tips for working drummers

Hi, Saya ingin berbagi pengalaman dan saran saja untuk Drummer yg ready untuk ready to hit the road alias siap untuk tour keluar kota, via pesawat terutama.

Bepergian 'biasa' dengan pesawat berbeda dengan bepergian sebagai Drummer dalam hal ini untuk nge-band atau melakukan drum clinic. Yg sudah pasti bawaan drummer itu hampir atau bahkan over load (kelebihan jatah beban per penumpang, penumpang di kenakan biaya tambahan bila over load). But wait, bukan hanya over load saja yg akan kita bahas disini but everything about Drums, timing, and professionalism.

Untuk melalukan bepergian keluar kota dengan pesawat, semua barang bawaan sudah harus ready paling lambat 1 hari sebelumnya, mengingat pesawat yg digunakan 90% adalah flight pertama, yaitu pagi. Musisi bangun pagi? Yeah, people have to changes including musicians! :)

Hal yg pertama dan perlu diingat. Jika bepergian tidak sendiri. Pastikan masing2 personil memegang tiketnya sendiri2. Jangan sampai tiket di pegang oleh orang yg ternyata suka ngaret.

Gunakan Carrier (ransel besar untuk camping) ketimbang koper atau tas biasa untuk barang2 personal Anda seperti baju, peralatan Mandi, obat, Gadgets dll. Gunakan HARDCASE untuk perlengkapan drum terutama Cymbal (wajib hukumnya).

Kenapa Carrier? Sebuah carrier yg bagus bisa menampung (yg wajib dibawa) baju + celana untuk 4 hari (tanpa jasa laundry), kotak obat, Charger HP, Air mineral, Snack, Perlengkapan mandi, Handuk kecil, Tas Drumstick, bahkan Double Pedal! (Jika pedal kamu adalah Yamaha Flying Dragon yg bisa di lipat). Carrier membuat kedua tangan kamu bebas karena di taruh di punggung tanpa terasa berat sebenarnya. Btw, Carrier saya bisa mencapai berat 14kg (termasuk tymbalist didalamnya). Ups, hampir lupa... gunakanlah handsfree pada saat di airport, karena Anda tidak ingin di ganggu telp di saat kedua tangan membawa barang bawaan.

Bawa perlengkapan Drum hanya yg perlu saja. Jika memang di haruskan Anda untuk membawa drumset, bawalah dengan konfigurasi paling minimal. Misalnya 4 piece dengan 3 cymbal. Dan jangan lupakan bangku drum, jangan sampai pakai dingklik donk. :)

Jika semua stuff sudah ready. Tidurlah lebih awal, jangan tidur telat padahal pesawat take off jam 7 pagi. Jika pakai Taxi, orderlah Taxi sejak malam hari dan booking untuk jam 5 pagi. Untuk di Jakarta, saran saya gunakan Taxi Putra ketimbang Blue Bird mengingat tarif yg hampir setengah dari tarif Blue Bird. Kalau ternyata biaya transport ditanggung kantor ya lain masalah. Terserah Anda. :)

On time! On time? Yg benar adalah before time! Bagi yg tinggal di Jakarta, planning untuk on time sama saja merencanakan diri Anda untuk datang telat. Kenapa? You know Jakarta, apapun bisa terjadi jika mulai masuk jam sibuk.


Sebagai contoh: Jika tertera di Jadwal pesawat take off jam 7:00, berarti boarding time adalah 6:30. Jangan lupa jika counter check in ditutup paling telat 15 menit sebelum take off. (Kalau telat, kejar next flight). So, bangunlah paling telat jam 4:15. Prepare dan mandi serta sarapan memakan waktu paling cepat 30 menit. Setelah taxi tiba, re-cek barang bawaan. Yg pasti TIKET jangan di tinggal!

Setelah di dalam taxi, baca ulang Tiket. Pastikan Anda menggunakan Gate berapa dan pesawat apa. Jangan sampai salah Gate atau bahkan salah counter pesawat. Relax, enjoy Jakarta selagi sepi dan tidak macet. 30 menit kemudian (jam 5:30) sampai di airport. Tunggu teman2 di restorant (biasanya saya tunggu di A@W sambil makan kentang goreng). tidak perduli jika teman2 belum terkumpul semua tetapi waktu sudah menunjukan jam 6:00. Segeralah masuk kedalam untuk check in.

Segera lakukan check in dan masukan bawaan Anda ke bagasi pesawat. Jika naik Garuda, jangan lupa ikat barang bawaan Anda di tempat yg disediakan sebelum check in. Daripada sudah mengantri tapi di suruh keluar dari antrian untuk mengikat barang2.


