[Dixielandjazz] Ride cymbals

[john petters]

Dave asked
>> I've asked DJML drummers over the years what purpose the rider serves,
and
> have never had the courtesy of a reply...

It is just one of the instruments a jazz drummer can employ to great effect.
Dave Tough's ride with the Woody Herman Orchestra in 1945 is a master piece,
as is Big Sid's. To rely on ride is an easy option. A drummer can just sit
there and beat time. Same is true of the press roll. A thinking drummer will
be listening rto what goes on around him and react to that. If I'm playing
Classic or New Orleans style jazz, I normally start with press rolls, then
blocks or rims, then hi hat, then my small zildjen ride, finally using my
large riveted cymbal for the out chorus. Sometimes I ride it with a drag
roll on the snare with the left hand, sometimes with a rim shot off beat,
and sometimes with the cymbal and the rim or tom offbeat. I never sit on one
part of my kit all the time. So the purpose of the ride cymbal? Its lighter
or can be that an a press roll and in the right hands can give a good lift
to the band. Its origin appears to be Gene Krupa in 1930 with Red Nichols on
China Boy have a listen on 
http://www.traditional-jazz.com/pge_krup.htm

and Tom said
>There is however no substitute for tasteful playing putting each note in
>the right place and TIME.  :))  
Amen to that  

John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of
TCASHWIGG at aol.com
Sent: 08 September 2004 17:45
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Ride cymbals

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.
:)


Too much of anything can be annoying except for 
Sex of course and music.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins


_______________________________________________
Dixielandjazz mailing list
Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz