My little tip for cymbals is after you have it set and loose enough to "wobble", push your cymbals down all the way to make sure if you were to hit it that it won't be touching other cymbals or other parts of the drum set.
love it when a teacher gets to the point without a lot of talk. Some of us have busy lives' and need to hear the instructions and go with it. (y) What blows my mind is. 1.2k like's and 29 thumbs down. I m guessing these people are a little too confident, Who Knows? doesn't really matter. Thank You Sir for the info.
Great lesson. I relay the same comments on to my students. One comment is that I have Zildjian Cymbals that are over 50 years old. Never got a crack because I played them correctly as you mentioned. Also I never polish them. The oxide that forms on the cymbals keeps them mellow, the way I like them. My High Hat bottom cymbal has a grove that wore in the hole from the push rod rubbing on it. Actually it is has not destroyed the sound of the cymbal and may actually improved the sound.
I always come back to your videos, even though I know and practice these techniques as often as possible. I love watching and listening to detailed information be it as a refresher course or even sometimes you'll bring to light some issues I run into even after so long. All in all I'm just trying to say you deserve all the likes and keep doing what you're doing brotha
Watching out for the room temperature is a valuable tip, I once cracked a cymbal at a gig beacause I set my gear up backstage earlier to speed up the change of drummers but the temperature difference between the stage and backstage was very different leading my crash to crack.
The guy that taught me how to play drums had been playing for 30 yrs at the time, knew like 80 rudiments, jazz, funk, studio-quality drummer to the T. Everything he taught me about cymbal care was EXACTLY what you said incl. anit-polishing. He loved aged cymbals. I'm guessing you've been around the block, and have discussed cymbal care with other pros, et al. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise and wisdom!
Same thing you mentioned for the metal rod in the case can be applied for the stands, I use some thin plastic sleeves (I bought a thin lab hose and cut it in 1/2" pieces) to put around the screw of the cymbal stand so it doesn't chop the cymbal hole. Very educational, thanks. Cheers.
I saw a vid on grombles for your cymbals. Basically it is a nylon grommet you put into your cymbal hole. It helps from key holeing. Now I found a nylon gasket at the hardware store that looked very similar. I found the right size and popped it in, and works like a charm. It eliminates the need for felt, and saves your cymbal. And they are a heck of a lot cheaper than all the felt, washers, and sleeves that you would otherwise need. The bonus is, you can keep them on your cymbals for transportation...
Thank you for the tips! I found / developed my very first crack ever. 18" crash on the edge. My technique and mounting were wrong. The felt and wing nut were way too tight. I was also hitting the cymbal on its edge on a bad angle.
I've broken two splashes and Just recently acquired another and I'm really glad I saw this. Most I knew about but the "glide and swipe" technique to receive the natural tone is definitely a needed technique for any drummer. It will help save money and will make things sound a little better depending on your own preference. Thanks for the video.
Yea, good video. Everything you said in this video I had to learn the hard way. I used to go through 3 or 4 of EACH cymbal on kit a year...very expensive. Then I finally contacted someone at Paiste and said HAI PAISTE Y U NO LAST LONG TIME...they told me everything you did, so good job.
No matter how experienced one is, we all need reminders once in awhile so big thanks for a great reminder tutorial. While I don't clean my cymbals anymore, when I did, I would hold the cymbal under warm water for just a bit, cut a lemon in thirds, and then scrub the cymbal with the lemon. It will not harm the logo and does an excellent job of cleaning those fingerprints and marks. You do have to use a little muscle with it tho. When done, rinse again with warm water and dry. Done.
This was a great lesson, I'm always taking care of my cymbals but this lesson adds more knowledge for me, to take other actions too. Is really important to know this tips, because some people are always talking about what cymbal cracks more faster that another, but if we don't know how to hit them, we'll always break them, it won't be necessarily the guilt of the brand or serie quality of the cymbal.
Great information, precise, to the point, extremely clear and understandable. Awesome video! I've been playing since '98 and I have yet to break a cymbal! 95% through your video I was nodding in agreement as you gave out the tips. I especially agree with the last part: some venues don't have cymbal stands in proper condition, you NEED an emergency kit. Big respect man, keep up the great work!
thanks this vid helped me a lot cuz i used to crank down my hats. luckily they never cracked and after losened them they sounded a lot better and it got rid of the grinding metal sound that did not seem right. thanks for this!
great lesson ive had meinl cymbals and havent had them a yr yet and theyve cracked on the edge. ive had sabianb8 20inch ride for 8yrs no cracks at all.
I love your videos. Been playing for years but the info you have is so helpful as to properly taking care of the cymbals and all around kit. Thank you!