Bawaan banyak? Bagaimana mengindari Over load? Yg sering bepergian dengan pesawat pasti sudah tahu. Jika tidak bepergian sendirian, check in bersamaan dengan teman, 1 orang cukup. Satukan tiket Anda berdua hingga kapasitas teman bisa di pakai. Gampang kan?

Pastikan cymbal menggunakan Hardcase sehingga bisa dimasukan ke bagasi pesawat. Sama halnya dengan carrier yg beratnya seperti tabung gas, masukan ke bagasi juga.

Pastikan Anda terbebas dari barang bawaan yg tidak perlu untuk dibawa ka cabin. You'll need a time to relax, saat yg tepat adalah saat perjalanan pesawat.

Jangan lupa hubungi panitia penyelenggara acara atau management di pesawat sebelum take off. Make sure mereka sudah menyiapkan tim 'penyambut' alias penjemput di Airport kota tujuan.

Sisanya adalah terserah Anda. Ingat, be professional. Lakukan soundcheck jauh sebelum acara di mulai.

Good luck guys! :)

pedal and double pedal

Bass drum pedal

William F. Ludwig made the bass drum pedal workable in 1909, paving the way for the modern drum kit.^[5] A bass drum pedal operates much the same as the hi-hat control; a footplate is pressed to pull a chain, belt, or metal drive mechanism downward, bringing a beater or mallet forward into the drumhead. The beater head is usually made of either felt, wood, plastic, or rubber and is attached to a rod-shaped metal shaft. The pedal and beater system are mounted in a metal frame and like the hi-hat, a tension unit controls the amount of pressure needed to strike and the amount of recoil upon release. A double bass drum pedal operates much the same way only with a second footplate attached by rod to a remote beater mechanism, which operates in tandem with the regular beater shaft.^[6][7]

Simon Phillips' double bass drums

Double bass drum

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

In many forms of heavy metal and hard rock, as well as some forms of jazz, fusion, and punk, two bass drums are used (one operated by each foot) or a double-bass-pedal is used (two pedals on the same bass drum). The idea for the double bass drum setup came from jazz drummer Louie Bellson when he was still in high school. Double bass drums were used initially by jazz artists such as Ray McKinley and Ed Shaughnessy in the 1940s and 1950s, and popularized in the 1960s by rock drummers Ginger Baker of Cream, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Keith Moon of The Who and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. Double bass drumming later became an integral part of many genres of Metal.

Drop-clutch

When using a double bass drum pedal, the foot which normally controls the hi-hat pedal moves to the second bass drum pedal, and so the hi hat opens. When it is open, the notes will ring rather than click, as they do when it is closed, and so some drummers choose to use a drop-clutch.

A drop-clutch is a mechanism used to disengage and drop the top hi-hat in order to free up both feet while playing double bass drums. This results in the hi-hat producing a closed sound until the hi-hat foot is available again. Drop-clutches may be activated in various ways depending on manufacturer, by hitting the clutch either on the side or top down with a drumstick or by pressing a locking footpedal as with a Tama "Cobra Clutch" product which also allows for control over how much the hi-hat cymbals are closed. The clutch can be disengaged by pressing the hi-hat completely down or with the Cobra clutch, by pressing the unlocking pedal.^[6][8]

Techniques

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010)

The most common method of bass drum playing is a "heel-up" technique: the pedals are struck with the ball of the feet using force primarily from the thigh as opposed to the ankles when using the "heel-down" technique. Most drummers play single strokes, although there are many who are also capable of playing doubles or diddles. Drummers such as Thomas Lang, Virgil Donati, and Mike Portnoy are capable of performing complicated solos on top of an ostinato bass drum pattern. Thomas Lang, for example, has mastered the heel-up and heel-down (single- and double-stroke) to the extent that he is able to play dynamically with the bass drum and to perform various rudiments with his feet.

In order to play "doubles", proponents of the "heel up" technique use either one of two techniques: the "slide technique" or the heel-toe technique. In the slide technique, the pedal is struck around the middle area with the ball of the foot. As the drum produces a sound, the toe is slid up the pedal. After the first stroke, the pedal will naturally bounce back, hit the toe as it slides upwards, and rebound for a second strike. In the heel-toe technique the foot is suspended above the foot-board of the pedal and the first note is played with the heel. The foot snaps up, the heel comes off the footboard, and the toes come down for a second stroke. Once mastered it allows the player to play very fast rolls on the bass drum. Noted players include Rod Morgenstein, Tim Waterson (who formerly held the world record for the fastest playing on a bass drum), Tomas Haake, Chris Adler, Derek Roddy, Danny Carey, Hellhammer, and Mike Portnoy. The technique is commonly used in death metal and other extreme forms of music.

