SGT_Drummer
Senior Member
I am a drummer for life, no questions about it, but what I really love are cymbals. Big ones, small ones, ones with holes, bent edges, hammered, lathed, and on and on and on! However, I had a brain storm last night about cymbals in general and really have put some thought into this over the last day.
What is the future of cymbals?
I really want to know everyone's thoughts on this. I mean when you look at every cymbal manufacturer they are essentially doing the same thing all around with slight nuances. So what if we started thinking outside the box. We made chinas by basically taking the edge and folding it up, what if we folded it down? There have been combinations and variations of hammered and lathed cymbals. What if you hammered a portion and then lathed a portion in like a pie pattern? Lathe the bell and middle, then hammer the upper and outer portions? We could increase the angle from the bell to the edge. We could experiment with all kinds of cut outs and folding, coating and metallic composition. Yeah people ARE experimenting, but they are still 'in the box' so to speak.
But what I would REALLY like to see is a change in the metal. Lets face it, EVERYONE and thier brother uses Bronze. B8, B10, B12, B20, etc, etc. What if we started moving away from Bronze? We know steel has resonant qualities because there are Steel Snares. What if you made a cymbal from steel and coated it in Bronze instead of some crappy black plastic? Not just steel, there is a whole range of metals to experiment and combine. Tungsten, Teflon, Steel, Iron (probably would be too brittle if its solid iron), Aluminum, Copper, Titanium, etc. I could go on all day with different mixtures and coatings and designs. The evolution of the cymbal has come a LONG way in 100 years, but it seems like we've hit a plateau. We've hit a literal wall of sorts, and for the next wave of innovation I think we should look at the 'other' options.
Like I said, I have put ALOT of thought into this and really wanted to discuss it with everyone. Please let me know your thoughts. This might be a good way to get a new cymbal company started. Lol.
What is the future of cymbals?
I really want to know everyone's thoughts on this. I mean when you look at every cymbal manufacturer they are essentially doing the same thing all around with slight nuances. So what if we started thinking outside the box. We made chinas by basically taking the edge and folding it up, what if we folded it down? There have been combinations and variations of hammered and lathed cymbals. What if you hammered a portion and then lathed a portion in like a pie pattern? Lathe the bell and middle, then hammer the upper and outer portions? We could increase the angle from the bell to the edge. We could experiment with all kinds of cut outs and folding, coating and metallic composition. Yeah people ARE experimenting, but they are still 'in the box' so to speak.
But what I would REALLY like to see is a change in the metal. Lets face it, EVERYONE and thier brother uses Bronze. B8, B10, B12, B20, etc, etc. What if we started moving away from Bronze? We know steel has resonant qualities because there are Steel Snares. What if you made a cymbal from steel and coated it in Bronze instead of some crappy black plastic? Not just steel, there is a whole range of metals to experiment and combine. Tungsten, Teflon, Steel, Iron (probably would be too brittle if its solid iron), Aluminum, Copper, Titanium, etc. I could go on all day with different mixtures and coatings and designs. The evolution of the cymbal has come a LONG way in 100 years, but it seems like we've hit a plateau. We've hit a literal wall of sorts, and for the next wave of innovation I think we should look at the 'other' options.
Like I said, I have put ALOT of thought into this and really wanted to discuss it with everyone. Please let me know your thoughts. This might be a good way to get a new cymbal company started. Lol.