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Cracking Cymbals


b0dah

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There are three factors to consider: type of cymbals you're using, how you mount 'em, and how you hit 'em.

 

Cymbal types: if you're a hard hitter and you're playing really thin crashes, that might be an issue. Also, if you're trying to get more volume out of a cymbal than it can physically make, then that's also a problem. Think bigger and thicker.

 

Mounting: Your cymbal needs to move freely on the stand. Don't crank down the wingnuts on the stand to restrict the cymbal from swaying back and forth after impact. Also, set them up so that you're not hitting them right on the edge...the weakest part of the cymbal. Finally, use decent cymbal stands that not only allow the cymbals to rock freely, but that also have protection around the hole area and padding or felts between the stand and the cymbal.

 

Technique: This is the big issue. First off, you have to know where to hit the cymbal. Whatever you do, don't hit them on the edges. Also you should hit them in a spot where they have some give...if you look at a cymbal like a clock and hit the cymbal at "6" with your stroke going directly toward "12" then you're basically compressing the cymbal between the stick and the hole. If you hit the cymbal at "7" or "5" and were heading toward "11" or "1", you produce a more glancing blow which is easier on the cymbal. Finally, remember that a cymbal is a hand crafted musical instrument not a railroad spike. There's a point at which you hit a cymbal where it literally can't get any louder. Hitting harder than that point does nothing for you sonically, and only invites damage. Do what you gotta do to learn to hit in a more "musical" fashion rather than a "destructive" fashion. You might want to switch to lighter sticks...they're cheaper to replace when they break.

 

Hope this helps. There's really no need to break cymbals if you're doing things right.

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I'm not an overly hard hitter, but I have been cracking some lately. :mad::( The majority of the time, I determine it's simply due to my setup that causes me to take a bad angle at the cymbal, usually catching an edge. And that makes me dumb for not correcting it.

 

If you play golf or baseball, you know what it feels like when you hit the sweet spot. You hardly feel any impact and you swing through the ball, rather than at the ball. Baseball bats don't break when you hit the sweet spot, they break when you miss it. Try to set up your cymbals so all your hits feel as though you're hitting that sweet spot, you're striking through the cymbal, not at it.

 

And most of the time it doesn't hurt to chill out a bit either. Not saying you need to play like a jazz drummer, but if find yourself really cranking on the skins and cymbals, just remind yourself to back off a bit. Then you start getting an appreciation for dynamics and control.

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Originally posted by ulank

If you play golf or baseball, you know what it feels like when you hit the sweet spot. You hardly feel any impact and you swing
through
the ball, rather than at the ball. Baseball bats don't break when you hit the sweet spot, they break when you miss it. Try to set up your cymbals so all your hits feel as though you're hitting that sweet spot, you're striking through the cymbal, not at it.

 

...And just like golf or baseball, you don't get any benefit from trying to hit too hard. The best drives and hits come from a combination of power, tempo, and control. I love playing with guys who try to kill a golf ball and end up dribbling up to the ladies' tees. Especially when some little scrawny guy with a smooth swing steps up and nonchalantly smooths one out 300+ yards. The best part is watching the big "killer" guy try to make up for it on the next tee by swinging even harder and scewing up even more! :)

 

The key thing to remember, IMHO, is that after a certain point, a cymbal can't get any louder. Try it. So if you're going past that point in terms of how hard you're hitting, you don't gain anything and are only risking your cymbals.

 

Cymbals DO break, but if you're going through them like Doritos, you're probably doing something wrong.

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Originally posted by OneArmedScissors

May you should mount your cymbals with springs. I don't do that, but I've heard that it helps a lot.

 

 

Very helpful for Chinas, not necessarily a necessity for regular cymbals as long as you've got decent stands, IMHO. Then again, it couldn't hurt.

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Originally posted by Old Steve


The key thing to remember, IMHO, is that after a certain point, a cymbal can't get any louder.

 

 

Very true. And drums for that matter. Work at your technique. You can still have controlled power and agression. Work at snapping your wrists at the cymbal rather than slamming through the crash with your whole arm.

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Hey,

 

Everyone posted excellent points- I'd tailor my cymbal choices to heavier (rock) sized crashes if I were u. Some people- Like yourself can have more power then others. After giving lessons for a while I really took notice of how different people play. Some dont think they play hard but they do. Some (rock) gauge crashes will do well for you. Maybe go to medium instead of a thin or medium thin.

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