Things You'll Need:
- High hat
- Drumsticks
-
Step 1
Set your high hat stand somewhere you can comfortably reach it with both your foot and hands. Typically, the high hat goes behind the snare drum in a drum kit. For right-handed players, your left foot will be on the high hat pedal. Left-handed drummers will use their right.
-
Step 2
Connect your top high hat tightly to the clutch, and connect the clutch tightly to the rod. The top high hat’s height is up to you, but it is normally kept within a few inches of the bottom high hat. If the top high hat is higher up, you will have to push down on the pedal harder to snap the two cymbals together.
-
Step 3
Hold the drumstick like a hammer with your thumb placed flatly along the backside. Since high hats typically receive more hits than any other component on the drum kit (with the possible exception of the ride cymbal), it’s important to keep your wrists loose and keep a moderate grip on the stick. This will help you strike faster, more smoothly and will prevent fatigue.
-
Step 4
Do a wash by leaving your foot off the high hat pedal and striking the edge of the top high hat with the side of your stick. It will make a sound like a crash. High hats are essentially two crashes placed together, although they tend to be more thickly made than regular crashes. This hit is more of an accent hit and won’t be used as heavily as regular high hat hits.
-
Step 5
Strike the bell of the top high hat with the tip of your stick. The bell is the very center of the cymbal that begins to rise up just like an actual bell does. Striking here will produce a tinny bell-like sound (no surprises there). If you close the high hat and hit the bell, the sound will be a tinny clink that does not ring out.
