Drums vs Guitars (2)
(guitar music)
Crush: You're soooo dreamy when you play the guitaaaar!
Rosie: I know. But you know what makes the guitar so drum-crushingly cool? It's like a miniature orchestra!
Don't believe me? Beethoven, one of the most genius composers of all time famously said:
Beethoven: The guitar is an orchestra in itself.
Rosie: Orchestras typically include anywhere between 25 and 125 instruments!
You might be wondering… How does the guitar do it? Well, first off, it's polyphonic
Crush: Poly-what now?
Rosie: Polyphonic means you can play a whole bunch of notes together all at the same time. I asked my old guitar teacher David Chidsey to demonstrate.
David: Here's a little bit of an example where the guitar plays multiple notes at the same time. So you can hear one melody and the bass playing at the exact same time.
Rosie: Thanks David! And you can play a really wide range of notes from all the way down here -- to all the way up here! That's four octaves. AND it you can generate a ton of different timbres!
Crush: Timbre?
Rosie: Timbre means different qualities of sound. Like this: (guitar)
Or this: (guitar)
Check this out: (guitar)
The sound can be tinny, smooth, twangy, buttery … I mean, really. Who needs an orchestra when you have a guitar?
So. You ready to start plucking? Great. Before you do -- you need to know the story behind the guitar's rise to popularity. So. Quick history:
Instruments like the guitar have been around for centuries. But the first instrument actually called a guitar appeared in Spain 600 years ago. When it hit American soil in the 1800s, its popularity took off! But the guitar was still overpowered by instruments like the trumpet, and it couldn't cut through the noise, until...
(electric guitar plays)
The electric guitar was born! Now that the guitar was LOUD, its popularity exploded. But if I had to name an exact moment the guitar was crowned the king of cool?
Ian: It was the night that the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan in 1964.
(Beatles music)
Rosie: That's Ian Port, the author of The Birth of Loud. He knows EVERYTHING about the electric guitar.
Ian: It was an electric moment in American culture because all these kids had come to see the Beatles get off their airplane at the airport. They had packed the streets around the Beatles' hotel room. And they were in the audience at the Ed Sullivan Show, just screaming. And then of course some huge percentage of the American population was watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.
Ed Sullivan hosted a TV show. And yeah, people were nuts for the Beatles. They were the apex of cool. And they played electric guitars!
Now you might be thinking, I don't get it -- that music isn't that cool. Well, back then, people hadn't heard music like this. The Beatles' lyrics were sweet and gentle, but underneath the guitars had a driving almost dangerous energy, an intensity that so many kids and teenagers could relate to.
Ian: After that, every kid wanted an electric guitar.
Rosie: That all happened a long time ago, but the guitar still reigns supreme. So many of the biggest names in music play -- Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles… the list goes on. Guitarists play country, bluegrass, metal and flamenco. Blues and classical. Jazz and funk. Keep at it. Keep at it, and the next great guitarist might just be you.
The guitar. It sings songs of revolution. It can outdo an orchestra. The coolest musicians play it. So YOU wanna be cool? Set those drumsticks aside and get strumming.
TEAM GUITAR FOREVER, BABY!!! Let's SHRED!
(Electric guitar)
Molly: An electrifying argument for team guitar. Kyra, what did you think? What was your favorite part of Rosie's argument?
Kyra: For Rosie, I really liked how she brought up the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. I also like how she brought up Beethoven and how he specifically talked about how the guitar is a really good instrument and stuff like that. I like how she talked about the origin, how it came up from Spain, but it was unable to cut through the noise until the electric guitar was born and stuff like that. I like how she talked about how she introduced a new word to me about polyphonic and it was a bunch of chords and notes at the same time and basically like both sides really taught me a lot of stuff. That's what I really like.
Molly: Well, that's excellent. Well, we're not quite done with our first round yet because Tommy, you have a turn to make a rebuttal. You have just 30 seconds to do it. Your time starts now.
Tommy: Okay, first things first, the drum sounded really cool in that Jimi Hendrix national anthem, and I think we should talk about that. You said that guitars are easy to care for. It's really hard to change the strings on the guitar. Well, it's hard for me at least. You pointed out they've been around for 600 years, drums have been around for thousands of years. You did name some modern references but your two main examples were from the 1960s. I don't know if the modern thing holds up as well. You did a great job. I keep thinking you're going to say time and you don't.
Molly: And time.
Rosie: Time, time, time!
Molly: Kyra, it's time to deliberate and mark down the first two points of this debate. One point goes to the debater who you think had the strongest declaration of greatness and the second point goes to the debater who wowed you with their rebuttal. Both points could go to the same person or each debater could leave this round with a single point. It's up to you to decide. Listeners at home, grab a sheet of paper, and award your own two points. Kyra, have you made your decision?
Kyra: Yes, I have made my decision. (bell)
Molly: Excellent. We're going to take a quick break and then we'll be back with three more rounds of rip-roaring debate.
Kyra: Don't go anywhere.
(music)
ANNOUNCER: This is STATE OF DEBATE, home to ragin' rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation!
TODD: (singing softly) Duh duh duh duh, splish splash, I was takin' a bath, all about a Saturday night!