In certain types of heavy metal and punk, drummers play a constant stream of rapid-fire notes on the bass drum, and the ability to play evenly at extremely high tempos is a skill prized within the heavy metal scene. Many extreme metal, thrashcore and grindcore drummers use a combination of fast double bass drum patterns, the snare, and the cymbals to create blast beats.

With two feet playing bass drum, many of the techniques of snare drum playing (such as rudiments and rolls) can be performed on the bass drums.

chinese drum

In western music, china type cymbals are cymbals manufactured to produce a dark, crisp, trashy, and explosive tone. It is for this reason that they have been nicknamed "trash cymbals." Their origins can be traced back to the gong in both sound and shape, and thus they are given their name "china".

Meinl china type: Conventional bell, upturned rim. Here mounted bell up.

China type cymbals typically have a bell that is cylindrical or shaped like a truncated cone with its base the top of the bell, an outer rim that is turned up in the reverse direction to the main bow of the cymbal, little or no taper (change in thickness) from bell to rim, and an area including the inside of the bell that is unpolished. However some china type cymbals have only some or in some cases none of these distinguishing characteristics. The distinguishing feature of a china type cymbal is the one that is hardest to define: its sound. China cymbals are those whose sounds are derived from the Chinese, rather than the Turkish, tradition of cymbal making.

There are two or three tonal families of cymbals: Turkish, Chinese, and some would say European, although others would include the European family of tones as a development of the Turkish sounds. The best Turkish (and European) cymbals have a rich, swelling tone that some describe as "sweet". To western ears, the best china types have an abrasive, cutting sound that is described by western drummers as "trashy".

Detail of a conical bell

The families do to some extent overlap. Notably, pang and swish cymbals have some characteristics of china types, and some characteristics of traditional Turkish cymbals. On the other hand, the Sabian rocktagon cymbals and some Ufip models are considered china types while having none of the physical characteristics of the normal china type, while the Paiste crystal crash is considered a European cymbal despite its squarish bell.

Cymbal making in China is claimed to predate the development of the art anywhere else in the world. The most universally acclaimed cymbal alloy, bell bronze, appears to have been independently developed in China. Today in China a wide range of cymbals are manufactured of both traditional and imported patterns. Traditional Chinese types with distinctive names and sounds include chung, jing and water cymbals and many other types. In Western music these are all referred to as china type cymbals.

China clash cymbals

China type cymbals are available in a wide range of sizes from 27" down to 4", most types singly but some in pairs. Those of 12" or smaller are normally referred to in Western music as china splash cymbals. When used in a drum kit, they are regarded as effects cymbals and are used to give colour and variety.

In a drum kit, china type cymbals are sometimes mounted bell up, similarly to other cymbals, but more often bell down. When mounted bell down, the upturned rim becomes a downturned rim, allowing a normal stick technique to be used for both ride and crash patterns. This assumes that the bell is formed in the typical direction; Some china type cymbals (e.q. the Paiste 2002 Novo china) have an inverted bell and an upturned rim, and so must be mounted bell up to achieve this downwards rim orientation.

16 inch Stagg SH China Cymbal with bell down.

Contents

Types

This section requires expansion.

Traditional

Conical (termed "square") bell rough finished on the inside; reversed edge.

Nova

Conventional rounded bell, reversed edge. The bell may be or may not be reversed.

Pang and swish

Main article: swish cymbal

The swish and pang are specific sounds within the enormous range of china cymbals, developed as exotic ride cymbals but also used as crashes at higher volumes.

China splash

Main article: china splash

12" or smaller. Sabian refer to both their 12" and 14" nova chinese models as mini chinese.

Rocktagon

A Sabian exclusive, an octagonal cymbal with a sound midway between a crash and a china. The cymbal is manufactured as round and cut to shape after all-over lathing. Available in 16", 18", and as the 10" Rocktagon splash.

Sticking Techniques

There are numerous methods of playing a china Cymbal, which can vary depending on the genre of music played. For example, in modern metal music, players generally tend to play using the shoulder of the stick rather than the tip for a more "trashy" sound. In other genres such as jazz (which may use less hammered cymbals for a lighter and less distorted effect) the drummer may play with the tip for more of a "sizzle" sound.

splash cymbal

In a drum kit, splash cymbals are the smallest accent cymbals. Splash cymbals and china cymbals are the main types of effects cymbals.