You also make a great point with hot and cold weather i practice in my garage where it can get real cold or real hot some days and i can hear the difference in my cymbals also in my drums thats why i love the spring and fall at 60-75 degrees my drums sound so good andy cymbals but like you say the cold can easily crack them thanks again great video as always
I enjoyed this video a lot! BUT I am not a drummer( singer song writer) ,but I dig drummers now! And always ( since I was a little) noticed that some drummers have real good cymbal sounds/ tones & others don't.Some hit 'em just way too hard,some let 'em ringer linger too long & ruin the music & annoy my ears! Lol.So,I got curious & watched this one( I watch all kinds of drummers videos include lesson videos anyways) & really enjoyed & understood it much better of cymbals now! It all made sense! You are an AWESOME teacher! Thank you!
My teacher is an amazing drummer, but he hits cymbals incorrectly, and taught me his way. Thank you for this, as I am now self taught, and will be using your videos to help me! Thanks! :)
theCFXchannel Look how Jay Z hits his Cymbals If you or I would hit the Cymbal as much as him our Cymbals would break, because he has really got how to hit cymbals.
Broke a lot of cymbals when I was young.. Learned to play cymbals properly (as you're describing) about 25 yrs ago.. Haven't broken one since. Don't use top felts at all anymore.. they just mute the sound even when loose ..it looks cool too. Buddy trick.. tilt the bottom HH cymbal away from you.. that way the cymbals touch right where you're hitting them. You can get great sustain even with a very gentle touch. Great videos, BTW!
Awesome Video Steve! One thing I would like to add is it is a good idea to have a couple of cymbals to choose from that will fit the music styles being played or venue size. I have seen way too many players trying to beat their cymbals to get more volume and actually bent edges as well. All they needed to do is use a cymbal with a little more high end with cutting power and they would have saved $$$ I do have my favorites I use often to cover most situations but I do have power crashes that cut when needed!
Thanks for the advice Stephen because I learned to put a piece of cloth between my cymbals cause if been just putting my cymbals in my bag with no cloth for years. I bought a sabian aax xplosion crash a couple months ago and I took out of the cymbal bag to take it to church and it had a scratch and I wondered why but now I know!!
Thank you! New Zildjian A 391’s arriving today. My first set of cymbals that aren’t man hole covers. 😜 Definitely time to emphasize what I need to learn about cymbals. Also just subscribed here and at Drumeo to your channel. All the best to you!
I'll have to add that you're hilarious and that's what makes everything more interesting..because of that I have a feeling that you're addressing directly to me..
Thanks a bunch Stephen!I have a paiste pst3 china since november 2014 and i noticed it has not a single crack while i changed my hats,crashe and ride during this time!So after i saw this video i realized that i didn't ever hit my china at the edge!So that's why it lasted unlike my other cymbals!Thanks for tip you saved a lot of money for me! :)
Great thought about the flight case and having a protective sleeve (which I'm very careful about with my cymbals mounted on the stands). I'm guilty of that as well. Can't believe I never thought about that :(
i think the angled bottom cymbal is to get a nicer sizzle effect really but doesn't help with hi hat lock.I recommend a sound edge (crinkled) bottom hi hat cymbal. lesson over all is fab.
Really informative video, I've found I am guilty of a fair few of the dont's so after watching this I'll be sure to keep these main points in mind while playimg amd setting up. Cheers
Stephen, liked the cymbal review and the most recent care of/hitting cymbal videos. You mentioned your "emergency kit" for gigs. What else do you take? I would love to see some videos
Cracked my cymbal on the rim. Got lucky and got an even better new one from a friend for free. Didn't take the time to see this video, and I cracked the new one. Never again, man.
Thank you! I've been playing drums since the mid-60's and your description of how to hit a cymbal properly is "right-on". However, I would rename your title as, "How to PLAY a cymbal properly. After all, it is a musical instrument. Also, even with the same type of playing a stick on a cymbal, you can get many different sounds from crash or ride cymbals. When I play bossa nova, jazz, light rock or pop, there are specific areas of each cymbal to target.
And also take note that a lot of pro drummers that you see beating the crap out of their Cymbals, like Morgan Rose for example, HAVE AN ENDORSEMENT! They don't have to worry about paying to replace a Cymbal.
Great videos! When you spoke about cymbal sleeves and carrying spares it reminded me of something I discovered. (Serious not a joke.) Any drummers that own a dog, those rolls of pooper scooper bags come on a plastic spool. These spools fit cymbal stand threads perfectly. I just save them after we've gone through a roll. You usually can get 2 out of each one. Saves about 3-5 bucks.
