High Hat Component Tips

Series Summary

The drum is the oldest known musical instrument in the history of man and its basic design has not changed in thousands of years. Far from today’s uses as a percussive foundation for pop music or for fueling marching band excitement, drumming has a more profound history as a method of communication, and the drum as an implement of religious symbolism. The drum was perhaps first created from the primal idea of mimicking the human heartbeat, yet today its music has developed into a technical, complex arrangement of beats and grooves.

The modern approach to drumming is to try and master the fundamentals of beat and time signature, and then to create fresh, innovative patterns and fills for each song. In this free instructional video series you will learn how to play a high hat with several different styles of grips including American, German and French. It's a completely different sound and style for each grip but our expert Joel Siegel will share techniques for creating the best stick sounds as you add fills. He offers tips and advice and walks you through some great informational steps to becoming a more advanced and original drummer.

Video Transcript

"JOEL SIEGEL: So, we want to turn our attention now to the hi-hat. Your hi-hat is made up of two cymbals usually between anywhere from twelve to sixteen inches as well as a very special stand that helps you control it. When you're playing the hi-hat, you're going to be doing--a lot of times, you'll be playing with your stick. You'll also be playing it with your foot and controlling it with your foot. This is attached to a lever which is attached to a pole that controls the height and how opened or closed the hi-hats are."