The most common sized splash has a diameter of 10", followed by 8". Most splash cymbals are in the size range of 6" to 13", but some splash cymbals are as small as 4".

Some makers have produced cymbals described as splash up to 22"^[1], but a splash of 14" or more is more often described as a medium thin crash cymbal.

Splash cymbals include:

• Traditional splash cymbals, medium in weight with little or no taper.
• Rock splash cymbals, heavy but often with a slight taper.
• China splash cymbals.
• Salsa splash cymbals.
• Thin splash cymbals.
• Bell cymbals.
• Specialised stack cymbals.

Contents

History

The original and traditional splash, like many of the cymbal types in a drum kit, was invented and named by Gene Krupa in collaboration with the Avedis Zildjian Company.

Widely used in the jazz music of the 1920's and 30's, this traditional splash cymbal was not seen for many years in mainstream music until Stewart Copeland playing in The Police brought it back to prominence. Heavier splash cymbals, more suited to this style of drumming, were soon available.

A third phase in the development of splash cymbals occurred when china splash cymbals became popular. These added a new dimension to drumming in their own right,and also led to the development of cymbal stacks.

Several other types that are now regarded as splash cymbals, such as bell and salsa cymbals, have more quietly been added to the kits of leading drummers and to the catalogues of major cymbal manufacturers over the years. Today much of the color of an extended drum kit is provided by the wide variety of splash cymbals available.

Gene Krupa with two splash cymbals Stewart Copeland with three splash cymbals Dave Weckl with piggybacked splash (detail below) Mike Portnoy with stacked splashes (detail below)

Types

Traditional

Sabian 10" AA Splash

Traditional splash cymbals, as first popularised by Gene Krupa, are 8"-12" in size and medium in weight with little or no taper and therefore a thick rim for their size.

The name "splash" gives quite an idea as to how this cymbal sounds, the word rhyming with crash but a literal splash (in water) being very small. The normal function of a splash cymbal is to provide a short, often highly syncopated accent. For their size, they are hit relatively hard to produce a quick attack and decay. They tend to have little taper in order to provide the necessary strength for this, the bell being approximately the same thickness as the rim, resulting in limited richness of tone.

Rock

Rock musicians favour a heavier splash cymbal often with a slight taper, 6"-12", giving a fuller sound at higher volumes.

China

Saluda Voodoo 12" china and 10" china splash, against a Paiste 20" china

China type cymbals of less then 14" are generally referred to as china splash cymbals when used in a drum kit, and are made in a wide variety of shapes and in sizes 6"-12" ^[2].

This terminology is not entirely consistent. Sabian for example call their rounded bell 12" china a mini chinese ^[3], and this same design is also available in 14" ^[4], Paiste Twenty Series features a rounded bell mini china 8", 10" and 12", while in the Saluda Voodoo series the 12" square bell china is simply called a china, while the heavier 10" rounded bell model is called a china splash. This is not entirely illogical; Many of these cymbals have little or no taper, and as a result some of the heavier ones, unlike most splash cymbals, can be used as an exotic ride cymbal at moderate volume.

The 10" Sabian Rocktagon splash, a smaller version of their octagonal 16" and 18" Rocktagon crashes, is sometimes described as a china splash and has an intermediate tone ^[5].

China splashes were used in Mike Portnoy's original cymbal stacks, and remain popular as the top cymbal in a stack.

Examples:

• Hubei C series china 8" ^[2]
• Sabian AAX Mini Chinese 12" ^[3]
• Saluda Voodoo China Splash 10"
• Paiste Twenty Mini China 8"

Salsa

A salsa splash is a small cymbal primarily intended for use with a set of timbales. Use of a cymbal or cowbell (but by tradition, never both) is a fundamental part of many styles of timbale playing.

Example:

• Sabian El Sabor Salsa Splash 13" ^[6]

Thin

Thin splash cymbals are made in sizes 8"-12" with a pronounced taper and a sound more akin to a crash than to traditional splashes. They are fragile and unsuitable for inexperienced drummers, and even then suitable only for quieter playing, and generally only available in B20 alloy and in the more expensive and professional cymbal series.

At the thinnest and most fragile end of the scale, a thin splash is identical to, and interchangeable with, a cymbal designed for playing by hand rather than by stick. And in either case, a single careless stroke with a drumstick will split the cymbal.

Bell

Main article: Bell cymbal

Bell cymbals, 4"-8" or occasionally bigger, are extremely thick cymbals giving a bell-like tone. Paiste make one in 13".

