The urge to DO something to a poem: translate it, record it, set it to music, write an essay about it, parody it. Reading is active, never a passive "reception."

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A cymbal can be an instrument of great complexity. We normally think that sounds without an identifiable pitch are unmusical “noises.” A good cymbal, however, sets in motion a wide range of frequencies or “harmonics” without a fixed tonal center. The particular combination of frequencies will determine the overall tone quality, which can be relatively “bright” or “dark.” A dark tone quality is one with richer overtones and a greater proportion of lows. Thinner cymbals, of the same diameter, are lower in pitch and darker. Cymbals also differ widely in their degree of “trashiness,” often considered a positive quality. A pure, bell-like tone is considered undesirable, since a good cymbal also needs to blend harmoniously, in any key, with other musical instruments that are playing fixed pitches.
The initial onset of sound, or “attack,” is usually brighter than the subsequent “sustain” or “decay.” Higher frequencies decay more quickly, so the cymbal will change its sound as it continues to vibrate. A cymbal thus has two basic sounds, “stick definition” and “wash.” The relative intensity of these sounds is fundamental in determining the musical use to which the cymbal might be put. At one extreme, a cymbal might be so “dry” that it has little or no wash: we hear only a clearly articulated rhythmic pattern of pings or clicks. At the other extreme a cymbal would have so much build-up of sound that individual notes would no longer be heard distinctly. A good ride cymbal should have a balance between these two sounds, although the ideal balance is in the ear of the perceiver.