If you love to experiment, mix and match your cymbals, you might end up with many cymbals. Cymbals, especially handmade ones, each present a different sound than the others.

Some cymbals drastically are different and while others might be very subtle. If you like variety, you might find it inspiring to hang a different cymbal and try to sound test which sounds better for any particular piece of music. Multiple sets of cymbals can be used in different musical settings, such as a rock set, a jazz set, etc. There are also no rules about using jazz cymbals in a rock setting, and vice-versa.

It is also up to the drummers feel, time, groove, phrasing, tone what matters here. A drummer’s touch is very important in producing the sound as it’s unlimitedly delivered to the listener that essentially minimizes the importance of the cymbal itself as it contributes to the ultimate sound.

When cymbals are concerned and the number of cymbals you might use, the sky is the limit.

Here is the big question: When do you hit small and bigger crashes?

I hit the bigger crashes when I am really into the groove or when the song is building, or when I just want that big crash sound, I use the smaller ones for more fast accents. 16″ and up are more sensitive to touch, you can ride on them, they are easier to control, they have more sounds in them and they have a longer decay. Small crashes tend to be a bit one-sided and their sound is easily overrun in a loud situation. A 14″ crash might be too big to be a splash and too small to be a crash.

I have my crashes in tone…which normally means in size. I don’t play my crashes like crashes because when I hit a single crash I have a small issue with trying to make a pattern before I go back to my beat, sometimes a draw-back but most of the time it just adds to how cool it sounds.

Ride

A ride cymbal is the center of a cymbal set, usually used to sustain the beat and for grooves. The rest of cymbals in a set should be chosen to match the ride. A good ride cymbal is also statement. Popular sizes of ride cymbals are 20”, 21” and 22”. Ride cymbals that produce a brighter sound and lasts for a long time usually are played on the middle area or bell. Heavier and thicker rides produce more definite sounds. The bell sound on a thicker ride with bright and crisp notes will be great in all genres. Some rides come without a bell at all that are called flat rides. For a crashing ride sound a medium thin will the best.  Thin and flat ride cymbals are commonly used for low acoustic situations like jazz.

HiHat

A core element in the drum set, Hihats are sonically matched two cymbals: heavier bottom and lighter top. They are mounted opposite on a special stand with a foot petal to raise and lower the top cymbal fastened to a spring loaded rod. Hihats are generally are used to ride with and they feature a short chick sound when closed. They can be played with open or closed position and often a combination of the two. Hihats generally do not cut through the music and are used as the primary time keeper. Mostly used hihats are medium pitched 14” with a more solid, richer sound and more cutting 13” with slightly more able to rise above the band on an open hit.

Crash

Crash cymbals are used to punctuate and designed to accent the rhythm.  Crash cymbals are usually very responsive and they stand out in music by hitting across their edges. A popular technique is to choke a crash cymbal after strike creating a burst of sound which is quickly stopped resonating by holding its edge. Dark crashes feature less sustain. Medium and thin crashes feature bright sounds that are used in low volume situations. They are commonly in 16” and 18” sizes. Heavier and larger crashes are louder with a lot of sustain and actually more like hybrids between rides and crash cymbals, that are also called crash rides.

Effect

Effect cymbals are to enhance the music in wide range of sizes and shapes. They are used for interesting accents of short duration and cutting sounds. Splashes are small fast crashes that create a short decay, sharp burst of sound; are to give more color and variation. Bells are used to imitate the sound of a ride cymbal centre bell and used for special effects. They range from 6″to12”.

China

Typical china cymbals with their edges are turned up look like an inverted crash cymbal. They are low pitched and raw sounding sometimes with a trashy definition. China cymbals are often used like a splash cymbal for spread, complex and exotic accents. 18” 20”, 21” and 22” are mostly used. Thicker, heavier pang china is played like a ride; smaller mini china is used for accents and special effects.

About cymbals break-in subject, there always seems to be some drummers that say ‘yes, cymbals do change over time’, and the others saying ‘it’s only your ears’.

German Drummer Jochen Rückert once said, he breaks-in cymbals playing cymbal rolls with mallets for hours again and again.

Likewise some believe, when a cymbal is tempered, soft and hard molecules are formed and need to settle down from all the hammering, and this stabilization results in a lower fundamental pitch and more wash. The main cause of changes in a cymbal’s sound over time is relaxation and redistribution of molecular tension imparted in the manufacturing process. The molecular structure of bronze in a cymbal changes continually over it’s life, more quickly immediately after manufacture, and then slowing down gradually over time.

In my experience, cymbals take on a less ‘metallic’ sound as they are played and the metal ages, creating a more pleasing, musical sound. The patina also plays a role suppressing some of those unwanted high or mid hairy frequencies.

Generally there are minimum three cymbals in a drum set: Ride, crash and hihat. The locations for the cymbals in a set up are a personal choice, but we can refer to some common practices.

Ride cymbal has two possible places: on the right above the second rack tom, or lower down next to the second rack and above the floor tom. Mostly crash cymbal is placed in between hihat and rides high above the drums. Hihat cymbal is located generally on the left above the snare drum by 4” to 8” high from the rim.