Originally made by cutting down a larger cymbal, they range in shape from deep and cuplike, similar in shape to a church bell, to a traditional cymbal shape, almost flat, and many in between.

Sizzle splash

Paiste 11" trad splash with sizzler

Small sizzle cymbals, and splash cymbals with sizzler attachments, give an even shorter, washier tone than a traditional splash.

Stacks

Specialised thin stack cymbals, 8"-12", are designed specifically for stacking, most commonly as the upper cymbal.

They are available individually or, more recently, in sets of two or three, including larger cymbals intended primarily as the lower cymbal or cymbals. These sets have provided new sounds but have not replaced the established technique of using a china, crash or another splash as the lower cymbal of a stack. Generally, the three way sets are designed to make possible several usable two-cymbal stacks in addition to the three-cymbal combination, and most cymbals of all such sets are designed to also be stacked with other cymbals, giving a very wide range of tonal possibilities.

Similarly, despite the availability of these cymbals specifically designed for stacking, many drummers still use a china splash as the upper cymbal.

Examples:

• Sabian Max Stax High 8" ^[7]
• Paiste Noise Works Tripple Raw Smash 12", 14", 14" ^[8]

Mounting

The splash cymbal, because of its varied usage and small size, is mounted in many ways. Some common ways are:

• On a separate boom stand. This can be of relatively light construction without a counterweight owing to the light weight of he cymbal.
• On an auxiliary boom attached to a stand used principally to support a drum or another, larger cymbal. This is the traditional method.
• On an auxiliary boom attached to the rim of a snare drum or timbales. This is particularly popular for playing latin rhythms.
• By piggybacking on a larger cymbal. The two cymbals must be separated by an extra felt if they are not to each affect the other's tone and risk damage.
• By use of a double stand that mounts the top cymbal on an extension of the stand that replaces the wing nut holding the bottom cymbal.
• As the upper cymbal in a stack in which another cymbal is deliberately in contact with the splash.

Common mounting techniques

On a separate boom stand attached to another stand attached to a snare drum rim piggybacked on a ride on a double stand

Several of these techniques, notably stacking and piggybacking, are very rarely used for cymbals other than splash cymbals. The rim-mounted boom is restricted to splash cymbals owing to the weight of other cymbal types, but similar mounts, sometimes on the bass drum rim but also on other drums, are occasionally used for other lightweight accent effects such as cowbells and wood blocks.

Stacking

Mike Portnoy stacks a china splash on a traditional splash, see above

A cymbal stack is a combination of two or more cymbals mounted in contact, producing a sound unlike any single cymbal. The effect is similar to a loosely closed hi-hat, or can alternatively be seen as an extreme case of a sizzle cymbal with the upper cymbal serving as a single large jangle. The exact effect is dependent on the tension on the mounting bolt, and with some combinations can be varied from a very short crunch to a much longer buzz.

This technique was pioneered by Dave Weckl, Mike Portnoy and others, originally using a china splash as the upper cymbal. Portnoy mounted both cymbals bell up, with no spacing felt, to maximise contact between them, and choosing cymbals of sufficiently different profile to ensure that the contact was not enough to choke them completely.

As the technique became established, cymbal makers introduced specialised stack cymbals designed specifically for use in stacks. However the older technique, using a china splash on top of a crash, china or another splash, also remains popular.

Stacking should not be confused with piggybacking, in which the upper cymbal is bell down, the lower cymbal bell up, and a spacing felt is used between the cymbal bells, preventing any contact.

Piggybacking

Dave Weckl piggybacks a bell on a traditional splash, see above

10" splash cymbal piggyback mounted on a 20" ride, and showing the additional felt.

10" splash cymbal piggyback mounted on a 16" Crash.

Piggybacking is a method of mounting a splash cymbal, mostly restricted to small splashes, by simply placing it inverted above another cymbal, with which it shares the mounting bolt and its sheath, washers if used and wingnut. A spacing felt is normally used to separate the cymbals, serving as the top felt of the lower cymbal and the bottom felt of the upper cymbal.

There is an essential difference between this technique and stacking. A cymbal stack produces a different sound to that produced by either cymbal individually. The piggyback, like the double stand, is primarily a method of mounting the splash cymbal, without producing any major difference in the tone of either cymbal.