Another good tip: aquarium tubing for fish tanks. You can buy them per meter and there's enough for a long time. You have to watch out and get the right size though.
thank you so much for this! the reason i break cymbals soo much is because they arent set with the washer and sleeve!!! just the felts. this vid will save me hundreds of dollars
Good informative video.Hi-Hat technique is valid too. You might create a video on how to play the hi-hat if you haven't already. I see a lot of drummers with sticks that are chipped up because they think they have to play with the shoulder of the stick on the edges of the hi-hat cymbals. Play on top of the top hi-hat cymbal rather than the edge which chips up the sticks. It will save you money and you won't have to work so hard to get a good sound.
i,ve broken three cymbals, a crash, splash, and mini china, i noticed that each respective cymbal lasts longer in their biggest sizes, like after cracking the 18, i bumped up to a 20 and has lasted me twice as long, i noticed you want to get proportional to how hard you hit as well to absorb the energy, the bigger it is, the more space for energy to be destributed
Wait does that mean I've been stricking at the cymbal the right way, because I have low budget planet Z cymbals that I've had for months and this pair of sticks I've used for years that has never broke. I don't play extremely hard but not quiet either and they have minimum damage to them like small scrapes by the taper.
I thought I was the only one caring about the temperature of my cymbals! I always warm them up by hugging and stroking them with my hands before rehearsals, I just love the feel of the slightly dirty surface and the smell of metal. I know, it sounds weird hahaha, but I think it makes me connect with it in somehow, like I can make it sing in a different way... Anyway, cool vid!
Cool lesson! It's funny I met all these same drummers Weckl, Smith and Carlock together in Cleveland, lot of stuff to learn about them on a lifetime. I have recently crashed one Paiste, maybe while handling or playing, or maybe because it was 13 years old (does time weak cymbals?). Could be nice if you have a lesson about cleaning cymbals. Best wishes from Mexico.
I hope you see my comment and reply to it. Being a drummer in Iceland I tend to play outside and sometimes at temperatures below 0°C. What should I do to avoid damage to my cymbals in situations such as that?
You may have already done this, but I think you need to do a stick review series...not just sticks, but mallets for the timpani and or the xylophone...Maybe do a proper techniques video with different types of mallets and sticks on different surfaces and different types of instruments. Love the videos man, you're still my favorite drumTuber and I would hope we could shake hands someday, Teacher to teacher.
Thanks, I learned a few good things. I have one question maybe you can help me with. What should I look out for when buying a used cymbal (22" ride") that can´t be seen on first sight? Much appreciated!
Hello, very good video, contains some usefull informations. Id like to ask, how should i hit a cymbal properly with glancing motion during the fast grooves? Thank you for answer.
great comments mate, so many people i see whodont know this sorta stuff and every drummer really should take notice, i sit really high up and my cymbals sit flat at about shoulder height feels awesome, keep it up!! ive also seem people set their booms stands up really terrible, so the cymbals would move freely (like they should) bu when theyd swing back theyd hit the boom arm... after a half hour show the cymbals all but wrecked... probly the wost hing ive ever seen..
don't let someone else set your cymbals up or help. Basically friends or sound guys. they frequently can drop them..then later cracks will develop maybe much later and you will have to pay for replacements..
yeah nothing you can do, bandmates you might like with inexperience , sound guys who don't care and my personal worst..tour managers who rush you and try to help. had a sound guy drop a 18" crash in Greece, everyone laughs and then down the tour notice a crack spreading.
I set up my cymbals low and parallel to the floor (never had a cymbal break, just the one and that was only because it was such a crappy quality cymbal) 'cause I usually play small venues so the closer the cymbal is to my stick the more time I have to think how much intensity is going on the hit, hope this makes sense, at least it really works for me...
Steve- This has nothing to do with cymbals or anything but just a question, I don't know if you've done a video on this already, But what do you think is better for a high tom? I play a set up like yours one high tom and then I have two floor toms. Do you think it's better to have you high tom mounted to ur kick? or a clamp off of a cymbal stand? On a snare stand? Or any other ideas you may have? -Jeff
What about the tightening of the washers in a hi-hat clutch. Would that be similar to the tightening of the wing-nuts of other cymbals? I don't want to over-tighten my top hi-hat, but I don't like them too wobbly. I just worry that tightening the washers to a certain amount would crack the hat.
Yeah, some cymbals are more vulnerable to cracking than others... I've broken a few in my day XD but it was mostly from hitting too hard and hitting straight on. Haven't had any problems since I fixed my technique (as he said!)
