Members keith1200rs Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Hi all, I am moving from electronic to my first acoustic kit and have a question about playing the hi-hat. I play the hi-hat in 3 ways, open, closing with the foot and hitting it while open. It is this last one which I feel I am doing incorrectly. If I lift the hi-hat pedal as far as I am used to with the electronic kit then the top hi-hat swings when I hit it and makes an ungainly sound when I close it becaise it doesn't close cleanly. I am guessing I should only be opening it a tiny amount so it sizzles and then the close will be "clean", or almost imperceptible - is this correct? Sorry for the dumb question, but I have been drum teacher-less for a while now so have no-one handy to ask. Thanks. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drumtechdad Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Hi all, I am moving from electronic to my first acoustic kit and have a question about playing the hi-hat. I play the hi-hat in 3 ways, open, closing with the foot and hitting it while open. It is this last one which I feel I am doing incorrectly. If I lift the hi-hat pedal as far as I am used to with the electronic kit then the top hi-hat swings when I hit it and makes an ungainly sound when I close it becaise it doesn't close cleanly. I am guessing I should only be opening it a tiny amount so it sizzles and then the close will be "clean", or almost imperceptible - is this correct? Sorry for the dumb question, but I have been drum teacher-less for a while now so have no-one handy to ask. Thanks. Keith. Keith, there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. The cool thing about the hihat is the nearly infinite range of sounds you can get from it between closed and open. Those "ungainly" sounds you speak of are just some of them. To the point, though, most players rarely hit the hihat wide open, i.e., with the foot all the way up. But they do make use of most of the positions between closed and open. Try this: while playing something simple on the hihat, such as straight 8ths, start with the hat fully closed and gradually open it a little at a time. Listen for the different sounds--you'll start with a tight, short sound. As you gradually open the hat the sound will get progressively longer and sloshier. When you reach a point where the hats are nearly open it will be really sloppy and sloshy. As you use the pedal to "chick" the hats you'll see that it sounds a little different at each point between open and closed. All those sounds are usable, depending on the musical circumstances, and fun, too. Just practice with it and you'll soon get a feel for how much foot pressure you need for each sound between dry and sloshy. Drummers have different preferences for how tight the top cymbal is held by the clutch, too. I've seen tight top hats and hats that were so loose they made a 45 degree angle every time they were hit. Experimentation is the rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keith1200rs Posted October 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Thanks. I have been trying opening it different amounts, and it seems to sound best with only a very small opening; then the close is clean and fairly quiet. I must admit I have the top hat screwed really tight so it doesn't swing too much. Maybe I should slacken it off a bit? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marko46 Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Keith, drumtechdad pretty much covered everything. You just need to play around wiyh the adjustments. I personnaly will want a more "open" sound in the up postion for a certain song, so I'll just adjust the top a little higher on the rod. Most of the time both top and bottom just touch on the far side away from me. I also use a drop clutch which is very handy at times. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keith1200rs Posted October 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 What's a drop clutch? I have a Tama 805 pedal, by the way - seems to have far too many adjustments Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marko46 Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 What's a drop clutch? I have a Tama 805 pedal, by the way - seems to have far too many adjustments Keith. I'm not sure why I can't get a picture of a drop clutch to post, but it's on MF's website. Look for Gilbraltar Drop Clutch. Anyway, Hi-Hats are not that complicated just try different adjustments as to the height the top cymbal is from the bottom one by loosening the wing bolt and sliding it up or down the rod and see how it feels to ya- no big deal. How it sound's or how it's played is strictly up to you. Don't try and over analyze it, you'll get it. As far as what model /manufacture, they all work on the same premise as far as I'm aware of. Have fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keith1200rs Posted October 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Thanks, I found a picture of the Gibraltar drop clutch. What is the point of it? To allow you to play the closed hat without keeping your foot on the pedal (for double bass work) maybe? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marko46 Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Yep. That's what it's for. I use one on my aux. H.H. also again for different effects depending on if I want an open or closed sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MattACaster Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Yep. That's what it's for. I use one on my aux. H.H. also again for different effects depending on if I want an open or closed sound. +1 I have one on my main hihats. When I do double bass work I don't like having my hats wide open. So I drop the clutch to get a more controlled sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keith1200rs Posted October 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Thanks everyone for the help. I have now slackened off the top hat and it is a lot easier to get the sound I want with a small foot movement and no ungainly closing sounds. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drumtechdad Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 One more thing: You'll notice you have a tilt control under the bottom cymbal, controlled with a thumb screw. It's good to fool around with how much tilt is good. With the bottom cymbal dead level you'll get less of a "chick" sound when using the pedal. As you increase the tilt the "chick" sound changes, getting longer and sloppier. More experimentation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keith1200rs Posted October 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Yes, I've twiddled that as well:eek: However, I have tried to make the cymbals parallel. It seems that may not be what is required:confused: I will try different angles and see what happens. Many thanks for all the help. It seems strange after playing for over 3 years (with an electronic kit) that I am back to square one in some respects. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Yeah, you want some tilt in that bottom hat or it tends to trap air. My recommendation would be to listen to some albums and figure out how to make your hats sound like their's. If I want a tight sound, I never push down on the pedal too hard. I just let my foot rest on it. If I want a looser sound, I tend to role my foot off the pedal leaving just the lower part on the base of the pedal. The more you take off, the looser it sounds. I never play with the hat completely open. You can do that with electronics, but not with acoustics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members turdadactyl Posted October 12, 2007 Members Share Posted October 12, 2007 Also don't forget that you can adjust the amount of distance between your top and bottom hats with the clutch (drop or standard). I keep my hats very close together. Move yours up and down a bit until you get a happy distance where you can both avoid "ungainly sounds" and still get enough sound out of playing it with your foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keith1200rs Posted October 14, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2007 Thank you again. Good idea about listening to albums - I just heard (don't laugh) Barry White "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" on the radio and hit record on the mini-disc - it is the sort of sound I like from hi-hats. I now have something to compare with. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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