Drums vs Guitars (1)
Announcer: From the brains behind brains on its Smash Boom Best.
Kyra: The show is for people with big opinions.
Molly: I'm your host, Molly Bloom and you're listening to Smash Boom Best, the show where we take two things, smash them together and ask you to decide which one is best. Today we've got a musical matchup to get your toes tapping. It's guitars versus drums. This is going to be a tough one for all the music lovers out there. Team guitar knows how to move us with a melody, but team drums has the beat. Here to make some big decisions is our judge Kyra. Hello, Kyra.
Kyra: Hi, I'm Kara and I'm judging today's debate.
Molly: Excellent. We are so happy to have you here. Before we meet the debaters I want to check in with you and see where you stand. Do you consider yourself a musical person?
Kyra: Not so much. I used to play piano a couple of years ago, but as of right now, no.
Molly: What kind of music is your favorite music to listen to?
Kyra: I'm just like any normal person. I like a lot of rap, R&B and stuff like that.
Molly: Do you ever get into debates with your family or friends?
Kyra: Me and my sister, we both do debate but at home, it's really just silly stuff. Our judge is our parents. I'll be like, "Okay, then go ask mom." We'll argue and then we'll ask to go ask mom, and then she'll yell at both of us.
Molly: (laughs) As an experienced debater, what advice do you have for our debaters today?
Kyra: Honestly, for me, the only person that matters right now in this debate, the only opinion is mine. Just keep that in mind and just try to touch me. Try to touch my heart. Try to make sure I understand what you're saying and I get it because if I don't then who else is supposed to get it?
Molly: Excellent. Well, I'm so glad you are our judge today. I think it's time to welcome our debaters to the main stage. Let's kick it off with Tommy McNamara who's here to represent team drums. Hi, Tommy.
Tommy: Hello. I'm so excited to be here.
Molly: Tommy in just one sentence, why are drums clearly the coolest?
Tommy: Okay, drums are the coolest because they combine raw power and expert precision, like if the world's strongest person also had the best handwriting.
Molly: Ooh, very nice. Now, let's meet Tommy's fierce opponent here to rep team guitar. It's Rosie DuPont. Hi, Rosie.
Rosie: Hi, Molly.
Molly: Rosie, in a single sentence, tell us why guitars are the greatest?
Rosie: Okay, here we go. Guitars are the dogs of instruments because they're man's best friend.
Molly: Interesting. Well, strong opening sentiments all around. We're almost ready to get this debate started, but first, let's review the rules of the game. Our debaters will compete in four rounds of raucous reasoning, and our judge Kyra will grade them on the facts and logic they use to make their case. Round One is the Declaration of Greatness, when each debater has the floor to present all the coolest things about their side. Each debater has just 30 seconds to make a rebuttal. Round Two is the Micro Round, a creative challenge that both debaters have prepared for in advance. Round three is the Sneak Attack, a surprise challenge to keep our debaters on their toes. The last round is the final six when both sides have just six words to sway our judge. Kyra will award points as we go, but she won't reveal the tally and our winner until the end of the debate. All right, Kyra, you have two points to award this first round, one for the best declaration and one for the best rebuttal. Keep track of both as you're listening. Are you ready?
Kyra: Mmhmm!
Molly: Awesome. Rosie and Tommy, are you ready?
Rosie: Yes, Molly.
Tommy: I've never been more ready in my entire life.
Molly: Fantastic. That means it's time for…
Announcer: Declaration of Greatness.
Molly: Our debaters have come armed with the coolest facts, history, and arguments. We flipped a coin and Tommy, you're up first. It's time for you to beat the drum for, well, drums. Take it away.
Tommy: Drumroll please…. (drumroll sound)
Ladies and gentlemen today we are here to honor the backbone of music, the keeper of time, the ruler of the rhythm: DRUMS. (Cymbal crash)
Drums are ESSENTIAL to making music fun. Don't believe me? Try to dance withoutdrums...I'll wait.
(Soft quiet instrumental song with no drums)
Some instruments, (cough) guitars (cough), have faded from modern music but not drums. Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, R & B, ALL use drum beats.
Most bands in America today use a standard drum kit. You know what I'll let them introduce themselves!
Bass Drum (Low Voice): I'm the bass drum. I'm the biggest and lowest drum in the kit. I'm operated with a foot pedal, but that doesn't mean you should kick me!
Snare Drum (High Voice, Staccato): I'm the snare! I hang out in the middle of the drum kit, with my two buddies.
Tom 1: Hi I'm Tom
Tom 2: And I'm Tom
Tom 1 and 2: We're the Tom Toms. We're twins!
Tom 1: We're deep.
Tom 2: And maybe a little melodic?
Tom 1: Hey Tom, why did the bad drummer lose his watch?
Tom 2: He couldn't keep time!
