Percussion Instruments 101: How to Play Suspended Cymbals

The suspended cymbal can be found as part of a drum set, in a symphony orchestra, in a middle school band, or even accompanying a conga player's multi-percussion set-up. The percussion player will vary their suspended cymbal technique based on the situation and overall percussion set up.

Basically, a suspended cymbal is simply that - a cymbal suspended in the air. The suspended cymbal can be suspended by a suspended cymbal stand or even by a percussion player's hand looped through a hand cymbal strap.

A drum set will often have several different types of suspended cymbals, from a crash cymbal to a ride cymbal to high hat cymbals. The drum set player will play the different cymbals with sticks, Hot Rods, brushes, or even yarn mallets.

In a conga player or hand drum set up, the suspended cymbal may be struck with a stick or even with the hand, although that is mostly for visual effect. A small crash or splash cymbal is easier on the hands for the percussion player.

In an orchestra, band, or wind ensemble, the suspended cymbal most often has its own stand and is set up hovering over other percussion instruments, like a xylophone or the timpani. If a percussion player has time or is only playing the cymbal for a music piece, then they will often have a music stand set up with a variety of different mallets and sticks. Most times, however, the percussion player will have other percussion instruments to play and will have the chosen mallets laying as a cross stick on the actual cymbal for easy access or will use whatever stick or mallet is handy.

The most common use of the suspended cymbal is the building of a suspended cymbal roll. This is accomplished by alternating strokes with yarn mallets on the outer edges of the cymbal. For the best sound, the percussion player should try to place their mallets on the farthest edges away from the cymbal bell.

A piatti attack, seen in many music scores, involves a quick strike with a wooden stick and muting of the cymbal shortly afterward.

Sometimes a suspended cymbal will be used to substitute for a set of hand cymbals. Although nowhere near as acoustically effective as a true hand cymbal crash, the percussion player can imitate the sound by striking the cymbal forcefully with a yarn or cord mallet near the far edge of the cymbal.

===
ABOUT SABRINA PENA YOUNG

Award-winning composer Sabrina Pena Young is a foremost expert on Virtual Opera Production and Music Technology. A sought after consultant and speaker in music, arts, and technology, Young continues to push musical boundaries. Critics have called her "Wagner 2.0"and "Talented" with her works presented at Art Basil Miami, Opera America in NYC. the Beijing Conservatory, ICMC, London's Angel Moving Image Festival, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, SEAMUS, the NY International Independent Film Festival, Miramax's Project Greenlight, TEDxBuffalo, the Holland Animation Film Festival, TEDx, and countless venues in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.

CONTACT SABRINA PENA YOUNG FOR YOUR NEXT COMMISSION, CONSULT, CONFERENCE, OR EVENT!

Spenayoung@gmail.com

FIVE STAR STRATEGIC CONSULTING AND ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

https://sabrinapenayoung.wordpress.com/consulting/

AFFORDABLE MUSIC COACHING FOR STUDENTS @MUSICXRAY

Percussion 101: How to Play Hand Crash Cymbols

Young Girl Plays Cymbals The hand cymbals (or crash cymbals ) are extremely versatile percussion instruments . The hand cymbals are used in the military, drum and bugle corps , the orchestra, and wind ensembles. Proper percussion hand cymbal technique takes many years of practice and hard work, as well as stamina and upper body strength. The most common use of the hand cymbals is in the drum line, whether in a high school band or a professional drum and bugle corps. Two cymbals are held by straps to the cymbal player's hands. In marching band and drum and bugle corps, the cymbal player often will loop their own hand in the strap, then grab the strap. Protect Your Hands Tape, strap pads, and gloves are often used to protect the cymbal player's hands from blisters and the slow grinding away of skin during a lengthy band show. In the orchestra setting, where the crash cymbal is often reserved for music accents and shorter music passages, the percussion player does...

Music Secrets: The Music School Survival Guide

Music Secrets: The Music School Survival Guide Don't have any time to balance rehearsals, exams, and a social life? Then read on! So you find that between playing in orchestra, the school musical, a solo recital or two, joining Sigma Alpha Iota or Phi Mu Alpha , playing in the alternative band at night, pep band, and marching band that you can't keep your eyes open, let alone study for the music history midterm next week or even begin to write your term paper on Debussy? Then read on and learn to balance life in Music School. 1) Musicians DO need to Sleep Yes, you need to sleep, even if it is only five hours a night plus catnaps. Your brain cannot function if you do not sleep. So sleep, even if that means that you can't play in that awesome alternative band that jams every other night till 5am at the local bar. 2) Eat right and exercise Okay, so I sound like your parents, or Oprah, but I am serious. My biggest mistake as an undergrad (well, one of my bigges...

A Composer's Brief Guide to Percussion Mallets

When composing for percussion, it is important to know the difference between a variety of mallets. Although in most cases the percussionist will choose the proper mallets for the passage, sometimes as a composer, you want a particular sound. It is always good to research a mallet before indicating it in your score. Consult a percussion catalogue for a more in-depth look at the hundreds of mallets available. 1. YARN MALLETS They come in every dynamic range from supersoft baseball-sized to forte. They are the multi-purpose mallet, used for toms, suspended cymbal rolls, marimba, xylophone, woodblock, and pretty much anytime a percussionist doesn't have time to pick up another mallet. 2. CORD MALLETS These are harder than the yarn mallets. More effective on xylophone and vibes, these mallets can also be used for a variety of percussion instruments. 3. BRASS MALLETS These are for use on the glockenspiel/bells and the occasional brake drum. They produce a more "tinny" kind of ...

Search This Blog