Advantages of piggyback mounting are:

• Requires minimal mounting space, and therefore produces a more compact drum kit.
  • Allows the drummer to move between the two cymbals of the piggyback in a single motion.
  • A bonus for drummers who play in venues where space is very limited.
  • In very large, extended kits, it allows more cymbals to be within reach of the drummer.
• Requires little or no extra equipment, only the cymbal itself and normally one extra felt for spacing between the cymbals.
  • Faster setup and takedown.
  • Lighter traps cases.
  • Less to buy.
• It is possible to connect the two cymbals tonally by leaving out the spacing felt (but this risks damage and probably voids any warranty on both cymbals).

Disadvantages are:

• Requires the upper cymbal to be mounted bell down.
  • Produces a trashier tone which not all drummers like.
  • Exposes the rim to the stick in a way that the designer did not intend, often leading to damage. Many splashes have a relatively thick rim for their size, and can withstand a stroke that would break a crash cymbal, but thin splashes cannot generally be mounted bell down.
• Restricts playing of the lower cymbal, generally even to making playing its bell impossible.
• Restricts adjustment of the damping of either cymbal. The mounting bolt tension and the size of one felt are the same for both cymbals, as the mounting bolt, wingnut and this felt are all shared between them.

Many china splash cymbals and some bell cymbals are designed to be mounted bell down, and are particularly suited to piggyback mounting. Traditional splash cymbals, however, are very rarely mounted bell down except when piggybacked.

Most but not all drummers put an additional felt between the bells of the two cymbals, to eliminate any direct contact between the cymbals and retain the tone of each. However the slight contact between the bells if the extra felt is not used affects the tone of each cymbal only subtly, and some drummers like the tonal connection that results. Beginners sometimes use this technique for another reason entirely: The mounting bolt may not be long enough to allow an extra felt, or they may simply not have bought a felt when buying their first splash. Unfortunately, the metal to metal contact and the playing of the upturned splash rim both decrease the life of the cymbal, particularly at the hands of a beginner.

The lower cymbal of the piggyback is often a crash, or less often a ride, but larger splashes and even chinas can be used. The upper cymbal could in theory be any cymbal small enough to allow the lower cymbal to be played, but in practice is almost always a splash.

crash cymbal

For the pair of cymbals held in the hands, see Clash cymbals.

Tim Koehler of the Eau Claire Municipal Band

In rock and popular drumming styles the crash cymbal frequently follows a fill, replacing the first note of the next measure and accompanying the bass drum.^[1] play (help·info)

A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to in ostinato. The term "crash" may have been first used by Zildjian in 1928. They can be mounted on a stand and played with a drum stick, or by hand in pairs. One or two crash cymbals are a standard part of a drum kit. Suspended crash cymbals are also used in bands and orchestras, either played with a drumstick or rolled with a pair of mallets to produce a slower, swelling crash. Sometimes a drummer may hit two different crash cymbals in a kit at the same time to produce a very loud accent, usually in rock music.

Although crash cymbals range in thickness from paper-thin to very heavy, all crash cymbals have a fairly thin edge. They are typically 14 to 18 inches (36 to 46 cm) in diameter, but sizes down to 8 inches (20 cm) and up to 24 inches (61 cm) are manufactured. Custom crash cymbals up to 28 inches (71 cm) in diameter have been used by big bands. Different thicknesses are used for different kinds of music, and the alloy for each manufacturer's models varies. A thick cymbal is likely to be used by a metal or rock band, while thinner cymbals are generally used in lighter rock.

The sound of a crash is changed by its luster. A cleaner cymbal creates a more crisp sound, whereas a cymbal showing signs of oxidation [usually called a 'raw' cymbal, when used on purpose] will have duller sound.

Contents [

Position

Crash cymbals were traditionally placed on the left side of the drum set (for a right-handed drummer), since the normally larger ride cymbal is usually on the right, however some drummers set up their crash on the right. Often a drummer will have multiple crashes, and so may set them up with one or two on each side, or less commonly, with one mounted very closely above another, usually larger crash or ride.

A 16" Zildjian A Custom Projection Crash.

An 18" Sabian AAX X-plosion Crash.

Cracking

Crashes are often the first cymbal in a setup to warp and ultimately crack due to repeated striking of the edge. Cymbal cracking is generally in the form of a fracture along the edge, or across the bow, often originating from the edge. Cracks in cymbals are caused by poor technique or excessive play, or more rarely, the result of a defect originating from manufacture, or damage to the cymbal not caused by playing, for example dropping. If a crack is left untreated, it will begin to follow the lathe grooves around the cymbal, and could potentially spread all the way around the cymbal and back to the point where the crack started, causing the outer portion to simply drop off.

