| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
The Cymbals
Many bass drums have a cymbal attached to their tops.
The bass drummer holds the other cymbal in his left hand and
goes to town with it while he pounds the drum with his right
hand. Some band leaders, however, prefer to have the drum-
mer concentrate on his drum and have another person play
the cymbals.
When playing cymbals they should not be struck directly
together. This deadens the vibrations. Play a tone almost as
though there were a grace note in front of it, like a snare drum
flam, and strike the cymbal that is to vibrate and make the tone
(usually the one in the left hand) a glancing upward blow with
the other cymbal. To keep the tone of the vibrating cymbal
resounding, shake it gently. To stop the vibrations quickly,
touch the cymbals against your coat.
When used as a trap, a cymbal is struck a glancing blow
near the rim with a drum stick. A hard or soft headed stick is
used, depending on the volume or effect you want to get.
Tom-Tom, Tambourine and Triangle
The tom-tom is played with either one or two drum sticks
and is struck, as a rule, with rhythmic single strokes in time
with the music.
The tambourine is played in three different ways in modern
dance orchestras:
1. It is held with one hand, while the first two fingers of the
other hand tap lightly along the rim.
2. It is held with one hand and the moistened thumb of
the other hand is rubbed along the head (skin surface) about
one inch from the outside hoop.
3. It is held in one hand and shaken rapidly. This sets the
jingles going and makes the roll.
The castanets of today.are fitted with a wooden handle,
which makes them much easier to play than the old-style Span-
ish castanets. The modern kind is played in two ways. They
can be held with one hand and struck against the other hand
167