Cymbals

Surely I've posted about cymbals before. I do so today because I got in a frustrating discussion with some people the other day. It was one of those situations that, as soon as I left, I knew what I SHOULD have said...but while I was there I felt stupid and frustrated.

What cymbals should you buy?

No one can decide that for you. You have to decide for yourself based on your own limitations and preferences.

Factors to consider:
-how serious are you
Are you 12 years old and might drop this drum thing tomorrow? Are you going to college in music? Is this for your basement or shows? Invest according to your committment.

-cost and your ability to pay
Do you have trouble making rent? Than stop worrying about your cymbals. Do you make shit tons of money? Buy something nice. Think of cost over the long term too. Yes, you can buy cheap now...but will it last? Will you have to buy again soon?

My favorite compromise with respect to cost is buying used cymbals. I prefer cymbals that are "broken in" because their sound changes as they age (see below). I basically did some research, decided what I liked, thought about what I'm willing to pay, and now I keep an eye out. I basically am looking for any Sabian AA cymbal in good condition that is less than $120. This is more than half off retail in most cases. I also have a priority list...right now I'm looking for a ride first, but if a nice crash showed up cheap I'd pick it up.

There are two things to watch out for with used cymbals...keyholing and cracks. A cracked cymbal is useless. The crack will get worse. Only buy it if you know how to repair or it is dirt cheap and you are okay losing it later. I've repaired cymbals and they never sound the same. So it will likely sound like a trashy effects cymbal after you fix it rather than what it was sold to you as. Keyholing refers to the center hole distorting from a perfect circle. I think this is less of an issue, but in general to be avoided. You can prevent it in your own cymbals by always using proper sleeves and felts on your cymbal stands and by not over-tightening (or leaving too lose) your cymbals. Secure but not over tight (over tight can cause cracking too).

Used cymbals can be bought via ebay, Craigslist, or Guitar Center. The Guitar Center website lists what used items are for sale at every store.

-durability
Ah yes...will it last?  With cymbals this is really hard to know. There are cymbals that really aren't meant to be durable and there are those that are. A good cymbal can last 100 or more years. A bad one can last just one hit.  But there are cases of bad cymbals lasting and good ones not lasting. There are rules of thumb but they don't always apply. It is an item that you hit. It can break no matter how nice.

Also there are thin cymbals and thicker cymbals. If you are a hard hitter, you probably don't want to get a really thin cymbal.

-how you play (how hard and how good is your technique)
A good instructor or the internet can tell you how to properly hit a cymbal. If you can't be bothered to look into that, odds are that you are hitting the cymbals wrong and you are more likely to damage them. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't bitch if you constantly break cymbals and haven't bothered to look into this. Hitting hard isn't neccesarily bad...but how you hit (glancing blow versus hitting through cymbal...hitting on edge or center, etc) can make a difference. That said...you also don't always have to hit hard. Personally I don't worry too much about this. I buy decent cymbals and they seem to last.

-type of music you plan to play
Every cymbal manufacturer has a website that tells you what kind of music each cymbal is meant for.  Beyond that, look into what your favorite players use (this only goes so far, cause they probably get their shit for free and may be promoting something crappy...yeah, I'm looking at you Tre and Travis...or they may promote something you can't afford). All of this is guidelines, because any cymbal can be used for any kind of music

-what sounds good to you
You can't know this without hitting lots of cymbals. Complicating this is that the way a cymbal sounds changes with age and how dirty is it and how often and in what way it has been hit. And cymbals sound different when hit in isolation than when used with the rest of your kit. So you can start by going to Guitar Center and hitting all of their cymbals, but that only takes you so far. Playing other people's kits helps...as does critically listening to recordings online. Cymbal websites often have sound samples you can compare too.  You could spend a lifetime figuring this out. Or you could figure out general principals and move forward.

A note here on dark versus bright: These are industry terms for the quality of the sound. Certain types of music historically use certain qualities of sound and I don't know the total history of that. All those rules get broken all the time too. But it is useful to know if you prefer a bright or dark tone.

I also find decay a huge factor. Cymbals, in general, annoy me. I want them to sound and then fade quickly. You may want them to ring forever. You have to figure that out yourself. Then you can use cymbal websites to find out what a certain type of cymbal does or try them in person.