Thanks for that Stephen, the bell sounds was very helpful as well. Btw, I turned up to a gig once and as you said there was no felts or washer, so I wrapped the stand in toilet paper. I need an emerg kit . Thanks again eh. Your polyrhythm lesson was also very insightful
I've been playing drums for about 13 years now, only in small bands and groups but never professionally and I've always broken cymbals. I've practised techniques and changed the heights of my cymbals so many times to try to help it, and I think obviously cymbal age doesn't help and other factors like that also. Anyway, I know quite a few drummers from gigs and shows from other bands and they've said the same thing that they break them a lot too. I think if you're a cymbal
You must also remember, cymbals aren't vinyl records. Most often cymbals don't get spoiled as they get dulled. It's more like the cymbals mature, which is why, for example, vintage cymbals (Zildjians, Istanbuls and whatever else) are so sought after.
Asking who you are, well it was more of a retorical statement. I didn't really need your resume, although it is impressive. I've been drumming since I was 13. But never professionally, I wish. I'm self taught, I played in high school but took a 20 or so year brake from playing. I've been playing again for about 3 1/2 years now. So I soak up a lot of the lessons on UA-cam, but like to figure stuff out on my own for the most part. Thank you for your commitment to drumming and your videos......
I don't use any sort of wing nut or alternative at all. my cymbals swing completely free. I've never had any issue of them falling off. I play mostly classic rock, a bit on the heavier side. I have them mounted slightly tilted towards me with the ride almost flat, very similar to Stephen does in the video. I have Paiste Signature Series cymbals, all of them are 16yrs old or older with no damage at all. Let them swing, ring & sing!
I know uh, text can be so misconstrued, misleading and misunderstood, all the misses. I play drums at my church, so I primarily play worship music. But at home I play a wide variety of stuff. I'm gonna try a slight angle on all of my cymbals and see if I like it. Thank you for your lessons and all that you put into them. I can't wait to get some mics and start downloading vids. You should to some covers, I bet it would boost your subscriptions. And show people what chops you have.
Hey Stephen, I've been been thinking a lot about how I hit my cymbals recently. I'm worried I'm just using my arms when I crash a cymbal. Do you have any thoughts on how much of a wrist stroke you should be using, or how much the fingers are involved? Any advice would help, thanks man!
Thanks man. I've been playing a long time and you still taught me something! the flightcase....metal on metal. Duh! I'd add this tip - if you (like me) like the idea of kicking the whole lot over at the end (I'm in a Nirvana Tribute) well.....if you wanna save your cymbals, obviously don't do this! I tend to come out by standing on the bass drum and as i jump off onto the stage, pulling a couple of stands with me...but won't let them hit the floor. (Again ;). Respect.
Hello there Stephen, thanks a lot for all your videos, they're much appreciated! Now the question: you talked about how to hit/play the cymbals properly, but what about the hi-hat? I have a 12" zildjian avedis hi-hat cymbals and can't seem to get a nice sound out of them,so I suppose there's something wrong in the way I hit them (alsothinking on the motto "it's the drummer, not the drums"). And there's not much difference if I play with nylon-tip sticks, round-wood tip sticks, etc... Could you say two words about that please? Thank you so much
Your instructions are very cymbal to understand, sir.
Nice.
😂🤘
My little tip for cymbals is after you have it set and loose enough to "wobble", push your cymbals down all the way to make sure if you were to hit it that it won't be touching other cymbals or other parts of the drum set.
love it when a teacher gets to the point without a lot of talk. Some of us have busy lives' and need to hear the instructions and go with it. (y) What blows my mind is. 1.2k like's and 29 thumbs down. I m guessing these people are a little too confident, Who Knows? doesn't really matter. Thank You Sir for the info.
Great lesson. I relay the same comments on to my students. One comment is that I have Zildjian Cymbals that are over 50 years old. Never got a crack because I played them correctly as you mentioned. Also I never polish them. The oxide that forms on the cymbals keeps them mellow, the way I like them. My High Hat bottom cymbal has a grove that wore in the hole from the push rod rubbing on it. Actually it is has not destroyed the sound of the cymbal and may actually improved the sound.
I always come back to your videos, even though I know and practice these techniques as often as possible. I love watching and listening to detailed information be it as a refresher course or even sometimes you'll bring to light some issues I run into even after so long.
All in all I'm just trying to say you deserve all the likes and keep doing what you're doing brotha
Thanks so much Anthony!
well.... Turns out I have been hitting cymbals incorrectly for 12 years! How did I overlook this?!?! Money will be saved and cymbals will love me!!
They’ll sound better too
Watching out for the room temperature is a valuable tip, I once cracked a cymbal at a gig beacause I set my gear up backstage earlier to speed up the change of drummers but the temperature difference between the stage and backstage was very different leading my crash to crack.
Wow. I have been doing so many things wrong without even knowing it. Thank you for putting this up.
