Study of Text Types ( Topic - The Drum Kit)

Descriptive.

The Drum kit is a percussion instrument. The main component of the drum kit is the snare drum which sits closely in front of the player and produces a sharp, staccato sound. The bass drum (also known as the kick drum) is another major part of the kit. It is the largest piece of the instrument in terms of size and is usually around 50 cm in diameter. It is operated using a foot pedal. The drum kit may consist of multiple tom drums which produce a deeper sound than the snare drum. A standard rock drum kit has two small tom drums mounted on the bass drum and a floor-tom which sits to the side of the player. Apart from the drums the kit also has many kinds of cymbals, most prominent of which is the hi-hat, which consists of two cymbals on top of each other which can be open and closed using a foot pedal, and produces two varied sounds in the two mentioned states. The other cymbals part of a standard drum kit are the crash cymbal, the ride cymbal, and the splash cymbal. Apart from these, extensions such as cow-bells, and woodblocks can also be seen as part of the drum kit. All individual parts of the drum kit are operated using drum-sticks, rutes or brushes except for the kick-drum, which is exclusively operated using the foot pedal.

Expository

The drum kit is a major instrument in genres such as Jazz, Rock, Punk and Heavy Metal. It serves as the focal point of the rhythm section in bands. The pace of a song is often determined by the drums. The drum kit is a versatile instrument. It is seen in varied configurations across genres. Heavy Metal drummers sometimes use two kick drums, and double digit cymbals for the style’s need for faster pacing, and complex song structures, while Punk, and Pop drummers often rely on minimalistic playing and bare essentials of the kit. There is also a variety in stylistic choices and production techniques that decide the quality of the sound produced by the drum kit. Sometimes musicians integrate extensions to the kit such as the cow-bell, allowing for a wider variety in the sound.  Some of the most legendary drummers who have used the drum kit to its full potential are Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Mike Portnoy, John Bonham and Jo Jones. Even though it is a bulky instrument with several parts, and is difficult to transport, the organic quality of its sound continues to attract new learners to the instrument and the kit continues to evolve.

Argumentative

The production of the drums reached its peak in the 1970s, it has never been that good since. The cultural revolution of the 1960’s made a great impact on the music production techniques of the 70’s. Bands including “The Doors”, “Led Zeppelin”,  “Fleetwood Mac”, and “Pink Floyd” made great sounding albums during this period. This was partly due to the legendary talent of the drummers like John Bonham and Mick Fleetwood. The production skills of Richard Dashut and Bruce Botnick, and equipment they used also played a key role in the success and the lasting legacy of the drum sound of the era. Another fact is that the record Labels were heavily investing in their studio setup and high end innovations. Since the 70’s the electronic production evolved which gave more space for a guitar oriented sound with drums and the bass often going to the background in popular music. Albums of the 70s do have great drum sound, and ultimate proof to this may be the bare fact that we keep going back and listening to these even though we are surrounded by thousands of new albums each week today.

Narrative

On a wet monsoon afternoon, Jo stood at the front door of her shop looking outside. A cigarette smouldered at the corner of her lips. Her face was solemn and her gaze fixed. She took the lipstick stained, half burned cigarette between her slender, long fingers and tossed it on the footpath. She stepped on it and walked straight. She stopped in the middle of the busy street, still not lifting her eyes off the silver finished eleven piece drum kit in the window of the shop across the street. She was startled by a bicycle, stepped backwards. Jo felt the side of her thighs, her slender, long fingers pressed against her pocket. The corner of her lips curved into a smirk, she turned back and walked into her shop. She lit another cigarette as it began to rain again.