Cymbals

Cymbals (Fr. cymbales; Ger. Becken; Ital. piatti or cinelli), are a modern percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various cymbal alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. more...

Home
Brass
DJ Gear & Lighting
Electronic
Equipment
Guitar
Harmonica
Instruction Books, CDs,...
Keyboard, Piano
Other Instruments
Percussion
Bells
Cymbals
Crash
Other
Sabian
Zildjian
Hi-Hat
Other
Ride
Sets
Splash
Drum Stools, Thrones
Drums
Other Percussion
Parts, Accessories
Shakers & Blocks
Tambourines
Vintage, Pre-1980
Xylophones, Vibes & Marimbas
Pro Audio
Sheet Music, Song Books
String
Wholesale Lots
Woodwind

Most modern cymbals are of indefinite pitch (tuned sets have been manufactured but are rare), whereas small cup-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a definite note; see crotal.

Cymbals are used in modern orchestras and many military, marching, concert and other bands. They are one of the two instrument types that form the modern drum kit, the other of course being the drum, and as such are a basic part of much contemporary music. Even the most basic drum kit normally contains at least one suspended cymbal and a pair of hi-hat cymbals.

Orchestral cymbals

Although cymbals are not often required they form part of every orchestra; their chief use is for marking the rhythm and for producing weird, fantastic effects or adding military colour, and their shrill notes hold their own against a full orchestra playing fortissimo. Cymbals are specially suited for suggesting frenzy, fury or bacchanalian revels, as in the Venus music in Wagner's Tannhäuser and Grieg's Peer Gynt suite.

Crash cymbals

Orchestral crash cymbals are traditionally used in pairs, each one having a strap set in the bell of the cymbal by which they are held. Such a pair is known technically as a pair of clash cymbals, although this term is rarely used, see clash cymbals. They are confusingly sometimes referred to simply as crash cymbals, although this term properly applies also to some suspended cymbals.

The sound is obtained by rubbing their edges together in a sliding movement rather than by clashing them against each other as laymen often suppose. A skilled player can obtain an enormous dynamic range from such a pair of cymbals. For example, in Beethoven's ninth symphony, one of their first appearances in an orchestral work, they make their entry pianissimo, adding a touch of colour rather than an almighty crash.

Clash cymbals are usually damped by pressing them against the player's body. A composer may write laissez vibrer, "Let them vibrate" (usually l.v.), sec (dry), or equivalent indications on the score; more usually, the player must judge exactly when to damp the cymbals based on the written duration of crash and the context in which it occurs.

Clash cymbals have traditionally been accompanied by the bass drum playing an identical part. This combination, played loudly, is an effective way to accentuate a note since the two instruments together contribute to both very low and very high frequency ranges and provide a satisfying "crash-bang-wallop". In older music the composer sometimes provided just one part for this pair of instruments, writing senza piatti, or piatti soli if the bass drum is to remain silent. However, the modern convention is for the instruments to have independent parts.

Read more at Wikipedia.org