The guy that taught me how to play drums had been playing for 30 yrs at the time, knew like 80 rudiments, jazz, funk, studio-quality drummer to the T. Everything he taught me about cymbal care was EXACTLY what you said incl. anit-polishing. He loved aged cymbals. I'm guessing you've been around the block, and have discussed cymbal care with other pros, et al. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise and wisdom!
Dude ..! Finished watching this video when and set up my cymbals the right way and hit them the right way and OMG what a difference !!!! Thanks man
Same thing you mentioned for the metal rod in the case can be applied for the stands, I use some thin plastic sleeves (I bought a thin lab hose and cut it in 1/2" pieces) to put around the screw of the cymbal stand so it doesn't chop the cymbal hole.
Very educational, thanks.
Cheers.
I saw a vid on grombles for your cymbals. Basically it is a nylon grommet you put into your cymbal hole. It helps from key holeing. Now I found a nylon gasket at the hardware store that looked very similar. I found the right size and popped it in, and works like a charm. It eliminates the need for felt, and saves your cymbal. And they are a heck of a lot cheaper than all the felt, washers, and sleeves that you would otherwise need. The bonus is, you can keep them on your cymbals for transportation...
Bless you bro! Always giving useful information regular guys can use. Thank you!
Hey now Tim, I'm just a regular guy as well ;^)
So glad it helped my friend
Thank you for the tips!
I found / developed my very first crack ever. 18" crash on the edge. My technique and mounting were wrong. The felt and wing nut were way too tight. I was also hitting the cymbal on its edge on a bad angle.
I've broken two splashes and Just recently acquired another and I'm really glad I saw this. Most I knew about but the "glide and swipe" technique to receive the natural tone is definitely a needed technique for any drummer. It will help save money and will make things sound a little better depending on your own preference. Thanks for the video.
Yea, good video. Everything you said in this video I had to learn the hard way. I used to go through 3 or 4 of EACH cymbal on kit a year...very expensive. Then I finally contacted someone at Paiste and said HAI PAISTE Y U NO LAST LONG TIME...they told me everything you did, so good job.
No matter how experienced one is, we all need reminders once in awhile so big thanks for a great reminder tutorial.
While I don't clean my cymbals anymore, when I did, I would hold the cymbal under warm water for just a bit, cut a lemon in thirds, and then scrub the cymbal with the lemon. It will not harm the logo and does an excellent job of cleaning those fingerprints and marks. You do have to use a little muscle with it tho. When done, rinse again with warm water and dry. Done.
This was a great lesson, I'm always taking care of my cymbals but this lesson adds more knowledge for me, to take other actions too. Is really important to know this tips, because some people are always talking about what cymbal cracks more faster that another, but if we don't know how to hit them, we'll always break them, it won't be necessarily the guilt of the brand or serie quality of the cymbal.
Great information, precise, to the point, extremely clear and understandable. Awesome video! I've been playing since '98 and I have yet to break a cymbal! 95% through your video I was nodding in agreement as you gave out the tips.
I especially agree with the last part: some venues don't have cymbal stands in proper condition, you NEED an emergency kit.
Big respect man, keep up the great work!
thanks this vid helped me a lot cuz i used to crank down my hats. luckily they never cracked and after losened them they sounded a lot better and it got rid of the grinding metal sound that did not seem right. thanks for this!
great lesson ive had meinl cymbals and havent had them a yr yet and theyve cracked on the edge. ive had sabianb8 20inch ride for 8yrs no cracks at all.
Love you're channel man! I refer students to it all the time.
I love your videos. Been playing for years but the info you have is so helpful as to properly taking care of the cymbals and all around kit. Thank you!
You also make a great point with hot and cold weather i practice in my garage where it can get real cold or real hot some days and i can hear the difference in my cymbals also in my drums thats why i love the spring and fall at 60-75 degrees my drums sound so good andy cymbals but like you say the cold can easily crack them thanks again great video as always
I enjoyed this video a lot! BUT I am not a drummer( singer song writer) ,but I dig drummers now! And always ( since I was a little) noticed that some drummers have real good cymbal sounds/ tones & others don't.Some hit 'em just way too hard,some let 'em ringer linger too long & ruin the music & annoy my ears! Lol.So,I got curious & watched this one( I watch all kinds of drummers videos include lesson videos anyways) & really enjoyed & understood it much better of cymbals now! It all made sense! You are an AWESOME teacher! Thank you!
My teacher is an amazing drummer, but he hits cymbals incorrectly, and taught me his way. Thank you for this, as I am now self taught, and will be using your videos to help me! Thanks! :)
Thank you! You always emphasize small bit that some drummer tend to forget.
Love the info on temperatures. Such a simple thing that I'm sure lots of folks never even considered. Great stuff Ty.
So hitting the cymbal hard doesn't matter, as long as you hit it right?
