The drum kit

1 Bass drum | 2 Floor tom | 3 Snare 4 Toms | 5 Hi-hat | 6 Crash cymbal and Ride cymbal

Other components

China cymbal | Splash cymbal | Sizzle cymbal Swish cymbal | Cowbell | Wood block | Tambourine Rototom | Octoban | Hardware

A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, and other forms of contemporary popular music. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. A floor tom is a double-headed tom-tom Drum which usually stands on the floor on three legs The snare drum is a Drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire metal cable plastic cable or gut cords stretched across the a drumhead typically A tom-tom (not to be confused with a Tamtam) is a cylindrical Drum with no snare. A crash cymbal is a type of Cymbal that produces a loud sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents as opposed to in Ostinato. A ride cymbal is a type of Cymbal that is a standard part of most Drum kits Its function is to maintain a steady Rhythmic pattern sometimes called a In western Music, china type Cymbals are cymbals manufactured to produce a dark crisp trashy and explosive tone A splash cymbal is a small Cymbal used for an accent in a Drum kit. A sizzle cymbal is a Cymbal to which rivets chains or other rattles have been added to modify the sound The swish cymbal and the pang cymbal are exotic Ride cymbals originally developed as part of the collaboration between Gene Krupa and the Avedis Zildjian This article is about the Musical instrument. See Woodblock for other meanings of the term The tambourine or Marine is a Musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles Rototoms are Drums which have no shell They consist of a single head in a die-cast zinc or aluminum frame Octoban Drums also known as tube toms and quarter toms are tom-toms grouped in melodically-tuned sets of eight hence the reference to Octave, from octo Drum hardware refers to equipment and parts often metal used to build or play a drum or drum kit Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African House music is a style of Electronic dance music initially popularized in mid-1980s Discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino ^[1]

Operation

10" Mini-hats with (1) Hi-hat rod and clutch (2) Tom and cowbell holder (3) HiHat legs and pedal

The hi-hat consists of two cymbals that are mounted on a stand one on top of the other and clashed together using a pedal on the stand. Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their A narrow metal shaft or rod runs through both cymbals into a hollow tube and connects to the pedal. The top cymbal is connected to the rod with a clutch, while the bottom cymbal remains stationary resting on the hollow tube. The height of the top-cymbal (open position) is adjustable.

When the foot plate of the pedal is pressed, the top cymbal crashes onto the bottom cymbal (closed hi-hat). When released, the top cymbal returns to its original position above the bottom cymbal (open hi-hat). A tension unit controls the amount of pressure required to lower the top cymbal, and how fast it returns to its open position. ^[2]

History of development

Hi-hat cymbals and stand

Initial versions of the hi-hat were called clangers, which were small cymbals mounted onto a bass drum rim and struck with an arm on the bass drum pedal. Drum hardware refers to equipment and parts often metal used to build or play a drum or drum kit Then came snow shoes, which were two hinged boards with cymbals on the ends that were clashed together. Next was the low-boy or low-hat, similar to a modern hi-hat stand, only with cymbals close to the ground. Hi-hats that were raised and could be played by hand as well as foot may have been developed around 1926 by Barney Walberg of the drum accessory company Walberg and Auge. ^[1]

Hi-Hat Pedal & Legs

Up until the late 1960s, the standard hi-hats were 14 inches, with 13 inches available as a less-common alternative in professional cymbal ranges and smaller sizes down to 12 inches restricted to children's kits. In the early 1970s, heavy rock drummers (including Led Zeppelin's John Bonham) began to use 15-inch hi-hats. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Led Zeppelin were John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham (May 31 1948 – September 25 1980 was an English Drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. In the late 1980s, Zildjian released its revolutionary 10-inch Special Recording hats, which were small, heavy hi-hat cymbals intended for close miking either live or recording, and other manufacturers quickly followed. Zildjian redirects here For other uses see Zildjian (disambiguation. However, in the early to mid-1990s, Paiste offered 8-inch mini hi-hats as part of its Visions series; these were among the world's smallest hi-hats. Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer is one of the world's largest manufacturers of Cymbals Gongs and metal Starting in the 1980s, a number of manufacturers also experimented with rivets in the lower cymbal. A rivet is a mechanical Fastener. Before it is installed it consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end But by the end of the 1990s, the standard size was again 14 inches, with 13 inches a less-common alternative, and smaller hats mainly used for special sounds. Rivets in hi-hats failed to catch on.

