New Sounds

What do you think of when you put effects and cymbals together? Probably effect cymbals like splashes and china. Well, we're not going to talk about those in this section. How about ways to add effects to the cymbals you already have? 

There are many things that you can do to add effects but most drummers just don't think hard enough or research enough to truly know what is out there. Its very possible to add a small clamping device that will reduce the sustain any of your cymbals have. Its also easy to add a sizzling effect to your cymbals. This is something a lot of jazz drummers do with their rides. Just about every cymbal effect costs nearly nothing or just under 10 bucks so its hard to say you don't have the money to make the sound you want.

Completely Free Effects

The first and probably most common effect is grabbing the cymbal. It does take some practice to become quick at it, but the results are very good in the end. After hitting a crash cymbal, grab it with with the hand that hit the cymbal and you'll completely mute the sound. 

Now here's one that won't take any effort on your part. If you have a really small chain lying around wrap it onto the ride cymbal where the bell is at. This will create a sizzling effect, yes its a very cheap way to do it but there is a more professional alternative below. 

Want to try and muffle the sound of a cymbal? Well this one is pretty easy too. Rest your palm on the bell of a cymbal. Most likely the ride as its bigger than the rest and will allow you to hit the cymbal while your resting your palm on it. Sounds easy doesn't it?

Adding cymbals together by stacking them can create a pretty sweet sound if you have the right combo. Use your imagination on that one like you were a little kid again. I know Neil Peart  does this on his set. It being really easy to do as well should make this a simple effect. You just stack any cymbal on top of another one and really the possibilities are endless. Most of the time people do whats called a china stack big china and small splash but size normally doesn't matter nor does the type of cymbal. You could add a hi-hat on a crash.

Reduce The Sustain and Prolong the Life of a Cymbal

These little devices are very cool. They replace the felts with rubber padding and a spring to press down on them. Now I can't say they will reduce the sustain on all your cymbals but more so on your lighter ones. If your a heavy hitter and have broken any of your cymbals I would highly recommend getting these and trying them out! In most cases where you have a cymbal that gives off a bad ring, adding one of these babies to your cymbal will make them sound great. It doesn't matter if its a cheap cymbal or not and for 10 bucks how can you not try them out? 

Some of you drummers might like this or might not, but the cymbals tend to sway a little more. Bouncing back ready to be hit again. I personally love it but if you don't want that effect but do want your cymbals to last longer just add a bottom felt washer. They're called Aquarian Cymbal Spring and are proven to prevent your cymbals from cracking so don't throw away any of your cymbals get this thing and prevent that!

Sizzle Effect

We talked about how to add a sizzle to your ride the cheap way, but want to know a more professional way? It involves drilling on your cymbal and most commonly done on the ride so you shouldn't do this if your not sure. Adding a chain is a good way to see if you even like its effect, but rivets can be more adjustable in that sense. Having 1 rivet compared 10 rivets makes a huge difference. You could also test out the sound on a cheap splash cymbal. That's probably where an effect like this belongs if your into that jazzy ride sound.

Drilling a hole for a cymbal should be done by somebody with experience drilling. Put a piece of wood behind the cymbal when your drill and start from a small bit and gradually get bigger. You could use a hole punch and hammer to make a precise starting point but be cautious as some say that's not a good idea for a cymbal. Use some sort of oil or lube to prevent the bit from getting hot then breaking. A broken bit could cause a nice scratch on your cymbal and nobody wants that. An alternative would be using a drill press as its much easier than a drill. Also leave just enough room for the rivet, if the rivet is 3mm make the hole 4mm. 

Hi-Hat Effects

There are some things that people do to hi-hats to make them sound good and others are just down right cruel to your hi-hats. My personal favorite is adding a jingler on the hi-hat. Now its great for some of the songs that I play and when I don't want to use it I can easily take it off. They add a lot of flavor when you use the hi-hat pedal and for 15 bucks this one is a steal as well. Your probably wondering about the cruel hi-hat trick?

A dreadful thing to do is damaging your expensive cymbals by adding holes in it. Well, many people have put holes in their bottom hats to allow air to escape and create a louder click sound. You can buy cymbals with the holes already in them so if possible avoid doing this on a nice set of cymbals. Also they make the sound change when you play with the hi-hat closed so be careful what you wish for. Can't have your cake and eat it too. When the hi-hat is closed it'll give more of a washy "tist" sound some may desire this so be my guest and put holes in your bottom hat.

Another alternative would be to tilt the bottom hat and make the top hat a little loose. Not all hi-hats are have a loud pedal sound. It just varies from cymbal to cymbal. I hope I've given you many ideas on what is out there and their possiblities. Best of luck and remember to think like a kid and have a big imagination.