Cymbals
A percussion instrument made of one or two curved metal discs.
What it means
Cymbals are percussion instruments made from curved, usually bronze, metal discs. Crash cymbals played as a pair are struck together by hand, while a suspended cymbal is hung individually or mounted on a stand and struck with mallets or drumsticks.
The sound arises from complex, inharmonic vibrations of the metal disc, producing a metallic shimmer that can be bright or dark depending on size and construction, with a decay ranging from short to very long.
Musical use
In the orchestra both crash cymbal pairs, used for strong accents, and the suspended cymbal appear; in the modern drum kit, cymbals form a whole set with different roles, such as ride, crash, or hi-hat cymbals. In concert bands, big bands, and popular music, drum-kit cymbals are a central element of tone color.
The cymbal should be distinguished from the gong, a flat, mostly uncurved disc with a different sound character, and from the tam-tam, a freely suspended, pitchless instrument with an even darker, overtone-rich sound.
Performance practice
When playing crash cymbals as a pair, bring the discs together with a slight glancing motion rather than clapping them flat, so the sound stays full instead of choked. On a suspended cymbal, vary tone color and volume by changing the striking point between edge, bow, and bell.