For any drummer, how you play your drums is just as important as what you are playing on your drums. When it comes to cymbals, you want to make sure that you use proper technique. There are several reasons why you want to do so.
For one, it is ergonomic to play with proper technique, and will preserve your own body in the long run. Drummers arrived at modern drumming techniques not just for their effectiveness, but for their efficiency in helping bodies be able to play drums for longer. There's a reason you learn to play a certain way! While there's no "right" way to play the drums like you do (in your own self-expressive style), there is a right way to hold drum sticks, and a right way to strike cymbals.
Two, playing with proper technique on a cymbal will help to expand the cymbal's lifespan. While Zildjian cymbals are built with endurance in mind, improper playing or reckless playing can shorten the lifespan of the cymbal significantly. Trust me, when I first started to play drums, I cracked several cymbals due to improper technique because I didn't know what I was doing!
But, that's why I'm here to tell you how to properly play cymbals.
To begin, hold the drum stick in your hand in any of these styles:
Different cymbals might require different techniques. If you are playing a ride cymbal and you position it in your drum kit like I do (on my right side between two drums and slightly overhanging my floor tom), I recommend the french grip. Otherwise, I play American style for most of the time. In addition, I should note that you should not lay out your cymbals flat. Angle your cymbals, so that you are not hitting it flat and causing it to track.
For a ride cymbal, if you want to get sound out of the bell, then I recommend striking about two-thirds the way up the stick. Angle your approach slightly; you want to get as much body from the bell as you can, and so will want to hit it in a manner to get as much ping out of it as possible. If you are just trying to ride the cymbal, hitting with the tip of your stick in the center between the bell and the edge of the cymbal is the best technique.
Crash cymbals are similar if you want to ride on them, but to get a full-bodied and nice-washing crash sound, you need to hit it properly. To strike the cymbal on its edge (at the edge, with your stick hitting the edge perpendicular to the cymbal) or to hit it horizontally on the cymbal (as if you're striking through it) are both incorrect. The proper way to hit the cymbal in order to get a crash sound is by doing a sort of "glancing blow." You want to aim to get the most tone you can out of your cymbal. Try hitting it at a few different target spots, and you will discover that the best crash sound comes from a couple inches in from the edge.
I hope this brief tutorial helps!
For one, it is ergonomic to play with proper technique, and will preserve your own body in the long run. Drummers arrived at modern drumming techniques not just for their effectiveness, but for their efficiency in helping bodies be able to play drums for longer. There's a reason you learn to play a certain way! While there's no "right" way to play the drums like you do (in your own self-expressive style), there is a right way to hold drum sticks, and a right way to strike cymbals.
Two, playing with proper technique on a cymbal will help to expand the cymbal's lifespan. While Zildjian cymbals are built with endurance in mind, improper playing or reckless playing can shorten the lifespan of the cymbal significantly. Trust me, when I first started to play drums, I cracked several cymbals due to improper technique because I didn't know what I was doing!
But, that's why I'm here to tell you how to properly play cymbals.
To begin, hold the drum stick in your hand in any of these styles:
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| Photo credit: Drum Chat |
For a ride cymbal, if you want to get sound out of the bell, then I recommend striking about two-thirds the way up the stick. Angle your approach slightly; you want to get as much body from the bell as you can, and so will want to hit it in a manner to get as much ping out of it as possible. If you are just trying to ride the cymbal, hitting with the tip of your stick in the center between the bell and the edge of the cymbal is the best technique.
Crash cymbals are similar if you want to ride on them, but to get a full-bodied and nice-washing crash sound, you need to hit it properly. To strike the cymbal on its edge (at the edge, with your stick hitting the edge perpendicular to the cymbal) or to hit it horizontally on the cymbal (as if you're striking through it) are both incorrect. The proper way to hit the cymbal in order to get a crash sound is by doing a sort of "glancing blow." You want to aim to get the most tone you can out of your cymbal. Try hitting it at a few different target spots, and you will discover that the best crash sound comes from a couple inches in from the edge.
I hope this brief tutorial helps!
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