how to hit a cymbal...

[tamadrummer132]

there is a spanish drummer at my church that hits the simple with the tip of the stick, while i hit them full bodied to get a better tone.. (this is for crash cymbals)

is there a real "Way" to hit cymbals, or is it personal preference?

[Class A Drummer]

There is no proper way to hit a cymbal but along with many, i belive it better to hit it with the shaft, a few inches down from the tip. IMO you get a louder, more defined, and all around better sound. There is a much greater chance of breaking/cracking your cymbal if you hit it as the way the guy you talked about hits it. Please tell him that. Also, it does feel better hitting the cymbal with the shaft of the stick.

[Latin Groover]

Dont think that there is your way and his way, it all depends on the sound you want. If your playing rock your not going to want to hit the face of the cymbal with the tip are you.

[maddrummr]

I always hit the crash cymbal with the shaft of the stick and drew the stick out to draw the sound out...same concept i use when playing marimba at school.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

There are some do's and don'ts on the Paiste website if you care to read them. They may help.

[rendezvous_drummer]

All depends on the volume, sound you want. I mainly hit it with the shank though.

[jazzsnob]

Watch a video of elvin jones and decide if you think he asked anyone how he should hit his cymbals.

You will watch and you will realize that he completely decides how to hit all his cymbals(even crashes) and has a personal way of doing it. You should spend some time figuring out exactly how you want to strike your cymbals, and what methods sound best to you. The first step in finding your own sound.

[vadrum]

this all depends on the sound you want. do you want a clean, articulate sound? perhaps a little quieter and controlled, then use the tip. if you want a crash, use the shank. there is no ONE way to play any cymbal. just look at all the color tony williams got out of his cymbals, particularly his ride. at times it was clean and exact (play w/ the tip), at times he played it w/ the shank to get a nice wash.

[KCDrummer]

I think it also depends a lot on the cymbal. Every cymbal has a way of being struck that makes it sound the best. Some you have to be gentle with, some you have to really spank, depending on the size, thickness, lathed/unlathed, manufacturer, quality (low-end/high-end), etc. I don't think there is one correct way to hit a cymbal.

It also depends on the stick. With so many options in width, length, bead size/shape and weight, a cymbal might sound great with one stick and crappy with another.

[k3ng]

Funny, I don't usually confine my strokes to a single type for a cymbal. I hit tip on cymbal. shaft on edge, butt on cymbal, tip on bell, shaft on bell, practically everything you can think of.. maybe I'd ruin my cymbals in the near future (haven't got pro ones yet to ruin.... maybe sometime in the future I'll be endorsed but some cymbal maker and wreck cymbals anyhoo..) But each different stroke style presents me with a different sound that I can find different places to put in.

Go play around with your cymbals and see how you like then played.. Stick to a single pair of sticks though. As mentioned, different sticks sound different on different cymbals...

Cheers.

[rlestage]

When hitting with the shaft, don't hit direct on, slice it.

Your sticks will thank you for the longer wear.

[fourstringdrums]

For me it depends on the sound I want. Sometimes I'll hit with the tip right on the surface near the edge, sometimes near the bell, sometimes in between. I'll sometimes hit with the shaft of my stick towards the edge, sometimes up more on the surface of the cymbal closer to the bell. Whenever I hit with the shaft of the stick though I almost make sure that the crash is angled toward me and that I try and hit with a glancing blow. I also don't hit very hard, I believe that you don't need to pummel the cymbal to get it to sound good.