TAYLOR: (whisper) Todd! We're rolling.
TODD: Oh uh -- TODD DOUGLAS HERE, with 118-time debate champ, Taylor Lincoln!
TAYLOR: Hey there, debate-heads! That little song you just heard Todd singing--
TODD: Was me getting EXCITED for today's debate: SHOWERS versus BATHS! Team Bath, all the way!
TAYLOR: We caught a brother and a sister based in Brooklyn, NY arguing about it just last night.
TODD: Let's hear what kind of tactics those kiddos brought to their bathroom battle.
TAYLOR: Roll tape!
ALICE: Stuart! How many times do I have to tell you! Showers are better than baths. They conserve water and it feels like you're standing in the rain!
STUART: No! Baths are better! You don't get water in your eyes! And it feels like swimming! Plus, it's easier to play with bath toys, or just relax! And it doesn't use that much more water than showers -- not really.
ALICE: I KNEW you were going to say that -- so THIS time I did RESEARCH.
STUART: Aw, MAN!
(papers rustle)
ALICE: (clears her throat) According to industry estimates, the average person uses 30 gallons of water per bath. If you take a 10 minute shower with a standard shower head, you only use 25 gallons of water. So, on average, showers use approximately 5 gallons LESS water than baths!
(ALARM!)
TAYLOR/TODD: Fact attack! Fact attack!
TAYLOR: Alice just made an ACE debate move. She used research to support her argument!
TODD: It's super important to research your topic before you get into a debate about it.
TAYLOR: Because it'll be really hard for your opponent to rebut your facts. Let's see how Stuart handles Alice's move!
STUART: Wait, but you only save 5 gallons of water if you take a 10 minute shower! You always stay in the shower for a really long time, so you're probably using a TON of water!
ALICE: How long is really long? We can study my shower habits if you want, and collect some data, but I am almost certain I shower for less than 10 minutes on most occasions.
MOM: (yelling) Kids! Enough already! We're doing showers tonight, and that's it!
(transition)
TAYLOR: WOOF. Things were getting heated over there! Good thing Mom stepped in!
TODD: Yeah! But just want to say… I'm with Stuart. Baths are the BEST!
TAYLOR: Alright, okay... But the moral of today's episode is -- facts are KEY to making great arguments.
TODD: They are indeed. We'll catch you next time on…
TAYLOR/TODD: (in unison) STATE OF DEBATE!
(music)
Molly: You're listening to Smash Boom Best. I'm your host, Molly bloom.
Kyra: I'm Kyra and I'm judging today's debate.
Molly: We love getting debate ideas from our listeners.
Kyra: Like this one.
Ellie: My debate idea is sandals versus sneakers.
Molly: That's Eli from Minneapolis.
Kyra: I would love to hear that debate.
Molly: We'll hear from Eli again at the end of the show to hear who he thinks should win.
Kyra: That goes back to our masterfully musical showdown between team guitar.
Rosie: Woo hoo!
Molly: And team drums.
Tommy: That's me.
Molly: Now, it's time for our debaters to take the stage in our second round.
Announcer: Micro Round.
Molly: Today's Micro Round challenge is called Here's to You. We asked both of our debaters to compose a toast to their side. It's up to them to decide what the special occasion is and then raise a glass for guitars or drums. Rosie, you're up first.
Rosie: I'd like to make a toast to GUITARS. Why? Because we ROCK!! !
Ha Ha Ha! I know. You've all heard that one before! But seriously. Drums? What a pain in the badum-chink!
Ha ha ha… See what I'm doin' here? Gosh this is fun. And you're a great audience! You wanna know why? Cuz you're all guitars! We are the epitome of musical genius and creativity! Everybody loves us!
We got our acoustic flat-top over there puttin' the folk back in ROCK! Sound so clear she's gonna make my heart stop!
And our Dobro resonators put the metal back in country!! Makes me wanna do-si-do all funky!
And of course, our nylon string classical cats, strummin' around the clock. Playin' Antonio de Torres and Johann Sebastian Bach!
But where was I -- oh yes… US. The electrics. I know, I know, I know, I saved myself for LAST. But just LOOK at me! I mean us! We come in every conceivable shape and color. Electric guitars… we cut through it all like a hot knife through butter.
So. A toast. To the instrument that STRIKES A CHORD with every customer.
Don't be DRUM. STRUM!! !
GUITARS, I LOVE YOU!!! MY HEART STRINGS FOR YOU!
Molly: Oh my, that toast really took us on a journey. Team guitar knows how to work a room. Kyra, what did you think?
Kyra: That toast was something-- (laughter)
Rosie: Oh, man.
Kyra: It was definitely something.
Molly: Well Rosie's toast left Kyra speechless but Tommy is not speechless. In fact, it's time for you to deliver your toast right now.
Tommy: Today is a very special day. Guitar and bass, are getting married.
You all probably recognize me but just in case you don't, my name is Drums. The best man, or should I say best instrument. (rimshot)
Since I'm the one who brought these two together, I'd like to make a toast.
One of you has six strings, the other has four
Me I don't need strings to make people roar
You play the right notes, I keep time like a clock
When we all come together, we make music ROCK
