Cymbals

 

  Cymbals Origin

Cymbalsare the musical instruments which are universal. These are the favourites of almost all the drummers. These possess concave or circular shaped metallic plates with an incision at the centre known as the dome. The music output of these cymbals is always on a high frequency and hence is preferred to be played in large aggregations. Small cymbals which were once popularly used have a music output with notable frequencies. These have a remarkable requirement in the band troops, marching combos, symphonies, belly dance groups etc. Cymbals are available in sets as well as they can be purchased individually. A basic cymbal set consists of two hi-hat cymbals, a crash cymbal and a suspended cymbal. This is generally referred as a beginners drum set.

Getting deep into the topic you may be very curious to know actually from where the cymbals came into existence and how they are being perceived till today. The name cymbals has evolved from a Latin word cymbalum which inturn is extracted from a Greek word kumbalom which means a deep dish. Interesting right!The design of the cymbal is totally responsible for what ever the music is being played by the drummers. The incision that is made at the centre is either used to erect the stands on which the plates are fixed or the rubber threads are tied to hold them with arms. The area that is right above the hole is called with different names like bell, dome, or cup. This area is responsible for certain kinds of sounds like the "ting" sounds. The remaining area of the plates is known as the bow. Based on the concentration of the metals of the plates the bow area is classified as the ride area and the crash area.

 The one that is closer to the dome is known as the ride area and the one away from it is the crash area. The former is composed of thick metal and the later part is thinner. The former is used to produce longing sounds and when the crash area is banged by a drumstick punching sounds are produced. The music obtained from the cymbals is based on the vibrations of the plates. The rim is the out line of the cymbal plates and is used to give resonating sounds. When one goes to a music store and purchases a cymbal then he needs to ask them for their magnitude in terms of the diameter of the plates in inches. Various sounds are played by various cymbals. There are many factors that affect the cymbals like the alloy used in the manufacture of the plates, the thickness of the plates, the density, the area of the plates etc.

Last but not the least thing in the description of a cymbal is the profile. It is the perpendicular distance measured from dome to the rim of the ride and the crash areas. This has a noticeable effect on the music output and the frequency at which the sounds are produced. Longer the profiles distance higher the frequency of the sounds. Cymbals produce a genre rand of sounds.
Picture