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Chinas.


Marko

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Chinas are my favorite type of cymbals. I have Wuhans and Sabians, different weights and sizes. I love them because they are so expressive...I had a few Carmine Appice Sigs and a B8 Pro that were amazing and will never be found again. This is one area that price does not dictate sound quality because here, it is totally subjective (I have been know to play saw blades, motor housings, anything that has a cool ring or tone...I have rotos that I stripped so I could play the frames, they sound like ice bells).

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I love my chinas. I have two, an 18 and a 16. I never use them in place of a crash at the end of a fill, however sometimes I might hit the 18 simultaneously with a big crash cymbal and it results in a cool effect... the initial hit on both cymbals together yields a more accented attack, but then the smooth decay of the large crash takes over. It's a nice way to put a big emphasis at the end of a song, or right before the climax of a bridge.

Sometimes, rather than just an accent, I might use a china as part of a pattern, maybe during a short pre-chorus or a bridge or something like that. For example in 4/4 time, if I'm doing 16th notes on the kicks, and the snare is on 2 and 4, and I'm playing 8th notes on the ride, then I might alternate every other note between the ride and china. If it's a small china with a quick decay, this can be a nice changeup and a really great sound. And depeding on the situation, you can choose to accent the up beat or the down beat on the china. Both will create a totally different feel. If you accent the down beat, it results in a more "driving" feel. If you accent the up beat on the china, it results in more of a groove.

Finally, I use them as accents with the snare. They especially work well when hit with the snare during fills.

Now granted, I never try to use a sound that doesn't fit the music just for the sake of hitting that cymbal and justifying its presence in my setup. Mostly I play heavy stuff, so chinas tend to fit well within that type of music. While I would contend that there are no rules, one could argue that in the traditional sence, chinas might sound a little out of place in some types of music like pop, blues, or jazz simply because of the aggressive nature of their sound. But who am I to judge. If it sounds good, it sounds good.

I have heard some really annoying china sounds (due to it being a poorly made cymbal) and some really annoying USE of the china where it was just over used or used in the wrong context. You just have to find the right sounding china, and the right context in which to use it.

Finally, if you are using Wuhuns, they are hit or miss. They are known for a very pangy sound. If you get a good bright sounding china with a fair amount of trash and some smoothness mixed in, it can be a very pleasing sound to work with.

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