cymbal lines

[=l==l==l=]

does your school march cyms?

how many?

what kind?

i think it is a bad sterotype that people have about cymbals. people automatically assume it is the "worst" kids in the drumline. some of the cymbal lines i saw this year were amazing, and at some points more exciting than the battery. i wish they got a little bit more respect. cymbals is hard! in some aspects, harder than snare, bass, or tenors. give the cymbal lines that earned it props. ( yes props are earned and not implied)

go cymbals!

[MalleTragic]

Cymbals NEVER get enough respect! We had 3 marching cymbals this year, but unfortunately we're not going to have any for winter line. Seriously, cymbals have one of the most physically demanding jobs while playing their instrument. The energy it takes to produce a strong cymbal crash with a pair of 18's or 20's is quadruple as much as it takes to do most anything on a snare drum or any other battery instrument. On other battery instruments, you'll probably have more notes, but on cymbals the entrances are a little harder because you have to really control all that energy that it takes to play the cymbals. Also, cymbals have a ton of different techniques associated with them. And the consequences of bad technique on cymbals is much more noticable to the ears (at least to me) than on other battery instruments. On a snare drum, someone isn't playing into the drum enough and it just sounds weak. However, pop a cymbal crash, and even wind and brass players will notice.

I could probably write more, but my conclusion is this: cymbals are harder than they look, and cymbal players rock!

[pretty_in_pit]

we marched 4 cymbals this year. They didn't get much respect, but they didn't really earn it. if you have a solid cymbal section, though, they can add a lot to a show. cymbals aren't easier or harder than any other insturment, just different.
It takes the same effort and practice to play them as anything else

[PercussionAndAllThatJazz]

I agree, cymbals are really difficult to master, and they DEFINITELY don't get enough respect...although we marched 10 last season...WAY too much. Sometimes cymbals can be really strong aesthetic enhancers, but on the same token they can be a huge hindrance to the sound quality when there is too much.

So my thoughts: the cymbal line (and bass line for that matter) deserve just as much respect as the front line...just keep it in moderation.

[MusicCoach]

I believe that High School Cymbals players are sometimes not told how much they are appreciated alot. Where I'm currently teaching at. We only have 2 cymbals and they are very talented in playing cymbals. To consider they are both Freshmens. They will mean alot to this program and future talented of their Skills...

[drummermom]

The best cymbal line I've seen was Huntington Beach last season...they had great visuals and didn't overwhelm the line with their sound. I usually hate cymbals because they tend to overpower everything else, but HB had it nailed!

[PercussionAndAllThatJazz]

aww, thanks! I'll send your compliments their way.

[dantehman03]

i'm actually the section leader for the cymbal line at diamond bar high school. my section did get respect from others but there was still that little thing about the actual drums being better than cymbals... well my section got alot of respect this year because of the visuals and how we cooperated. and also how we added alot of visuals this year. if you guys saw the ARCADIA show, we added a few more in there because it was our last show. basically alot of flares, ripple waves, and all that. my cymbal line rocked.

[=l==l==l=]

anyone see temple city? talk about visuals....

[tSz42]

brandon, stop hiding and trying to get others to talk about TC.

And no, you aren't getting new cymbals for spring line !!!

[Shota871]

Cymbals are probably often the least regarded because.... as cynics would say... all they do is crash... wait for a few beats or measures... and crash again... how boring is that. But the fact is, cymbals have plenty of cool stuff the rest of the battery can not do, as well as its own challenges.... and I think I'll leave this to the any cymbal fanatics. All the reason I can explain probably applies in their mind too.

As a cymbal player in the USC Trojan Marching Band, I have lots of respect for cymbals.

My additonal comments: I'm not much of a drum corp/indoor drumline expert (plus I have no experiene in drum corp at all), but I don't feel fully satisfied to watch a high school band or indoor drumline with the marching percussion (snare, quads, basses, and...) without the cymbals. It doesn't look complete watching them. It's simply a main course meal without a salad for a full satisfaction. Plus, I love watching cymbals players marching, playing, and doing awesome visuals.

CHING!!!

[Shota871]

Lots of high school kids have asked the question "How many cymbal players do the USC band has?"

This year: 14 - 7 crash cymbals, 2 Chinas, & 5 holders (they hold for the snare drummers)

[tSz42]

that's too many...

PS - does Tad still instruct at USC ?

[bandoladysman]

I'm all for cymbal lines because it just fills the sound of a drumline. But one critique.....why are cymbalists obsessed with visuals???? I mean a few a song are ok, but if you feel the need to place a visual in two beats of rest then you have an addiction. Somebody please explain it!!

[PercussionAndAllThatJazz]

Well, visuals are the cymbal thing. You can't do much with snares, tenors, or bass drums except rock from side to side or do fun flippy things with your sticks. Cymbals, on the other hand, allow a lot of freedom. Last year, HB had a cymbal line of 10 girls, and while we couldn't have them all play at once, we could do a lot with them visually.
Besides, cymbals are definitely color instruments, and too much is...too much. So sparing use of sound gives a lot of room for visual enhancement, and that seems like it's becoming more and more of a factor.