It’s not necessarily an advanced idea to crash a ride or ride a crash. Or is it? I can still hear my junior high jazz instructor telling me to change my ride cymbal sound and not knowing what to do. Did I have to bring two ride cymbals to rehearsal? For a 12-year-old, constantly being told to follow the rules at home and school, the thought of using an instrument beyond its nominal use was not in my wheelhouse at the time.
Let’s consider the most obvious cymbal sounds you can make with a cymbal. The drumstick has two major playing surfaces – the tip and shoulder of the stick. With these possibilities, you can ride the cymbal with the tip, crash it with the shoulder on the edge or the bow, or play the bell with the tip or the shoulder. These are on some of the possibilities that I have collected since that junior high jazz band rehearsal.
If we expand the list with a few less common ways to play cymbals, you may begin to see that the list of creative opportunities is only limited by our ability to think of new ways to make cymbal sounds, not the instrument itself. After an overview of gear we’re dealing with, the following list dives a little deeper into the common and less common ways to play cymbals.
Crash cymbals are designed to add accents to the music. They are often played by hitting the edge of the cymbal with the shoulder of the stick. Crash cymbals come in a range of sizes, like 14” to 20”. These are the general approaches to the cymbal, not the rule.
Ride cymbals are typically larger than crashes and are used to play repetitive patterns that keep the timing of the groove and contribute to establishing the style of the song. I like cymbals that provide both bright and dark overtones. I’ve found that these cymbals are easier to play more musically, either dynamically or because of the cymbal sound possibilities.
My Cymbals
I use a variety of crashes and rides, depending on the music and venue. Typically, I use one splash, usually a 9″ Zildjian K Custom hybrid. But this article is about the sounds, not my cymbal choices. You can make the following cymbal sounds with almost any cymbal make, model, or size.
| Crash Cymbals | Ride Cymbals |
| 18” A Custom | 20” K Custom |
| 17” K Custom Dark | 20” Bosphorus Ferit Series |
| 18” FX A Custom | 20” K Constantinople |
Parts of a Cymbal
Drumsticks Matter
Stick tip designs can be more optimized for a drum or a cymbal. Tips that are better for drums are typically rounder so the surface area is more focused when it contacts the head. Cymbals benefit from more surface area contacting the stick because the tiny vibrations that occur when the contact is made helps to excite the cymbal more.
Your grip of the drumstick matters, too. Think of the tip contacting the cymbal and making a “nano” buzz, similar to the technique used to play a buzz roll. This time, however, your grip on the stick is much looser, making the buzz almost unrecognizable.
Test it out. Grip the stick more tightly and play the cymbal with the tip of the stick on the bow. Now, play it in the same area with a looser grip. You should hear a more choked off sound with the tighter grip. The overtones may not be as pleasing, as well.
Let us know in the comments below how that test went for you.
Let’s get into some of these specific cymbal sounds you can make with crashes and rides.
1. Tip on the Ride
Playing the bow of the cymbal, commonly called the ride area, is what people most often think of when it comes to playing a ride. The tip of the stick strikes a “sweet spot” on the cymbal that produces a sound that doesn’t wash the cymbal sound as much as a crash on edge of the cymbal.
This lack of excessive wash means you can play patterns consistently without losing definition. For rock tunes, this could mean straight 8th-note patterns (example 1). Jazz tunes often use a swing pattern on the ride (example 2).
The tip can also be played on the bell of the ride. This is less common for accents and better for inner beats or lighter taps in the pattern. Accents are stronger on the bell when played with the shoulder of the stick.
Example 1
Example 2
2. Shoulder on the Crash
The shoulder is part of the stick that is most often used to play an accent on the edge of a crash cymbal. It’s important to note that you can crash a ride cymbal, too. The only rule for music is: Does it sound good? If the answer is “Yes!” Go for it!
I like subtle accents on cymbals, so using the shoulder of the stick to crash the bow of the cymbal is appealing. It’s easier to control while riding on a crash because you don’t have to move the stick much to execute the accent. For drummers who employ this technique, they will experience a wider dynamic range to their playing.
3. Crash the Ride
The technique is simple. Instead of playing the ride with the tip of the stick on the bow of the cymbal, play a ride pattern with the shoulder on the edge. Hard rock and metal drummers benefit most from this technique, but you’ll hear drummers in the country and pop genres doing this, too.
Be careful with this approach to playing the ride cymbal. If the cymbal is too big and thick, the shake and constant whaling on the edge can lead to cracking. Choose thinner cymbals that can handle the movement, or use thicker cymbals that don’t need to be hammered by the stick to get enough projection.
4. Shoulder on the Bell
The most common way to play accents on the bell is to use the should of the stick. It cuts through loud guitars, offers a shorter sound that simulates cowbells for Latin grooves, and it works great as a percussive color on top of grooves and fills.
