I absolutely love cymbals. You could even say they're a bit of an obsession of mine. I personally own over 125 of them and use 50 cymbals on one kit and 53 on another. The variety of brands that I've played over my 40 year career include Paiste, Zildjian, Sabian, and Wuhan.
While cymbals have been around for roughly 5,000 years, there unfortunately have been some popular misunderstandings about these majestic instruments that continue to this day.
So with truth in mind, it's time to do some myth-busting! Below are a couple of the ones that I've heard the most:
1. "Cymbals should never be played right after being exposed to prolonged temperature extremes."
Many drummers say that you should make sure that your cymbals become used to room temperature before playing them if they have been stored in extreme conditions. The reason for doing this is the fear that the cymbals will break.
This myth simply is not valid.
Cymbals are extremely durable in terms of the temperatures that they can handle. Given that they were manufactured at high temperatures of roughly 1,500 degrees F, it's really only at that kind of heat that would damage a cymbal. At real world conditions (even -20 degrees F or 115 degrees F), we're not even beginning to get near that level of extreme temperature. So if they're stored overnight in your vehicle in subzero weather or they've been baking in your non air conditioned attic all summer long, your cymbals will be perfectly fine to play once you unpack them and set them up.
2. "Over time, cymbals can deteriorate and wear-in through use, which alters their sound."
Cymbals don't really age, they just get soiled. What most drummers are hearing when they play an "aged" cymbal or one that they've owned and have been playing for a while is a residual buildup of dirt. It's this dirt - along with oils transferred from our hands during handling - that affects the cymbal's sound, not the age of the cymbal or how long we've been playing on it.
In general, clean cymbals sound brighter and have more overtones, while dirty cymbals sound warmer and can be a bit drier. If you like more overtones, polish off your cymbals. Keep them free of fingerprints, stick marks, and grime. If you like warmer or darker sounding cymbals, don't clean them. I promise that over a period of time, they'll naturally build-up some dirt from playing and handling, and produce a mellower type of timbre.
I had a recent talk with the great Steve Smith (Journey, Vital Information) about this very topic. He agrees with me, and also prefers the sound of mellower, darker, and drier-sounding cymbals for the type of music that he creates. Steve even jokingly said, "I wish someone would make some spray-on funk or dirt that you can apply to a brand-new cymbal to get it to sound like you've owned it a while!"
***
I'll cover additional cymbal myths in future installments of this article series. If there are any that you've heard about, or are confused/bothered by, feel free to get in touch with me, and I'll be happy to clear them up and steer you in the right direction!
While cymbals have been around for roughly 5,000 years, there unfortunately have been some popular misunderstandings about these majestic instruments that continue to this day.
So with truth in mind, it's time to do some myth-busting! Below are a couple of the ones that I've heard the most:
1. "Cymbals should never be played right after being exposed to prolonged temperature extremes."
Many drummers say that you should make sure that your cymbals become used to room temperature before playing them if they have been stored in extreme conditions. The reason for doing this is the fear that the cymbals will break.
This myth simply is not valid.
Cymbals are extremely durable in terms of the temperatures that they can handle. Given that they were manufactured at high temperatures of roughly 1,500 degrees F, it's really only at that kind of heat that would damage a cymbal. At real world conditions (even -20 degrees F or 115 degrees F), we're not even beginning to get near that level of extreme temperature. So if they're stored overnight in your vehicle in subzero weather or they've been baking in your non air conditioned attic all summer long, your cymbals will be perfectly fine to play once you unpack them and set them up.
2. "Over time, cymbals can deteriorate and wear-in through use, which alters their sound."
Cymbals don't really age, they just get soiled. What most drummers are hearing when they play an "aged" cymbal or one that they've owned and have been playing for a while is a residual buildup of dirt. It's this dirt - along with oils transferred from our hands during handling - that affects the cymbal's sound, not the age of the cymbal or how long we've been playing on it.
In general, clean cymbals sound brighter and have more overtones, while dirty cymbals sound warmer and can be a bit drier. If you like more overtones, polish off your cymbals. Keep them free of fingerprints, stick marks, and grime. If you like warmer or darker sounding cymbals, don't clean them. I promise that over a period of time, they'll naturally build-up some dirt from playing and handling, and produce a mellower type of timbre.
I had a recent talk with the great Steve Smith (Journey, Vital Information) about this very topic. He agrees with me, and also prefers the sound of mellower, darker, and drier-sounding cymbals for the type of music that he creates. Steve even jokingly said, "I wish someone would make some spray-on funk or dirt that you can apply to a brand-new cymbal to get it to sound like you've owned it a while!"
***
I'll cover additional cymbal myths in future installments of this article series. If there are any that you've heard about, or are confused/bothered by, feel free to get in touch with me, and I'll be happy to clear them up and steer you in the right direction!
About the Author:
Vic Salazar is the owner of Vic's Drum Shop, an internationally
renowned drum and percussion store in Chicago, IL. The impressive knowledge of drum gear that he's accumulated over
his forty year career has made Vic a useful resource for beginning drummers,
drumming hobbyists, professional drummers, and many of the world's premier drum
superstars.
renowned drum and percussion store in Chicago, IL. The impressive knowledge of drum gear that he's accumulated over
his forty year career has made Vic a useful resource for beginning drummers,
drumming hobbyists, professional drummers, and many of the world's premier drum
superstars.
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