PHOTO:  Dave-Grohl 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 ...

When a percussion player is given a cymbal part, they may find themselves performing on a set of hand cymbals, rolling on a suspended cymbal , or jamming out a beat on a drum set. Different types of cymbals are used for each music situation. An extensive knowledge of the different cymbal types is necessary in order to better perform the music and avoid making a novice musician's mistakes. There are many different types of cymbals A ride cymbal is most commonly seen in a drum set situation. A ride cymbal is usually slightly heavier than a crash cymbal . The percussion player plays the ride cymbal with a stick. A traditional use of the ride cymbal is the use of it in jazz ensembles, where the percussion player performs the characteristic " tap , tap-ta-tap, tap-ta-tap" rhythm often associated with more traditional jazz styles. The ride cymbal often keeps the beat and slight music accents, and should not be used for heavy cymbal crashes. A crash cymbal is ofte...

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...

Percussion 101: Percussion Families When most people ask what I play, I say "Percussion". They usually look at me with a questioning look, and a "Oh, that's nice". Then I say, "I play the drums." The lightbulb hits. "Oh, you are a DRUMMER!" Percussion is more than Animal banging on a set of toms. It is more than "More COWBELL!" and it is definitely more than that little monkey that plays the cymbals. There are several different groups of percussion instruments. Since percussion instruments essentially include anything you hit or shake to make noise (including noisemakers like bird whistles, car brake drums, radios, and the kitchen sink), being able to include every instrument seems like a daunting task.  Generally musicians group percussion into pitched and non-pitched percussion. Here are some basic pitched Percussion Instruments:  Pitched Metals : Bells, Crotales, Vibraphone, Chimes Pitched Wood : Marimba, Xylophone Pitched Drum...

Nearly every piece that comes a Percussionist 's way will consist of the following: A run-of-the-mill SNARE DRUM part A BASS DRUM part which plays monotonously on beats 1 and 3 A MALLET part (usually bells --ouch--- or xylophone) which mimics the woodwinds And a TIMPANI part which copies the tubas or basses Oh, and let's not forget the CYMBAL part, which consists of enthralling cymbal rolls and exciting CRASHES!!!! Now, not much can be done for those currently de-composers who had to write for this instrumentation. After all, if the reigning monarch or local cathedral had a set of kettle drums, a military drum, and a couple of metal plates, that was what you had to go with. Writing for the army? Ditto. The Church your patron? Just try incorporating hand drums. Heretics, for sure. BUT...this IS the Third Millennium. And PERCUSSION has come to mean pretty much anything, yep ANYTHING, you can hit, beat, scrape, blow, whistle, bow, shake, roll, kick, turn on, p...