Basically yeah. I've played for 30 years and never damaged a cymbal.
theCFXchannel Look how Jay Z hits his Cymbals
If you or I would hit the Cymbal as much as him our Cymbals would break, because he has really got how to hit cymbals.
Broke a lot of cymbals when I was young.. Learned to play cymbals properly (as you're describing) about 25 yrs ago.. Haven't broken one since. Don't use top felts at all anymore.. they just mute the sound even when loose ..it looks cool too. Buddy trick.. tilt the bottom HH cymbal away from you.. that way the cymbals touch right where you're hitting them. You can get great sustain even with a very gentle touch. Great videos, BTW!
Awesome Video Steve! One thing I would like to add is it is a good idea to have a couple of cymbals to choose from that will fit the music styles being played or venue size. I have seen way too many players trying to beat their cymbals to get more volume and actually bent edges as well. All they needed to do is use a cymbal with a little more high end with cutting power and they would have saved $$$ I do have my favorites I use often to cover most situations but I do have power crashes that cut when needed!
Thanks for the advice Stephen because I learned to put a piece of cloth between my cymbals cause if been just putting my cymbals in my bag with no cloth for years. I bought a sabian aax xplosion crash a couple months ago and I took out of the cymbal bag to take it to church and it had a scratch and I wondered why but now I know!!
It's the little things that make a big difference...glad it helped!
This is THE video for cymbal care. He just saved a 17" A Custom & 21" A Custom from going on bare metal without the sleeves.
📀🥁📀
Protect them boys!!!
Thank you! New Zildjian A 391’s arriving today. My first set of cymbals that aren’t man hole covers. 😜
Definitely time to emphasize what I need to learn about cymbals.
Also just subscribed here and at Drumeo to your channel.
All the best to you!
appreciate the tip on warming up to the room. thanks a lot
I'll have to add that you're hilarious and that's what makes everything more interesting..because of that I have a feeling that you're addressing directly to me..
Thanks a bunch Stephen!I have a paiste pst3 china since november 2014 and i noticed it has not a single crack while i changed my hats,crashe and ride during this time!So after i saw this video i realized that i didn't ever hit my china at the edge!So that's why it lasted unlike my other cymbals!Thanks for tip you saved a lot of money for me! :)
Thanks for the info. Just getting started with a new set of cymbals.
Hey man, great vids, I'm learning a lot.Using mic to talk is great, nice n clear to understand.
Great thought about the flight case and having a protective sleeve (which I'm very careful about with my cymbals mounted on the stands). I'm guilty of that as well. Can't believe I never thought about that :(
Love your humble approach. And you come off as a dear friend. THANK YOU.
I watch my favorite drummer every time you come out with a new video :D
KEEP DOING THAT VIDEOS MY FRIEND! I LEARNED A LOT WITH YOUR HELP
i think the angled bottom cymbal is to get a nicer sizzle effect really but doesn't help with hi hat lock.I recommend a sound edge (crinkled) bottom hi hat cymbal. lesson over all is fab.
Really informative video, I've found I am guilty of a fair few of the dont's so after watching this I'll be sure to keep these main points in mind while playimg amd setting up. Cheers
Stephen, liked the cymbal review and the most recent care of/hitting cymbal videos. You mentioned your "emergency kit" for gigs. What else do you take? I would love to see some videos
Yep. I have always hit the edge of the cymbal and I had a had to get a new one recently because my previous one cracked.
Thank you for those tips you have put out.now my request is visual playing tips on stick triks for performace ...
Cracked my cymbal on the rim.
Got lucky and got an even better new one from a friend for free.
Didn't take the time to see this video, and I cracked the new one.
Never again, man.
Thank you for sharing the tips!
Thank you! I've been playing drums since the mid-60's and your description of how to hit a cymbal properly is "right-on". However, I would rename your title as, "How to PLAY a cymbal properly. After all, it is a musical instrument.
Also, even with the same type of playing a stick on a cymbal, you can get many different sounds from crash or ride cymbals. When I play bossa nova, jazz, light rock or pop, there are specific areas of each cymbal to target.
Great practical advice, thanks for sharing!
And also take note that a lot of pro drummers that you see beating the crap out of their Cymbals, like Morgan Rose for example, HAVE AN ENDORSEMENT! They don't have to worry about paying to replace a Cymbal.
When you said not to place your cymbal too high, I immediately thought of John Stanier. Thank you so much for this lesson!!
Great videos! When you spoke about cymbal sleeves and carrying spares it reminded me of something I discovered. (Serious not a joke.) Any drummers that own a dog, those rolls of pooper scooper bags come on a plastic spool. These spools fit cymbal stand threads perfectly. I just save them after we've gone through a roll. You usually can get 2 out of each one. Saves about 3-5 bucks.
