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The Orchestra / Instruments / Percussion / Unpitched Metal

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Suspended Cymbal

Suspended Cymbal

Suspended cymbals come in a large variety of types. Their sizes usually vary from 14" to 24". The larger the cymbal, the deeper and darker the sound. The weight of the cymbal can greatly effect the sound it produces. A light or thin cymbal will respond quickly where as heavier cymbals will produce bigger, larger sounds and resonate for longer.

Beaters: Soft or Medium Beaters (many have wound yarn heads), wire or Bamboo brushes

Cymbal Varieties:

Chinese Cymbal - Has upturned edges and has a very explosive attack.

Sizzle Cymbal - Sizzles because of rivets in the rim. These rivets vibrate in tandem with the whole cymbal.

Splash Cymbals - are between 6" and 12" and therefore relatively small. They are played for fast, 'splashy' accents of short duration.

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Explanation of differnt cymbal types...
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Explanation of different cymbal sizes...
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How to play long notes on the cymbal...
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Explanation of the Sizzle cymbal...
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Listen to Kevin Hathway's cymbal improvisation...
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Clash Cymbals

Clash Cymbals
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Orchestral clash cymbals have leather straps through their middles to be held by. They usually measure between 14 and 30 inches in diameter.

Technique - There are a variety of techniques for playing Clash Cymbals, including quiet clashes and swishes.

A smooth swish is made by rubbing the rims together.

A rough swish can be made by rubbing one rim against the other rough, grained inside of the cymbal.

The cymbals are either left ringing, or damped on the players chest.

 

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Kevin explains clash cymbal technique...
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Chinese Hand Cymbals

Not to be confused with a Chinese suspended cymbal, the hand cymbals are very small clash cymbals. They are made in a variety of sizes.

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Listen to the Chinese cymbal...
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Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells
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Sleigh Bells are a collection of pellet bells attached to a leather handle or stick.

Technique - They can be shaken, or hit on their handle, with the other hand, to achieve a more rhythmic and defined sound. But remember - they are difficult to pick up and put down quietly!

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Listen to Kevin 'jingle'!...
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Agogo Bells

Agogo
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Agogo bells are a pair of cone-shaped bells attached to a u-shaped handle. The two bells are different pitches, usually a 4th or 5th apart.
Agogos originate from Brasil and can be heard frequently in Samba and Salsa music.

Beaters: Any fairly hard beater

Agogo bells can be damped (with the thumb) to produce a drier sound. They can also be made of wood.

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Hear the Agogo bells...
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Bell Tree

Bell Tree
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A Bell Tree is a a collection of small bells suspended concentrically around a pole.

Teqchnique: The standard technique for placing the Bell Tree is a two-handed glissando. Individual notes can be sounded, though these are unpredictable in pitch.
Beaters: Any hard beaters

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How to play the bell tree...
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Cow Bell

Cow Bell
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Cowbells come in various sizes and can be hand held or mounted on a rack.

Beaters: Medium hard beaters or snare sticks.

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Listen to Cow Bells...
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Tam-tam

Tam tam
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Tam-tams (which are unpitched gongs) originate from China and come in a range of sizes, from 15cm to 1m in diameter. The disk's outer rim is turned down to prevent the edge from vibrating, increasing to the mysteriousness of the sound.


Beaters: Tam-tam beaters are usually quite heavy - usually wood covered in soft materials such as wool. Tam-tams may also be bowed and scraped carefully with metal objects. Xylophone or wooden bass drum beaters should never be used on a tam-tam.

 

Technique: The standard tam-tam hit has a 'blossom' on the sound, depending on the size of the instrument, the beater used and the strength of the hit. Non-standard techniques include rubbing and bowing the instrument.
The best place to strike a tam-tam is just off-centre, but you can strike it in the centre which almost produces a "pitch", or right on the edge which gives a very harsh sound.

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Dinner is served.
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Learn more about the Tam Tam...
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Thai Gong

Thai Gong

The Thai gong is a gong with a plateau head, which bends the pitch when struck.

Beaters: Soft to medium beaters

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Hear the Thai Gong...
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Triangle

Triangles
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The triangle is a single rod, bent into a triangular shape. It is open at one corner. Triangles come in a variety of sizes, up to about 6" or 8".

Beaters: You can get a mixture of sizes and weights, which therefore change the sound produced.
Technique: The triangle can be struck, rolled and damped. Using different parts of the triangle can produce different sounds, which can be discovered by trial and error.

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The world of the triangle...
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Spring Coil

As its name suggests, a spring coil is a large spring, attached to a stand.

Beaters: Hard or metal beaters 

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The only way to describe it, is to listen to it!...
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