?
  
  
• CLEANLINESS OF SCORE : Are the parts readable? Do you have noteheads turning up, down and sideways? Is the sticking overlapping into the actual music? Is your PDF 8 pages long because you haven't adjusted the number of measures per system? Bottom line: the music must look as good as it sounds
  
  
• MARKETABILITY : Would someone spend time whipping out a credit card and downloading this cadence? Would there be requests for the sheet music on drumming forums (not a good idea by the way)? Would people spend time transcribing it so that their line could play it without paying for it? Would people stand in the lot and eagerly anticipate this piece being played? Is this the next electric wheelchair?
  
  
• GROOVE : Can you find the beat while listening? Does it make you involuntary turn into a bobble head? Will every high school line in the country be playing some version of it so they can be cool? Does this cadence make Patti want to shake dat thang?
  

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Are accessories on the instruments acceptable? (such as: Cowbells attached to snares, bass drums with jam blocks attached to the rims?)

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