Another good tip: aquarium tubing for fish tanks. You can buy them per meter and there's enough for a long time. You have to watch out and get the right size though.
Awesome video Stephen! Don't you have a video with tips for a drummer's gig "survival" bag guide?
Thanks for your response!
Jim
thank you so much for this! the reason i break cymbals soo much is because they arent set with the washer and sleeve!!! just the felts. this vid will save me hundreds of dollars
Very useful information, explained very well.
Thank you!
Good informative video.Hi-Hat technique is valid too. You might create a video on how to play the hi-hat if you haven't already. I see a lot of drummers with sticks that are chipped up because they think they have to play with the shoulder of the stick on the edges of the hi-hat cymbals. Play on top of the top hi-hat cymbal rather than the edge which chips up the sticks. It will save you money and you won't have to work so hard to get a good sound.
i,ve broken three cymbals, a crash, splash, and mini china, i noticed that each respective cymbal lasts longer in their biggest sizes, like after cracking the 18, i bumped up to a 20 and has lasted me twice as long, i noticed you want to get proportional to how hard you hit as well to absorb the energy, the bigger it is, the more space for energy to be destributed
Yet another amazing lesson! You, sir, are awesome, thank you!
i was wondering about it since the day i bought mine, thanks for the advice man..
Wait does that mean I've been stricking at the cymbal the right way, because I have low budget planet Z cymbals that I've had for months and this pair of sticks I've used for years that has never broke. I don't play extremely hard but not quiet either and they have minimum damage to them like small scrapes by the taper.
I thought I was the only one caring about the temperature of my cymbals!
I always warm them up by hugging and stroking them with my hands before rehearsals, I just love the feel of the slightly dirty surface and the smell of metal.
I know, it sounds weird hahaha, but I think it makes me connect with it in somehow, like I can make it sing in a different way... Anyway, cool vid!
Cool lesson! It's funny I met all these same drummers Weckl, Smith and Carlock together in Cleveland, lot of stuff to learn about them on a lifetime. I have recently crashed one Paiste, maybe while handling or playing, or maybe because it was 13 years old (does time weak cymbals?). Could be nice if you have a lesson about cleaning cymbals. Best wishes from Mexico.
I hope you see my comment and reply to it.
Being a drummer in Iceland I tend to play outside and sometimes at temperatures below 0°C. What should I do to avoid damage to my cymbals in situations such as that?
man, good thing I get to see this video! Thanks a lot
You may have already done this, but I think you need to do a stick review series...not just sticks, but mallets for the timpani and or the xylophone...Maybe do a proper techniques video with different types of mallets and sticks on different surfaces and different types of instruments. Love the videos man, you're still my favorite drumTuber and I would hope we could shake hands someday, Teacher to teacher.
Awesome advice. Worth a sub!!
Lol, so glad it helped
Thanks, I learned a few good things. I have one question maybe you can help me with. What should I look out for when buying a used cymbal (22" ride") that can´t be seen on first sight? Much appreciated!
Hello, very good video, contains some usefull informations. Id like to ask, how should i hit a cymbal properly with glancing motion during the fast grooves? Thank you for answer.
great comments mate, so many people i see whodont know this sorta stuff and every drummer really should take notice, i sit really high up and my cymbals sit flat at about shoulder height feels awesome, keep it up!!
ive also seem people set their booms stands up really terrible, so the cymbals would move freely (like they should) bu when theyd swing back theyd hit the boom arm... after a half hour show the cymbals all but wrecked... probly the wost hing ive ever seen..
don't let someone else set your cymbals up or help. Basically friends or sound guys. they frequently can drop them..then later cracks will develop maybe much later and you will have to pay for replacements..
Good one!!
TheSleathable had a band mate drop my snare one time... I was so pissed
yeah nothing you can do, bandmates you might like with inexperience , sound guys who don't care and my personal worst..tour managers who rush you and try to help. had a sound guy drop a 18" crash in Greece, everyone laughs and then down the tour notice a crack spreading.
I set up my cymbals low and parallel to the floor (never had a cymbal break, just the one and that was only because it was such a crappy quality cymbal) 'cause I usually play small venues so the closer the cymbal is to my stick the more time I have to think how much intensity is going on the hit, hope this makes sense, at least it really works for me...
Steve-
This has nothing to do with cymbals or anything but just a question, I don't know if you've done a video on this already,
But what do you think is better for a high tom?
I play a set up like yours one high tom and then I have two floor toms.
Do you think it's better to have you high tom mounted to ur kick?
or a clamp off of a cymbal stand?
On a snare stand?
Or any other ideas you may have?
