cybal challenged

mxo721

Senior Member
o.k been playing ever day now for about 3 months ( catalina jazz kit with hi hats and a pig ride only) I've gotten used to just hi hats and ride...a friend left his kit over here, with an assortment of crash cymbals, my timing hitting crash cymbals is off, I've never used them, mostly because of noise/neighbor thing. what's some good exercises to incorporate crashing into my practice routine ? thanks
 
I dont know if this is the answer you would be looking for, but hit your crash when you hit your bass drum.. If you hit your bass drum on the count of 1 and snare on 3 (on a basic 4/4 beat), hit your crash on 1. Of course, you can get creative about it, but for something basic, that will do it.
 
If noise is an issue try draping an old towel (or something similar) over the crash. This will dampen the sound. Make sure that the crash is placed in a position where it's easy to reach (don't put it too high).

As far as practice routines go. Well...just hit the darn thing! Practice getting different sounds out of it and using it to emphasize different counts of the beat (not just on the 1).

And remember crashes are an expensive bit of equipment. So use em, don't abuse em.
 
thanks guys, that was kind of a rambling post, but to clarify, kind of what duracell is saying, I drape t-shirts over my drums and ride cymbal and bash away, but with the crash, the feel is so different when i do that, so when i play with out the t-shirts, the crash is the most drastic difference. it's tricky for me not to crash a tiny bit too soon...I'm learning though.
 
It can be tough to practice without bothering someone.
Perhaps you could find somewhere else to practice where volume is not an issue. Then you wouldn't have to cover everything with towels/shirts. You could try storage units, empty warehouses, or local churches for starters.
 
Several tips:

1) Time to listen to music. Not just "Yeah, dude, that song rocks!" but actually listen ... listen to the beat, the time signature, and what the drummer is doing. Notice how most rock music is based on 4/4 and how crashes almost NEVER sound alone - - but rather with the kick (on one and three) or the snare (two and four).

2) Get a metronome. Learn to play beats dead on the click.

3) Introduce the crash on beat one as you play to the click.

4) Repeat as necessary.

Crashes are passionate, instinctive parts of drumming - you can play an entire song without them (see Manu Katche with Peter Gabriel), but you can also seriously overplay a crash. Find your middle ground, stake it out, and make your own voice.
 
o.k been playing ever day now for about 3 months ( catalina jazz kit with hi hats and a pig ride only) I've gotten used to just hi hats and ride...a friend left his kit over here, with an assortment of crash cymbals, my timing hitting crash cymbals is off, I've never used them, mostly because of noise/neighbor thing. what's some good exercises to incorporate crashing into my practice routine ? thanks

The timing is steady, but you simply hit somewhere else. Pretend that the ride is the crash, or a tom or the rim.

You can also watch this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbqVg_23otg

Check out how they SMASH one every time. Absolutely smash it. You don't need to hit hard (actually, that can ironically reduce the amount of smash! - and often does - ), but make a point on the one when it comes around. Sing it to yourself, and feel the one.
 
If noise is an issue try draping an old towel (or something similar) over the crash. This will dampen the sound. Make sure that the crash is placed in a position where it's easy to reach (don't put it too high).

As far as practice routines go. Well...just hit the darn thing! Practice getting different sounds out of it and using it to emphasize different counts of the beat (not just on the 1).

And remember crashes are an expensive bit of equipment. So use em, don't abuse em.

And old t-shirt will also work great. You can basically put the cymbal inside the shirt, so the cymbal is wearing the shirt. Same with the drums ...
 
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