[Dixielandjazz] Ride cymbals

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/8/04 7:35:38 AM Pacific Daylight Time, patcooke at cox.net 
writes:

> 
> Dave Said:
> Man after my on heart--I H-A-T-E ride cymbals...kept me from buying or
> listening to much Nicksiland, even when rest of the music is great...
> 
> I've asked DJML drummers over the years what purpose the rider serves, and
> have never had the courtesy of a reply...
> 
> One of my drummers came up with a workable compromise: he clipped a piece
> of bicycle innertube to each rider, which cut out the hiss altogether,
> leaving a short ring after each stroke that didn't interfere with hearing
> what was happening on the bandstand...
> 
> 
Just clarify this issue a bit more:

Dave are you speaking of a Ride Cymbal here or what we drummers call a 
Sizzler ?

The ride cymbal is used by most of us to Drive the band, they come in various 
sizes and sounds that should be balanced with and for the type of music you 
are going to play, picking the correct one can be tricky.

The Sizzler on the other hand is the one with the holes in it and lots of 
little rivets that bounce around and give a ringing sizzle effect, some guys make 
up their own by hanging a piece of toilet bowl flusher chain down from the 
top of the cymbal stand to vibrate against the cymbal when struck.  I have also 
seen guys hang a string down with a coin or a washer  attached to it for a 
similar effect.   These were popular in the 60,s on the West Coast anyway.

Using such a cymbal has it's time and place, but used incessantly can and 
will drive the band nuts, as will banging on a Chinese gong cymbal too much or 
over playing a splash.

Cymbals for drummers can be as bad as finding the proper reed for the 
clarinet and sax players, except whenyou finally find that perfect matched set some 
jerk steals one of them when your not looking, or worse yet a buddy drummer 
borrows one  moves to the other side of the country and does not return it.  :)


There is however no substitute for tasteful playing putting each note in the 
right place and TIME.  :))    Too much of anything can be annoying except for 
Sex of course and music.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins