Cymbals exists for a very long time. In 1500 BC the Hindu's already used cymbals, Often in combination with singing and dancing. The Armenia's appeared to be very competent at making cymbals. They started making them from 700 AC.

Cymbals are made of three metals: copper, tin and silver. The three factors that determine the sound of the cymbal are:

• The size of the Cymbal
• The thickness of the Cymbal
• The proportions between copper, tin and silver

The first time cymbals were used in Europe was in 1100-1300, when crusaders brought them to Europe. The sound of the cymbals where associated with music of Angels or heavenly music. Later, the Turkish introduced them again with their drums and toms.
 

Today we know two (or three) types of cymbals: the ride cymbal and the crash cymbal.

The ride cymbal
On the ride cymbal you usually play rhythms, patterns, to support your rhythm or the band. These cymbals are the largest cymbals used with a drum set. There are very different ride cymbals, everyone with its own size, thickness and proportions between copper, tin and silver. These cymbals usually have a diameter of 20". Some are larger, some are smaller, but 20" is a quite normal size for a ride cymbal. Back to top

The crash cymbal
This isn't a cymbal to play rhythms or patterns on. This is a cymbal to hit every now and then when you feel like it. It is the cymbal to use when you want to make an accent in the music or if you want to end a solo or a number. The crash cymbal is usually smaller than the ride cymbal. A standard size for a crash is about 16" or 17". There are many different sorts of crash cymbals. One has a quick 'attack' but no echo. An other has a slow 'attack' but a long echo. It's just what you like, or what fits into the orchestra or band. Back to top

The splash cymbal
This is the third type of cymbal we know. Since it is used the same way as the crash cymbal, the splash isn't always mentioned as a separate group. The splash cymbal is used for just a hit whenever you like to have a hit. It has a very, very quick 'attack' and a very short echo. Therefore, these cymbals are quite small. They usually has a diameter of 10" or 12" inch.

Every cymbal has it's own sound. But even when you take one cymbal, you can make hundreds of sounds. If you hit the cymbal near the edge, it will sound a lot different then when you hit it on the bell. The bell is the center of the cymbal, which is a little higher than the rest of the cymbal. Back to top

The Hi-Hat

The hi-hat is maybe the most used instrument of the drum set. The hi-hat consists of two hi-hat cymbals. They are placed over each other. You can either play the hi-hat by using a pedal to crash the cymbals against each other, or you can keep the cymbals together with you pedal and play on the hi-hat with your sticks. This is very often used in all kind of rhythms.
   The same 'rules' as for the other cymbals are also valid for the hi-hat cymbals. But if we talk about cymbals, we usually mean the crash and the ride cymbal. If we talk about hi-hat, we also mean the hi-hat cymbals. Back to top

History     Playing drums