How should a cymbal sound?

[BiRthOuT]

hi guys,

i have a question..

you know as drummers we all agreed that cymbals are a very personal thing? as in how they sound and brand and etc? My concern is this.. if i do not know how a eg:crush SHOULD sound like how am i suppose to gauge if the sound produce by a certain crush is good?

thanks guys. i'm new to drumming and stuff. really need advice on this? i've been looking around but still not sure.. =)

btw is nigel still selling instanbul cymbals?

 

[Softwaremaker]

My concern is this.. if i do not know how a eg:crush SHOULD sound like how am i suppose to gauge if the sound produce by a certain crush is good?

I assume you mean "a crash" ? There is no answer to this as music is an artform.

A crash that sounds "good" today may change tomorrow because you decide to set up a secondary crash OR get a new ride OR get a new drumkit, toms, or snare. Most importantly, it really depends on what genre of music you play to and that changes frequently if you like experimenting.

A dry ride sounds good on a rock kit but it may not fit a jazz genre as that typically needs more wash...

So, depending on what songs you are playing to - you would look for the tone/pitch (bright, warm, etc), sustain, etc which will then determine the profile of the cymbal (size, thin, thick, bell profile, etc)

And in our Singapore small market and the fact that most musicians I know experiment with different genres of music, personally I feel that marketability is also important. Unless, of course, you are like a few people I know in this forums and dont mind collecting beautiful brassware

btw is nigel still selling instanbul cymbals?

Yes. http://drumsresources.com/main.htm

 

[cold_static544]

it should sound like pssssssshhhh,

most drum kits i know have cymbals that go pssssh, y'noe, its gotta be pssssssshhhh, not pssh, or pssshhhhhhhhh for that matter.

 

[Composer of Requiems]

Case in point- I loved my Turkish 17" Classic crash and I still love the sound of it on its own. But I'm migrating to bigger and bigger cymbals, and next to my 20" or 21" rides that I'm crashing on now, it just doesn't have enough "bigness" in the sound. I don't use it much together with the others, yet when I hit it alone by itself, I still can't get over how good it sounds.

Isn't this quite a paradox on "How should a cymbal sound"? It's one of my favourite crash sounds, yet when used in the set, I don't touch it much since I don't like the sound!

 

[weckl-x]

Check out some live gigs.

 

[bigblackbear]

walk around the drum shops and give the cymbals a little whack. decide for yourself (after hearing a variety of cymbals) which sound you like.

 

[BiRthOuT]

thanks =) =)

hi guys. thanks for the reply. hmm i kinda get to experiment with diff cymbals as church do have a few different types of cymbals. haha thanks for explaining how you choose cymbals , software maker. hmmm sometime i just get really clueless when i go shopping. what appears to me as a drummer does not appears to my friend even tho we play in the same genre.. =)

btw.. when u say phssssssssss do u mean the sustain of the cymbals? cold_statics 544

haha yes i agree on the irony, composer of requiems =) sometime its hard to understand why i love it so much but when playing on the kit.. you wouldn't choose that particular cymbal that u like..

=)
hey guys , last question. i am thinking of purchasing the box set from nigel. anyone of u guys got experiences on playing the Istanbul melmet cymbals? is it good for rock? versatile?

thanks

 

[cold_static544]

btw.. when u say phssssssssss do u mean the sustain of the cymbals? cold_statics 544

haha that post wasn't serious man,

i'm not a drummer too.