Here’s a great little piece of trivia taken from Wikipedia: The word cymbal comes from the Latin root cymbalum, which comes from the Greek word kumbalom: small bowl.
Cymbals are made up of a few parts: The bell, dome, or cup is the raised part in the middle of the cymbal where the cymbal attaches to a stand or hand straps (for marching and symphonic percussionists.) The bell makes “pinging” pitch and is a higher tone than the rest of the cymbal. The bow comprises the rest of the cymbal. There are two different striking areas on cymbals: The ride and crash areas. On cymbals, the ride area is a thicker section that’s closer to the bell and the crash area is the thinner tapering section near the edge.
Drum Kit cymbals:
Drum sets usually include crash cymbals, ride cymbals, and a pair of hi-hat cymbals. Often drummers will also include china cymbals, splash cymbals, and ice bell cymbals.
Crash cymbals:
Crash cymbals are usually lighter in weight to make a high pitched, short sustained “crashing” sound.
Ride cymbals:
Ride cymbals are normally the largest cymbals on the set. These cymbals are used as time keepers on eight notes or a syncopated fashion in Jazz.
Hi-hat cymbals:
Hi-hat cymbals are time keeper cymbals as well and include two cymbals stacked on top of each other on a stand controlled by a foot pedal so the cymbals can be brought together to play a tight “chick” sound or or played open to create a more “trashy” open sound.
China cymbals:
China cymbals look like upside down cymbals when mounted. The edge of the cymbals are turned upward. These cymbals give a very harsh trashy crashing sound when hit.
Splash cymbals:
Splash cymbals come in small diameters and give a very short sustained crash when hit, like the sound of someone “splashing” in the water.
Ice bell cymbals:
Ice bell cymbals sound like metal bells when hit. They are primarily accent cymbals. They’re shape consists of a dome with a raised lip on the edge.
Materials and creation of cymbals:
Cymbals are made up of different alloys which are shaped into blanks, then hand hammered, followed by a lathing process and finally a polishing process (on some cymbals). Cymbals are created many different ways by their various manufactures which include: Zildjian cymbals, Sabian cymbals, Paist cymbals, Meinl cymbals and Bosphorus cymbals. These cymbal creation techniques have usually been handed down through generations and are closely guarded trade secrets. Top quality “cast” cymbals are normally made from bell bronze and “sheet” cymbals (a lot of modern made cymbals) are normally made from malleable alloys.
Cymbals are just as unique as the drum sets they sit on. Much craftsmanship goes into the creation of making good cymbals. The various shapes and sizes of cymbals makes the choice of cymbal selection numerous and plentiful.
A few good references:
More Cymbal facts
Wikipedia – Cymbals
Wikipedia – Cymbal making
Cymbal Manufacturers:
Zildjian Cymbals
Sabian Cymbals
Paiste Cymbals
Meinl Cymbals
Istanbul Cymbals
Bosphorus Cymbals
Saluda Cymbals
TRX Cymbals
Alchemy Cymbals
Soultone Cymbals
Turkish Cymbals
Serpent Cymbals
Stagg Cymbals
Amedia Cymbals
Places to buy Cymbals:
American Musical Supply
Instrumentpro.com
GuitarCenter.com
MusiciansFriend.com
Musician’s Hut
Music123.com
Woodwind & Brasswind
zZounds.com
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