The Marching Band .signature Code!
Version 1.0
Seeing a whole load of .signature codes that didn't mean much, with the exclusion of a really great one that inspired me (Goth, by Peter T. Caffin), I decided to write up my own. That code was a real great piece of work, but I'd also like to state that when I wrote this, I copied nothing from anybody intentionally. I made it all up as I went along. I try not to cheat anyone out of their hard work.

Here's the code for all you rec.arts.marching.band people!

What is a signature code, anyway? A signature code is an easy way to cram a lot of info about something into a small space specifically for the use as a .sig file (the thing that's tagged onto the end of all your email). This one happens to be about marching band.

How to write it out
In the code are a series of 1 letter headers, then any number of variables, etc. Each section of the code is designated by a header, and they're all different. It's all CASE SENSITIVE! Q is different from q... The numbers stay the same though (i.e. the number 5 is unrelated to the % sign)
Code Header Section
First place the three letters 'MBa'. This starts the code and lets the person reading know its Marching Band Code, and not some other one. After that, you have these variables right against it. No space(s).

How long have you been in band?

0 - I'm not even a freshman yet, but I'm in band!
1 - I'm a freshman. Yep. Lowly freshman. That's me.
2 - I'm a sophomore! Not the most amazing title, but I'm better than the freshmen!
3 - I'm a junior! Not quite senior material yet, but I've been here longer than anybody but the seniors! Nyah nyah
4 - I'm a senior, the absolute power! Well.. except for the Staff.
5 - Band Parent. My kid is in the band.
6 - Staff! The ones who teach, help and do all that other stuff that students can't handle!
9 - I dont know who would be here, but they help with the band and they've been there longer than the staff themselves.

Also, you may wish to be somewhere in between 6 and 9. That's all right too. After that, add any of these that apply.

P - I drag around the pit stuff from show to show to show and bring it onto the field!
W - I write drill
A - I arrange music

So, as an example, Jason is a junior who isn't quite a section leader. The beginning of his code would be: MBa3

Your Section
Because it's the Section section of the code, put a capital 'S'before it. Then, determine your section from the list below.

St - STAFF! You're a staff member of the band. After the St, place the letter of the section of which you formerly belonged to. If you are a staffer and you used to play Tenor Sax.. You would be StTs.
Bp - BAND PARENT! If you don't know, you probably aren't.
Dmjr - You are the drum major.
admjr - You are the assistant drum major.
C - Colorguard
Mj - Majorette
c - Clarinets
Bc - Bass Clarinets
M - Mellophones
B - Baritones
As - Alto Saxes
Ts - Tenor Saxes
Ss - Soprano Saxes
Bs - Baritone Saxes
F - Flutes
P - Piccolo
T - Trombones
Tr - Trumpets
Tu - Tubas
P - Pit Percussion (bell players)
Ba - Battery Percussion (drummers)
Pr - Prop Squad (those who carry props on the field)
! - Something else not on the list! (mail me and tell me what it was so it can be on the list so you won't have to use the ! sign)

If you are not a drummer or a pit person, place the number that comes after the name of your instrument in the sheet music! So, if you were a 4th trumpet, your code would be STr4. This is optional.

If you are a drummer, choose the instrument you play from the list below and append it to the 'Ba' in your code.

Sn - Snare
Qui - Quints
Qua - Quads
Tri - Tri-toms
Bd# - Bass Drum, the number being how far you are from the highest drum. Matt plays the third lowest drum, so he would be Bd3
Cym - Cymbals

After your drum/number, place a dash ('-') and then one of these.

S - I'm a section leader!
s - I'm an assistant section leader!
O - I'm not a section leader, but everybody listens to me anyway.

As an example, let's use Keith. He plays snare drum, and he's quite good at leading, but not officially section leader. His code would be SBaSnO.

Your Band
Everybody wants to know about your band, so definitely put this section in your code. First, put a 'B' as the header. Then, select two of your band's initials, making the first one upper-case and the second one lower. If your band has three words in its name, pick the most important two, like this: Suppose you were Lake Lehman (a really cool band) you would be Ll. Suppose you were Indiana University of Pennsylvania, you could be Iu. After that, add this good stuff with no space in between.
Where did your band place in ACCs or a similar, high level competition? Place this number after, Acc (if you competed there) or Cc (if you competed in chapter championships) and then directly after, your placement, after a pound sign ('#'). If you're in the middle of a season, use last year's score. If your band didn't compete, or you just don't care to say, don't put anything in this spot, just go on to the next one.

Suppose your band was #7 in ACCs, and your two letter ID was Bb, your code so far would be BBbAcc#7

How many members do you have in your band (including guard)? If you don't know, take a wild estimate and put that down, after a plus sign ('+').
What are your colors? Select them from the list below, and place them after an asterisk ('*').

R - Red
M - Maroon
G - Green
O - Orange
Bl - Blue
Br - Brown
W - White
Blk - Black
S - Silver
Gld - Gold
Gr - Gray
P - Purple/violet
Y - Yellow

What State are you in? Use the postal identifier, with the second letter lowercase. Place the identifier after a forward slash ('/').

As an example, suppose you belong to Pocono Mountain. Your code would be BPmAcc#1+163*RW/Pa

A Bit About You
This section can be completely ommitted if you want; it's really not all that important, but can be kinda cool. First of all, put a P in front. Next, these:

'A' then your age.

'P' then your personality type.
Op - Optimist
Pe - Pessimist
xx - Always Changes
'H' then your height in cm. One inch is 2.54 CM. So, if you were 6 foot 3 inches, you would multiply 6*12, then, add 3 (more inches). Then multiply that by 2.54
'Y' then the number of years you have been playing your instrument, or the number of years you have been a staff member of a marching band if that is the case.
'M' then your musical preference. Chose any number from the list below, in the order you like them.

al - alternative
am - ambient
cl - classical
co - country
da - dance
ex - experimental
fo - folk
ha - hardcore
in - industrial
ja - jazz
ma - main (top 40)
me - metal
na - new age
ol - oldies
ra - rap
rl - Light rock
rh - Heavy rock
$$ - everything
!! - something thats not here

That's it!
You've successfully created your own personal signature code to use. Please report all bugs and as many suggestions as possible by clicking E-Mail Author from the list on