How to Hit Drum Cymbals

Striking the surface of the cymbal with the rounded tip of the drumstick can damage them both.

To the layperson, it may seem like striking a cymbal while playing the drums is as simple as lifting the drumstick and bringing its tip down on top of the cymbal's surface. However, striking a cymbal haphazardly can lead to its edges becoming dented or cracked, or its surface becoming scraped. Either of these conditions will lower the resonance of the cymbal, muffling the timbre of its sound and possibly requiring it to be replaced. Adopting a proper technique of striking the cymbal is vital to keeping it looking and sounding its best.

Instructions

1. Position and angle your cymbals so that their surface is tilted slightly toward you and a few degrees inward from the natural track that will be taken by the arm you will hit it with while you are seated.

2. Raise your arm and wrist then bring them down towards the surface of the cymbal in an angled fashion rather than a straight line. Swing your arm so that the cymbal will be struck at a point a few inches down the shaft of the drumstick from the tip.

3. Strike the cymbal from the side in a broad sweeping motion and immediately lift the drumstick up on your follow-through so that it strikes the surface with its blunted shaft like a glancing blow rather than a direct strike. The combination of the blunted surface of the shaft and your angle of striking will simultaneously give you the most resonant sound possible and naturally bring your stick back into position to strike again in a smooth, flowing fashion.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as often as necessary until the movement becomes natural and doesn't require your conscious thought in order to execute.

References

• SABIAN Cymbals: Cymbal Care