-Jeff
What about the tightening of the washers in a hi-hat clutch. Would that be similar to the tightening of the wing-nuts of other cymbals? I don't want to over-tighten my top hi-hat, but I don't like them too wobbly. I just worry that tightening the washers to a certain amount would crack the hat.
Brilliant explanation , thank you
Wow. This is a lot of info. Thanks man. Helps a lot.
Yeah, some cymbals are more vulnerable to cracking than others... I've broken a few in my day XD but it was mostly from hitting too hard and hitting straight on. Haven't had any problems since I fixed my technique (as he said!)
Thanks for that Stephen, the bell sounds was very helpful as well. Btw, I turned up to a gig once and as you said there was no felts or washer, so I wrapped the stand in toilet paper. I need an emerg kit . Thanks again eh. Your polyrhythm lesson was also very insightful
Nice work! I’ll try following a rule about hitting a Cymbal properly 😊👌
Thanks, I've been SHTRiking my cymbals wrong. Lol. Luckily no cracks yet.
Lol
I've always had mine set up flat, but they're very low and I'm kind of coming down on top of them. I've never had any problems!
Thank you so much !! simple but very important advice
I've been playing drums for about 13 years now, only in small bands and groups but never professionally and I've always broken cymbals. I've practised techniques and changed the heights of my cymbals so many times to try to help it, and I think obviously cymbal age doesn't help and other factors like that also. Anyway, I know quite a few drummers from gigs and shows from other bands and they've said the same thing that they break them a lot too. I think if you're a cymbal
I learned this the hard way. Good thing I had a really cheap kit. Taught me to respect the kit. Did learn I was setting my cymbals up wrong tho lolol.
You must also remember, cymbals aren't vinyl records. Most often cymbals don't get spoiled as they get dulled. It's more like the cymbals mature, which is why, for example, vintage cymbals (Zildjians, Istanbuls and whatever else) are so sought after.
Asking who you are, well it was more of a retorical statement. I didn't really need your resume, although it is impressive. I've been drumming since I was 13. But never professionally, I wish. I'm self taught, I played in high school but took a 20 or so year brake from playing. I've been playing again for about 3 1/2 years now. So I soak up a lot of the lessons on UA-cam, but like to figure stuff out on my own for the most part. Thank you for your commitment to drumming and your videos......
I don't use any sort of wing nut or alternative at all. my cymbals swing completely free. I've never had any issue of them falling off. I play mostly classic rock, a bit on the heavier side. I have them mounted slightly tilted towards me with the ride almost flat, very similar to Stephen does in the video. I have Paiste Signature Series cymbals, all of them are 16yrs old or older with no damage at all. Let them swing, ring & sing!
I know uh, text can be so misconstrued, misleading and misunderstood, all the misses. I play drums at my church, so I primarily play worship music. But at home I play a wide variety of stuff. I'm gonna try a slight angle on all of my cymbals and see if I like it. Thank you for your lessons and all that you put into them. I can't wait to get some mics and start downloading vids. You should to some covers, I bet it would boost your subscriptions. And show people what chops you have.
I'm a beginner, my sticks were getting eaten and broken a lot. This helped very much, thanks
So glad it helped
+editedtechno same here,i crack 2 sticks in 3 weeks,max. 5 xd
My first and most used drumsticks, VicFirth 5a, lasted two years although i am a hard hitter.
Hey Stephen, I've been been thinking a lot about how I hit my cymbals recently. I'm worried I'm just using my arms when I crash a cymbal. Do you have any thoughts on how much of a wrist stroke you should be using, or how much the fingers are involved? Any advice would help, thanks man!
Thanks dude, very informative
Thanks man. I've been playing a long time and you still taught me something! the flightcase....metal on metal. Duh! I'd add this tip - if you (like me) like the idea of kicking the whole lot over at the end (I'm in a Nirvana Tribute) well.....if you wanna save your cymbals, obviously don't do this! I tend to come out by standing on the bass drum and as i jump off onto the stage, pulling a couple of stands with me...but won't let them hit the floor. (Again ;). Respect.
There are also really small wing nuts you can get so it's out of the way and it'll keep the cymbal on the stand.
This helped so much! Cheers man!
thank you soo much !!! your a life saver !!!
Wow what great info thanks Steve
Sure thing timothy
Good lesson, thanks
Hello there Stephen, thanks a lot for all your videos, they're much appreciated! Now the question: you talked about how to hit/play the cymbals properly, but what about the hi-hat? I have a 12" zildjian avedis hi-hat cymbals and can't seem to get a nice sound out of them,so I suppose there's something wrong in the way I hit them (alsothinking on the motto "it's the drummer, not the drums"). And there's not much difference if I play with nylon-tip sticks, round-wood tip sticks, etc... Could you say two words about that please? Thank you so much