critique my technique

[fullmoon]

my cymbal cracked and i would like for someone to evaluate my technique so i video taped my self playing my 16 in crash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWzHV4jb0-M

[h3r3tic]

my cymbal cracked and i would like for someone to evaluate my technique so i video taped my self playing my 16 in crash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWzHV4jb0-M


Well if it was a heavy weighted crash, then there was problem hitting it hard, but id it it was a thin or medium thin crash, you shouldn't hit it hard

The main thing that I love in thin crashes is that they can be more durable than the heavy crashes. Take a sabian dark crash for example (my favourite crash! :)) a simple soft stroke can make it sound explosive with an evil tone ;)
They don't need any hard hitting strokes...
LOVE IT!!

[jonescrusher]

Well if it was a heavy weighted crash, then there was problem hitting it hard, but id it it was a thin or medium thin crash, you shouldn't hit it hard

LOVE IT!!


Don't quite follow.

With correct technique you should be able to hit any weight or size cymbal with a full stroke. By the looks of it, you're not hitting the cymbal with a 'glancing' sideways blow, your hitting it with a straight up-down motion. This could be jarring the cymbal causing it to crack. What cymbal was it? As i say, try to hit cymbals with a glancing sideways motion. This should give you power and attack, without causing damage to stick or cymbal.

Oh, and avoid eating at the same time as playing, this should avoid sloppy strokes:

[fusssion]

jonescrusher has some good points......

you're also hitting the cymbal with A LOT of stick too ....and like he said, straight up and down .......cymbals should be hit with glancing blows.......you're like 'hammering' it....

[texdrumr]

I play pretty dang hard (lots of wrist), and I've only managed to crack a splash cymbal in my 11 years. I think what I do (or not do) is I don't follow completely through with my stroke, but I do a "dead stroke". Think of hitting a drum and purposefully stopping the rebound right above the drum head. This allows for a good wash while mitigating the full force of a follow through. I don't know a whole lot about the "glancing stroke" that the above posters are talking about.

[rhydianjlewis]

Im no pro, but to me it looks like you should be letting the stick rebound off the cymbal after each stroke. You're following through with every hit and really hammering down on it.

Also, mabye position your crash further away so you don't hit it so far up the stick. You should really only be hitting it an inch or so from the tip, if not WITH the tip.

[jonescrusher]

Im no pro, but to me it looks like you should be letting the stick rebound off the cymbal after each stroke. You're following through with every hit and really hammering down on it.

Also, mabye position your crash further away so you don't hit it so far up the stick. You should really only be hitting it an inch or so from the tip, if not WITH the tip.

I disagree with some of this. Rebounding off the cymbal won't work for all dynamics you might wish to extract from the cymbal. As a surface a cymbal is obviously quite different from a drum head or a closed hi-hat and as such requires different touch. But agreed in terms of hammering down on it - this is great for a really extreme accent but isn't great for a usual crashing action. As i say, 'glancing blow', so not in a straight line from up to down, but start from the up position and bring the stick down and across the cymbal, following through in a sideways direction.
Contrary to what's said above, you'll make contact with the cymbal somewhere along the shoulder of the stick; the further down the shaft of the stick you play the cymbal with, the more volume you will achieve. Playing only an inch or so from the tip would be tricky when playing a glancing stroke, and will damage the stick quickly if it meets with the very edge of the cymbal.
Nothing wrong with using the tip of the cymbal either, but you'll probably only want to do this when requiring a lighter dynamic, or when riding on the crash.

[fullmoon]

ok ill take your advice and try a new video tommorw and tell if its anybetter