Cymbal Types: Learn all about the main cymbals used on the drum set
The Big 3
When you are buying your first set of cymbals you always start by these three, otherwise, you are just being a rebel. The Ride, Crash, and Hi-Hat are the essential cymbals for any drummer. Without them, your kit is not complete.
Hi-Hat
In today's drum set the Hi-Hat's main job is to maintain the rhythm pattern. It is the cymbal responsible for rhythm rather than accent. Usually, the hi-hat cymbals have a medium size, the most common being 13" and 14" inches.
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The hi-hat has two important characteristics:
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It is not just one cymbal, but two. This allows a more controlled sound than an accent cymbal, which makes it perfect for rhythm.
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It is controlled by your feet but played with your hands, which allows a major range of sounds that can be produced. Because the two cymbals are mounted on the hi-hat stand, you can change the distance (open or close) between the two just by using your feet. Also, many drummers use the hi-hat to keep time with their feet while playing other instruments (of the drum set), by crashing the two cymbals together with the pedal.​
Ride
The Ride cymbal is the bigger of The Big 3, and one of the biggest in any drum set. The most commonly used are from 18" to 22" inches in diameter.
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They work perfectly as rhythm cymbals, just like a hi-hat, but sometimes it is also as an accent cymbal. It is recognized for its tremulous and sustained sound. Also because of its large size, with a regular struck it produces a lower sound when compared with other cymbals. The ride is very popular in Jazz music. Generally, when you imagine or hear the jazz sound of a cymbal it is the ride in action. ​
Crash
The name says it all. The crash is an accent cymbal and it has that famous sound normally associated with a cymbal being crashed. It has a loud and short sound that fades away. That is why it can be considered as the stereotypical cymbal.
The crash is loved in popular music, especially rock and punk drummers. It is the most common accent cymbal and no drum set is complete without it. In relation to its size, it is usually bigger than the hi-hat and smaller than the ride, the most common measure being from 16" to 20" inches in diameter. ​
Effect Cymabals
Besides the three basic types of cymbals, there are millions of other cymbals that can be used on the drum set. Usually, these cymbals that are not part of a standard drum kit are known as effect cymbals. These effect cymbals are varied and you can find multiple types, of different sizes, shapes, and materials.
Splash
These are the smallest cymbals played with a drumstick, they usually measure between 4" to 12" inches, the most common ones being the 8" and 10". Likewise, because of the size, these cymbals produce a very quick sound that fades rapidly in comparison to other cymbals. Just think of its name and it is easy to imagine the kind of sound these cymbals produce.
China
Yes, it has to do with China. With the cymbals market growing in Western countries by the first half of the 20th century, some small cymbals started arriving from China. As they became more and more popular Western companies started producing them. However, these models where a bigger version of the original Chinese cymbals, but still they became very popular among rock and jazz musicians.
The China cymbals are also an accent cymbal and it is usually played with the snare drum. It has a "Far East" sound, that can be described as the combination between the Gong and the Crash. Also most of these cymbals have a cylindrical bell rather than spheric and its edge is reversed, having the opposite direction from the bow. Because of this there are played with its bell facing down. In the last decades it has become more popular in genres as rock and metal.
Gong
By the beginning of the 20th century, this was a cymbal mainly associated with the East culture and sometimes with orchestral music. It was the cymbal that the Tibetan monks and Chinese Emperors used for their meditations and rituals. However, as time passed western cymbal companies, as Paiste, popularized the used of this cymbal along with popular western musicians. In the sixties and seventies, it became a common addition to the drum kit.
There are many variations and types of Gong cymbals, but the one used by the western popular musicians is the Tam Tam or Bullseye suspended Gong, that usually has a diameter between 22" and 60" inches. Also, they have a flat surface and are very thick compared with the other cymbals used in the drum set. These characteristics are the ones that give its particular sound. So as they get larger and thicker they produce a dirtiest and lower sound.