Often, lower quality sheet cymbals are more likely to crack, due to stress caused in some areas by pressing sheet metal. Thicker cymbals are also more likely to crack due to their brittleness, and less freedom to vibrate.

Some suggest that wear on the cymbal can be reduced by playing with glancing blows, angled to the side and slightly away from the vertical, about a quarter of the way between the edge and the center and allowing the drum stick to bounce off naturally, rather than forcing the stick down at the cymbal head-on. This allows the cymbal to vibrate freely and for little stress to be caused on the edge or at the center hole, thus reducing the chance of a crack.

Cracked cymbals are often fixed either temporarily or permanently by drilling a hole at either end of the crack (often the crack will spread further than it appears to the naked eye, so this method is often not as effective), or removing the cracked portion completely, or cutting the cymbal's edge down, although this method can drastically alter a cymbal's sound. Both of these methods are often ineffective at stopping cracks, but usually slow the spread of a crack down.

Orchestral clash cymbals

A pair of identical crash cymbals held in either hand by leather thongs passing through holes in their bells are called clash cymbals, and are a standard part of an orchestral percussion section. Two tones are normally used by major orchestras, known as Germanic or Wagnerian (heavier) and Viennese (lighter); a third, rarer tone is known as French (lighter still). Clash cymbals are also used in stage, concert, marching and military bands.

Audio samples
Component	Content	Audio (Ogg Vorbis)
Crash	Crash cymbal	52 KB (help·info)
See the Drums page at Wikipedia Commons for more

Sources

^ Peckman, Jonathan (2007). Picture Yourself Drumming, p.65. ISBN 15986333

hi-hat cymbal

A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.^[1]

Contents Operation

10 inch Mini-hats with (1) Hi-hat rod and clutch (2) Tom and cowbell holder (3) HiHat legs and pedal

The hi-hat consists of two cymbals that are mounted on a stand, one on top of the other, and clashed together using a pedal on the stand. A narrow metal shaft or rod runs through both cymbals into a hollow tube and connects to the pedal. The top cymbal is connected to the rod with a clutch, while the bottom cymbal remains stationary resting on the hollow tube. The height of the top-cymbal (open position) is adjustable.

When the foot plate of the pedal is pressed, the top cymbal crashes onto the bottom cymbal (closed hi-hat). When released, the top cymbal returns to its original position above the bottom cymbal (open hi-hat). A tension unit controls the amount of pressure required to lower the top cymbal, and how fast it returns to its open position.^[2]

History of development

Initial versions of the hi-hat were called clangers, which were small cymbals mounted onto a bass drum rim and struck with an arm on the bass drum pedal. Then came shoes, which were two hinged boards with cymbals on the ends that were clashed together. Next was the low-boy or low-hat, similar to a modern hi-hat stand, only with cymbals close to the ground. Hi-hats that were raised and could be played by hand as well as foot may have been developed around 1926 by Barney Walberg of the drum accessory company Walberg and Auge.^[1]

Hi-Hat Pedal & Legs

Up until the late 1960s, the standard hi-hats were 14 inches (36 cm), with 13 inches (33 cm) available as a less-common alternative in professional cymbal ranges and smaller sizes down to 12 inches (30 cm) restricted to children's kits. In the early 1970s, hard rock drummers (including Led Zeppelin's John Bonham) began to use 15-inch hi-hats. In the late 1980s, Zildjian released its revolutionary 12 inch Special Recording hats, which were small, heavy hi-hat cymbals intended for close micing either live or recording, and other manufacturers quickly followed suit. However, in the early to mid-1990s, Paiste offered 8 inches (20 cm) mini hi-hats as part of its Visions series; these were among the world's smallest hi-hats. Starting in the 1980s, a number of manufacturers also experimented with rivets in the lower cymbal. But by the end of the 1990s, the standard size was again 14 inches, with 13 inches a less-common alternative, and smaller hats mainly used for special sounds. Rivets in hi-hats failed to catch on.

Modern hi-hat cymbals are much heavier than modern crash cymbals, reflecting the trend to lighter and thinner crash cymbals as well as to heavier hi-hats. The other change has been that a pair of hi-hat cymbals is no longer necessarily similar. More typically the bottom is now heavier than the top (but in some cases like the K Zildjian Steve Gadd Session Hats the pattern is reversed for a cleaner chick and cleaner sticking), and may also be vented, this being one innovation to have caught on. Some examples are Sabian's Fusion Hats with holes in the bottom of the hi-hat, and the Sabian X-cellerator, Zildjian Master Sound and Zildjian Quick Beats, Paiste Sound Edge, and Meinl Soundwave. Some drummers even use completely mismatched hi-hats from different cymbal ranges (Zildjian's K/Z hats), of different manufacturers, and even of different sizes (similar to the K Custom Session Hats where the top hat is a sixteenth of an inch smaller than the bottom). Max Roach was particularly known for using a 14 inch top with a 15 inch bottom.