The first example below includes patterns with the bell on the downbeats and upbeats. Check out the second set of examples for a more syncopated approach to playing the bell. Notice that all of the examples include non-accented strokes played as inner beats with the tip of the stick on the upper bow of the cymbal.
The bell is notated by the diamond notehead. The kick is the first space from the bottom and the snare is the third space (standard drum notation key).
Example 3
Example 4
5. Ride the Crash
Since crash cymbals are usually smaller in diameter and thinner than ride cymbals, the sound of the tip riding on the bow is generally quieter. This can be a good sound in between a chorus and and a verse or to support a guitar solo.
It’s important to have a variety of instruments to establish a wide dynamic range. This gives you a place to go with the phrasing of a song. Riding on the bow of the crash also allows players to easiest move to the bell, edge of the cymbal, or incorporate the shoulder.
It also can be a bit washier, which can be a good thing. The wash is also quieter with the tip on the bow than the shoulder on the edge, giving you another control over the dynamic range of phrasing with crash cymbals.
6. “Fairy Dust”
Think about the light cymbal sounds that the tip of the stick can make while dancing on top of the crashes and ride, all in a cascade of rhythm and combinations. “Fairy dust” is a way arrangers in Dallas-Fort Worth music scene have described these cymbal sounds. I guess other regions may call it that, too. The bulk of my professional studio experience is in the DFW area.
Shoulder crashes on the bow work well here, too. The variety and almost controlled chaos of the musical moments are key to effective “fairy dust.” Perhaps a cymbal roll with a crescendo into the resolution is a good way to mark the end or transition of a phrase.
One of the my favorite cymbal sounds is made by striking the edge with the stick held perpendicular. The butt or shaft of the stick usually works best for the business end, and the sound is a harmonic that’s unlike other cymbal sounds.
7. Choke
A cymbal choke is when you strike the cymbal and grab it with your hand to stop the ring or wash. It can be loud or soft, and the initial strike can be anywhere on the cymbal. It’s usually an accent played with the shoulder of the stick on the edge of the cymbal.
The best part about cymbal chokes is the contrast to the wash that you hear so much when playing a crash or a ride. Musically, it’s another layer of possibility that help to address articulations of phrasing that too often get overlooked.
Long or short, there are no rules beyond the first rule: If it sounds good, it’s musical and it’s right.
8. Slurp
The hi hat slurp is one of the most recognizable cymbal sounds on this list. It’s played by striking the edge of the hi hats with the shoulder of the stick while lifting up the hi hat stand pedal and closing it immediately after.
Slurps can employ many of the cymbal techniques described in this list, like using the tip on the bow, playing the bell, and even playing the edge of the hi hats with the stick perpendicular to the cymbals.
9. Stack
Cymbal stacks have been around for a while but have recently become really popular. This sometimes trashy sound is a nice contrast to the wash that cymbals create in the music. They blend well with the short resonance of most drums and can be used to play fills and grooves as well as percussive colors.
You can stack crashes, Chinas, splashes – anything that sounds good. The stack can be made with the cymbals fitting on top of one another, separated with felt to provide more sizzle, or you could use a remote hi hat setup to facilitate the stack and provide more options.
10. Splash
Splash cymbals are like small crashes. The sizes generally range from 6” to 13”. Their size allows you to place them in unique areas around your drum set, and the accents and color opportunities are characteristically different from the crashes and other cymbals.
Check out this article for ideas on the best ways to mount splash cymbals.
The accents generally speak better unsupported and in between the strong rhythm section hits and figures. Syncopated accents incorporated into fills stand out and add a contrast to the heavy support a big crash or ride cymbal have to offer.
But this advice can be ignored just as often as it is followed. Try supporting a splash with a snare hit, especially a rim shot played close to the edge of the drum. Stewart Copeland’s drum fills come to mind as he threaded the reggae grooves throughout the phrases of Sting’s pop songs.
11. Eerie Sounds
The best way to talk about this eerie sound technique is to explain how to do it. You can use it on dissonant phrase endings, sound effects for films, or anything that can benefit from a metallic sound that could almost bring someone to cringe.
- Place the end of the tip of the stick on the bow of the cymbal so the stick is perpendicular with the cymbal.
- Hold the cymbal with your free hand to keep it from moving because you’re going to move the end of the tip across the surface of the cymbal.
- Let the stick vibrate on the cymbal and adjust both hands to let the cymbal ring and the stick skip across the surface.
Final Thoughts
The rules about playing these instruments are as limited as your imagination. Crash a ride or ride a crash to make the sound you’re looking for. Try different implements, but don’t get too out of control. Stick to what motivates you to make music and you’ll find your sound in your cymbals.