Modern hi-hat cymbals are much heavier than modern crash cymbals, reflecting the trend to lighter and thinner crash cymbals as well as to heavier hi-hats. The other change has been that a pair of hi-hat cymbals are no longer necessarily similar. More typically the bottom is now heavier than the top (but in some cases like the K Zildjian Steve Gadd Session Hats the pattern is reversed for a cleaner chick and cleaner sticking), and may also be vented, this being one innovation to have caught on. Some examples are Sabian's Fusion Hats with holes in the bottom of the hi-hat, and the Sabian X-cellerator, Zildjian Master Sound, and Paiste Soundedge. Sabian is a Canadian Cymbal designer and manufacturer It is one of the largest in the world along with Zildjian, Paiste and Meinl. Some drummers even use completely mismatched hi-hats from different cymbal ranges (Zildjian's K/Z hats), of different manufacturers, and even of different sizes (similar to the K Custom Session Hats where one hat is a quarter of an inch smaller than the other).

Other recent developments include the X-hat (fixed, closed, or half-open hi-hats) and cable-controlled or remote hi-hats. ^[2] Sabian introduced the Triple Hi-Hat, designed by Peter Kuppers. In this variation of the hi-hat, the top cymbal moves down and the bottom cymbal moves up simultaneously while the middle cymbal remains stationary.

Drop-clutches are also used to lock and release hi-hats while both feet are in use playing double bass drums. A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch.

Playing techniques

When struck closed or played with the pedal, the hi-hat gives a short, muted percussive sound. Vorbis is a free and open source, lossy audio Codec project headed by the Xiph Adjusting the gap between the cymbals can alter the sound of the open hi-hat from a shimmering, sustained tone to something similar to a ride cymbal. A ride cymbal is a type of Cymbal that is a standard part of most Drum kits Its function is to maintain a steady Rhythmic pattern sometimes called a When struck with a drumstick, the cymbals make either a short, snappy sound or a longer sustaining sandy sound depending on the position of the pedal.

It can also be played just by lifting and lowering the foot to clash the cymbals together, a style commonly used to accent beats 2 and 4 in jazz music. In rock music, the hi-hats are commonly struck every beat or on beats 1 and 3, while the cymbals are held together. The drummer can control the sound by foot pressure. Less pressure allows the cymbals to rub together more freely, giving both greater sustain and greater volume for accent or crescendo. In shuffle time, a rhythm known as cooking is often employed. To produce this the cymbals are struck twice in rapid succession, being held closed on the first stroke and allowed to open just before the second, then allowed to ring before being closed with a chick to complete the pattern (the cymbals may or not be struck on the chick). A right-handed drummer will normally play the hi-hat pedal with his left foot, and may use one or both drumsticks. The traditional hi-hat rhythms of rock and jazz were produced by crossing the hands over, so the right stick would play the hi-hat while the left played the snare drum below it, but this is not universal. The snare drum is a Drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire metal cable plastic cable or gut cords stretched across the a drumhead typically Some top modern drummers like Billy Cobham, Carter Beauford, and Simon Phillips do not cross their hands over at all, playing the hi-hat mounted on the left with the left stick rather than the right. William C Cobham (born May 16 1944 in Panama) is a Panamanian American Jazz Drummer, Composer and Bandleader Carter Anthony Beauford (born November 2, 1957 in Charlottesville Virginia) is a Drummer, Percussionist, and founding member of the Simon Phillips (born 6 February 1957 in London) is a prolific English Jazz and rock Drummer. This is called open handed playing. Open handed drumming refers to a method of playing a Drumset in which the arms are not crossed when playing the Hi-hat and Snare drum simultaneously In both rock and jazz, often the drummer will move the same stick pattern between the hi-hat cymbal and the ride cymbal, for example using the hi-hat in the verses and the ride in the chorus of a song, or using the ride to accompany a lead break or other instrumental solo. Guitar solos are a melodic passage section or entire piece of music written for an Electric guitar or an Acoustic guitar.

Roger Taylor, drummer for the band Queen, plays with many unique hi-hat techniques, including involuntary opening of the hi-hat on every backbeat for a rhythm emphasis and leaving the hi-hat slightly open when hitting the snare. Roger Taylor (born Roger Meddows-Taylor on July 26, 1949 in Dersingham, Norfolk later moved to Kings Lynn is an English Musician Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist

Those playing double bass drums have also developed special techniques for using the hi-hat. A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch.

In much hip-hop, the hi-hat is hit with drumsticks in a simple eighth-note pattern, although this playing is usually done by a drum machine or from an old recording from which the sound of a hi-hat is recorded and loaded into a sampler or similar recording-enabled equipment from which it is triggered. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with For the early "drum machine" computers that used a rotating cylinder as their main memory see Drum memory A drum machine is an A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a Synthesizer. Pioneer Kurtis Mantronik was one of the first to program hi-hat patterns that employed thirty-second notes. Kurtis el Khaleel (خليل (born September 4, 1965, in Jamaica) known by the Stage name Kurtis Mantronik, is an American In Music, a thirty-second note (American or "German" terminology or demisemiquaver (British or "classical" terminology is a Note

References