-material
Cymbals are usually made of brass or bronze and are either cut from sheets or poured into a mold. Brass is crap. Bronze is the way to go. Sheet bronze is cheaper and less durable than poured and it doesn't sound as good (in my opinion).  Really it is up to the person though, and some people may prefer the sound of sheet cymbals (or find them a reasonable compromise for their needs). Various manufacturers use various types of bronze...the main types are 8% (cheaper/worse) or 20% (more expensive/better). Again, you may like a certain alloy better even if it isn't the "best."

So what should you buy?

Here's some basic research I've done on lower end cymbals:
-Wuhan. Wuhan is known for chinese cymbals and gongs. They have a small line of other cymbals. 16” = $44 (B20 alloy). They are thin, but a higher quality alloy than other low end cymbals. I like the way they sound for some things. A good deal for the right person.
-Meinl HCS is brass
-Meinl MCS is B8 alloy (16” = $72)
-Paiste PST is brass
-Paiste PST5 (CuSn8 Bronze 16” = $89)
-Paiste PST8 (CuSn8 Bronze)
-Paiste alpha (CuSn8 Bronze 16” = $140)
-Sabian SBR is brass
-Sabian B8 (B8 alloy) (16” = $79)
-Sabian B8 Pro (B8 alloy)
-Sabian APX (B8 alloy)
-Sabian XS20 (B20 alloy), vintage bright
-Zildjian ZBT (16” = $75), sheet bronze (unclear of alloy, but it is a grade below ZHT)
-Zildjian ZHT (16” = $115), B12 sheet bronze
-Zildjian ZXT, old series made with titanium
-Zildjian Z3, a new series introduced in 2009, these are no longer listed on their website, may be discontinued. They were advertised as "Hard hitting cymbals as you know them have just changed. Now introducing the new Zildjian Z3 line with the ultimate mix of Power, Projection and Playability for your Rock." They were 20% cymbals but not sure if sheet or cast. Likely sheet.

Once you get beyond low end...you move up to professional grade. Generally these are cast cymbals of a 20% or similiar quality. You can't go wrong with these if you have the money to buy them (look for used like I do). Each line has several models and weights (extra thin, thin, medium-thin, medium, heavy). That is all personal preference. Unfortunately it is up to personal preference. Most manufacturers also have artist lines.
-Paiste. A note that I am not a fan of Paiste cymbals and so know less about them. They have lots of lines. The two main pro lines are 2002 and Twenty. They've had lots of middle of the road lines over the years (Rude, 200 series, 300 series, 400 series, 600 series, 900 series). I just think they all sound cheap
-Sabian AA, vintage bright sound
-Sabian AAX, modern bright sound
-Sabian HH, vintage dark sound (HH stands for Hand Hammered)
-Sabina HHX, modern dark sound
-Sabian Paragon, bright (expensive)
-Sabian Vault (expensive)
-Sabian SR2, these are used floor samples of B20 cast. Can't typically find at music stores. It is kind of a grab bag
-Zildjian A, bright
-Zildjian A Custom, bright
-Zildjian fx, typically special effects cymbals
-Zildjian K, dark
-Zildjian K Custom, dark
-Zildjian K Constantinople, their top-of-the-line and most expensive cymbals
-Dream. A new player on the scene. Don't know much about them. Less available. Likely more expensive.

All manufacturers also have old models and series that aren't made any more (like Zildjian Simitar) and you run across them from time to time on the used market. A quick internet search will tell you what you are looking at (alloy & sheet/cast, etc).

The things I don't even notice

Last night when I was recording my parts for the demo I was really aware of my playing because I could hear my parts so very clearly. That's kind of un-nerving in a way, but I sound better than I thought.

Something I noticed was that I worry about the length of notes and about whether they are legato or staccato. So what? I guess I didn't know I was doing that. I never consciously tried to do that. It just happened. During the recording there was this point where I meant to play legato and instead played staccato and the engineer noticed. It happened because I got lost in the repetitive part and was hedging my bets about going to the next section. He was like "you meant those to be longer, right? I'll copy paste the first time you did it." And I was thinking...oh yeah...I DID mean those to be longer.