Other recent developments include the X-hat (fixed, closed, or half-open hi-hats) and cable-controlled or remote hi-hats.^[2] Sabian introduced the Triple Hi-Hat, designed by Peter Kuppers. In this variation of the hi-hat, the top cymbal moves down and the bottom cymbal moves up simultaneously while the middle cymbal remains stationary.

Drop-clutches are also used to lock and release hi-hats while both feet are in use playing double bass drums. The drop clutch was invented by ragtime drummer Graig Cortelyou. Drop clutches are commercially available from DW Drums, Gibraltar Hardware, The Coady Clutch from Billdidit, and Tama.

Playing techniques

Audio samples
Component	Content	Audio (Ogg Vorbis)
Hi-hat	Closed hi-hat	41 KB (help·info)
	Open hi-hat	58 KB (help·info)
	Hi-hat being opened and closed by its foot pedal	48 KB (help·info)
See the Drums page at Wikipedia Commons for more

When struck closed or played with the pedal, the hi-hat gives a short, crisp, muted percussive sound, sounding like and referred to as a "chick". Adjusting the gap between the cymbals can alter the sound of the open hi-hat from a shimmering, sustained tone to something similar to a ride cymbal. When struck with a drumstick, the cymbals make either a short, snappy sound or a longer sustaining sandy sound depending on the position of the pedal.

It can also be played just by lifting and lowering the foot to clash the cymbals together, a style commonly used to accent beats 2 and 4 in jazz music. In rock music, the hi-hats are commonly struck every beat or on beats 1 and 3, while the cymbals are held together. The drummer can control the sound by foot pressure. Less pressure allows the cymbals to rub together more freely, giving both greater sustain and greater volume for accent or crescendo. In shuffle time, a rhythm known as "cooking" is often employed. To produce this the cymbals are struck twice in rapid succession, being held closed on the first stroke and allowed to open just before the second, then allowed to ring before being closed with a chick to complete the pattern (the cymbals may or may not be struck on the chick). A right-handed drummer will normally play the hi-hat pedal with his left foot, and may use one or both drumsticks. The traditional hi-hat rhythms of rock and jazz were produced by crossing the hands over, so the right stick would play the hi-hat while the left played the snare drum below it, but this is not universal. Some top modern drummers like Billy Cobham, Carter Beauford, and Simon Phillips do not cross their hands over at all, playing the hi-hat mounted on the left with the left stick rather than the right. This is called open handed playing. Some trap sets may also include an extra hi-hat on the right for right-handed players, where it would be awkward to play crossed over. This is shown when drums or cymbals in the middle of the set are played with the hi-hat rhythm. The technique is common with metal genres, such as Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Mike Portnoy formerly of Dream Theater. In both rock and jazz, often the drummer will move the same stick pattern between the hi-hat cymbal and the ride cymbal, for example using the hi-hat in the verses and the ride in the chorus of a song, or using the ride to accompany a lead break or other instrumental solo.

Roger Taylor, drummer for the band Queen, plays with many unique hi-hat techniques, including involuntary opening of the hi-hat on every backbeat for a rhythm emphasis and leaving the hi-hat slightly open when hitting the snare. His trademark hi-hat beat is opening the hi-hat on first and third before hitting the snare.

Phil Rudd of AC/DC also uses distinct hi-hat techniques, which include very heavily accentuating the hi-hat hit on each beat and softer in between.

Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones uses a technique in which he does not play the hi-hat in unison with the snare drum at all. If playing a standard 8th note pattern, he will play the hi-hat on 1 and 3 and not playing it on 2 and 4 where the snare drum is played. This technique is also used by Levon Helm and Jim Keltner but not as often as Watts employs it.

Those playing double bass drums have also developed special techniques for using the hi-hat.

In much hip-hop, the hi-hat is hit with drumsticks in a simple eighth-note pattern, although this playing is usually done by a drum machine or from an old recording from which the sound of a hi-hat is recorded and loaded into a sampler or similar recording-enabled equipment from which it is triggered. Pioneer Kurtis Mantronik was one of the first to program hi-hat patterns that employed thirty-second notes.

Hi-hat "crescendo" from closed to open leading to the ride cymbal.^[3]