Hi Hat: Enough you two! Let's talk cymbals. Hi - I'm the hi hat. I'm not actually a hat. I'm made up of two cymbals on top of each other. I can be open or shut using a foot pedal - like this! (hi hat sound)
Ride (Smooth voice): I'm Ride. I'm named after the ride pattern that goes like this. (tss ts ts tss)
Crash (Shouting): I'M CRASH. I'M THE LOUDEST CYMBAL! WE COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER. RIDE, YOU SOUND SO SMOOTH.
Thanks, drum kit. Drums have been around a looong time. One clay drum dates back to 6000 BCE. And cultures around the world have used drums for centuries in many different ways. In some African cultures, they were used for religious ceremonies, announcing births, sounding alarms, and even long distance communication!
Picture this: you come home and you're hungry, but your family is nowhere to be found. You have no telephone, no computer, no Grubhub. In Bulu country in Africa, you could send a message for a meal with the language of percussion! Using only a specific coded rhythm you could basically say, “Come quickly. I'm starving!” These drum messages were received from MILES away, with no amplification. If you tried sending a message with an acoustic guitar -- you'd still be hungry.
Plus, there are countless kinds of drums. There's the djembe from West Africa, the Bodhran from Ireland, the Pandeiro from Brazil, and many, many more. My favorite drums are hand drums like the bongos. They sound great and they're portable. I even brought some into the studio today. Don't believe me? (Bongos play)
There have been a LOT of great drummers throughout history. Take for example, Rick Allen from Def Leppard -- one of the biggest rock bands of the 1980s.
In 1985, their drummer Rick Allen tragically lost his arm in a car crash. He was told he would never be able to drum again, but he didn't quit. He locked himself in his room in his parents house and played and played, putting in countless hours of practice while playing with one arm. Through perseverance and a custom drum set, he was able to play with the band again the next year. The band had kept it a secret, then one the night in front of tens of thousands of people, Rick took the stage and surprised everyone!
There's one other reason drums rule: Science!
Annett: There is something special about the beat.
Tommy: That's psychologist Annett Schirmer. She points out that pretty much all humans around the world like to stomp their feet to the rhythm of a beat. Scientists like her have a theory-- it's not just about dancing, it's about survival.
Annett: You know, as humans, we're actually kind of an awkward species. We're not particularly fast, we're not strong, we're not poisonous. And really the only way we can survive on this planet and thrive the way we've done is by working in groups and by coordinating our behavior with that of other people.
Tommy: Scientists like Annett think our love of rhythm might be part of the same instinct that's helped our little species work in teams to survive and thrive.
If after all that you STILL think guitars are better? You must be out of tune. And just one more thing before I go: BONGO SOLO!
(Bongos play)
Molly: Oh, excellent bongo solo, Tommy. Team drums laying down a very strong beat. Kyra, what did you think of that Declaration of Greatness? What stood out to you as Tommy's strongest argument?
Kyra: I actually took some notes for Tommy. I like how he was saying how they haven't faded unlike guitars kind of like a little sneak diss. Then he included example such as R&B. I also liked how he talked about the fact that drums have multiple purposes like long-distance using a coded rhythm to make drum messages and that. Also again about how there's junk from many different places included other countries such as like Ireland, et cetera.
Molly: Drums are all over the world. Well, Rosie, I'm sure you have some thoughts you want to share. We're going to let you riff in your 30-second rebuttal and your time starts now.
Rosie: Okay, Tommy, you started out by saying drums are fun because they add rhythm to music. Well, guitars add rhythm too. You can play a guitar like a drum, flamenco music? The whole way you play is by drumming the guitar. Number two, you can also play rhythm guitar. People keep rhythm — they don't need drums — by just the way they strum the guitar. Number two, you claimed that guitars are old hat. Not true. All the biggest musicians alive today play.
Molly: Time! (Laughter) 30 seconds goes fast when you have a lot to say.
Rosie: I have much to say. I have more to say but I'll say it later.
Molly: You're going to say it in about two seconds because it's time for you to strum your way into Kyra's heart with your Declaration of Greatness. Rosie, tell us why team guitar is truly the best.
Rosie: It's a hot summer morning in Woodstock, New York -- 1969. You've been dancing in the mud and sleeping under the stars for three days at the most famous music festival of all time -- when Jimi Hendrix steps out on stage to play the closing act.
(Jimi Hendrix plays guitar)
With a red bandana in his afro and a white Fender Stratocaster guitar slung across his chest, he wows the audience with a killer 15 song set.
(guitar music)
And then, he launches into a rendition of the national anthem. It's gritty and anguished, filled with the energy of protest fueled by the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement.
(Jimi Hendrix plays the National Anthem)
And as you stand there in the massive crowd, listening to his guitar wail, you hear the Star Spangled Banner in a completely new way. It changes your understanding of what it means to be an American.
The guitar. It gives voice to revolution. And I'm here to show you why it's the coolest instrument on earth.
(guitar music)
Ok. So, we all know there are a ton of reasons the guitar ROCKS. It's lightweight, portable, it can make a gazillion types of music, it's easy to take care of and you can learn to play pretty easily! Master a couple of chords, and you'll have your crush swooning.