I remember when I started teaching bass at LRC (which I don't do anymore because it makes me paranoid that I don't know what I'm talking about) being surprised to realize that stopping the notes is as important as starting them. When a beginning bass player plays...they don't stop the notes. So they bleed over each other and create discordant sounds. I couldn't figure out why they sounded like shit and then I realized...they aren't stopping the notes. And that was the first time that I realized that I stop the notes in between...sometimes with my left hand, sometimes with my right hand...I just do it naturally without thinking about it. And that made me realize why I found it hard to play with a pick (at least one of the reasons)...cause I had lost the ability for my right hand to stop the notes (the other reasons are that I needed to practice hitting the correct string with the pick and I needed to practice general up/down coordination...all of this has gotten much better after my experience playing acoustic bass this spring with a pick).

So anyway, not only do I stop the notes without realizing I'm doing it...I stop them musically without realizing it. I let some ring and stop some short...and I'm constantly making those choices without realizing it based on what seems to fit with the music.

I often feel like a hack as a musician. I don't feel like I'm as creative or skilled or knowledgeable as other people. But every so often I realize that I have these intangible things going on. To a beginner...these would seem mysterious and impossible to pick up. And they are...because they've evolved over a lifetime of playing and studying and listening to music. That can feel both discouraging and encouraging. Discouraging because you can't rush it. Encouraging because...if you just put in the time...things do get better. They evolve. It feels like it takes forever...but then one day you wake up and finding yourself knowing instinctively to let the last note of the song ring even before you hear the engineer say "hold it out, hold it out." Yeah, I knew that.

SVFD Demo

SVFD is putting together a 3 song demo. I was against doing this when it was first proposed because I felt we were under-rehearsed...I was worried about cost...and I was worried about how long it would take. People get excited about these things but rarely are prepared for what they are gettting into.

I take back my reservations.

Last night I went and laid down my parts. One take each. In and out in 30 minutes. Were the performances perfect? No. But I imagine they'll be manipulated. I'm not a big fan of that, but in this case I suspect it will be minimal.

We've crammed in enough rehearsals and gigs since my initial misgivings, that I think this is actually the right time to be doing this now.We're getting the demo for free and the person doing it seems to know enough to do a decent job for a demo at least. If it is as efficiently done for everyone as it was for me, it will be completed very quickly.  And then we'll have something in hand to book with.

Booking...that's a whole 'nother mess. But maybe I should keep my big pessimistic mouth shut about that. These people seem to be pros.

SVFD, at LRC, 4/21/2013

Gig #2 of the crazy weekend.

SVFD blew the faces off the gals at Ladies Rock Camp. We sounded really, really good. I brain farted in "Wallet" and "Sergio" and fucked them up a little bit, but otherwise played really well and I'm sure no one noticed. Considering I was sick and exhausted I was pretty happy with how I did. It was nice to have plenty of room and a pretty good PA finally. People danced and cheered. Gig offers streamed in after we finished. All the musicians that I respect who teach at camp told me we were really good.

Plans to record our demo are in the works for early May.

Setlist to follow.

CJ, 4/20/2013 Busking for Books

This weekend was ridiculous. I mean truly.  I was head roadie for LRC, which meant loading in and out and back and forth ad nas for 30 first time rockers. Since that just wasn't hard enough...I played two shows. And I had a very serious cold.

Saturday 11a-1p CJ played our first ever acoustic show on State Street for the Literacy Network's Busking for Books event. We brought down $100 in tips plus the $75 sponsorship...all to help folks read. I was worried about this show...about playing with a pick....about playing loud enough...about singing loud enough and/or my voice giving out. All my concerns were for naught. My only probably is that all the roadie stuff had aggravated my carpel tunnel and so my right hand kept falling asleep. I kept thinking..."Am I still holding the pick?" ..."Am I still playing?" Today my hands are still pretty numb...though oddly at gig #2 my hands were fine.

I can't provide the setlist because we played in random order (though I'll try to dig the song list we prepared up). Umass, Tame, Bone Machine, fast Wave and Broken Face were all requested. On that list the only ones we'd practiced were Umass and Bone Machine...but the others came off ok. It is kind of funny to try to breath in a sexy way with no mic though (Tame). RS and I sounded like we were having elderly hot COPD/asmatic sex in public.

Some people stopped and listened. RS had to whisper "mother-fucker" because a small child happened by at an inopertune moment. "La La Love You" was fun on the street...to yell "I love you" to strangers walking by and whistle at them.  A handful of our friends/fans came just to see us. A few Pixies fans who didn't know about us stopped by too and were pretty fricking happy.

Overall it was fun and went well. And I kinda think our band just rocks.

SSW, The Wisco, 4/13/2013

Played with ye olde Madison band El Donk.

The lights were weird...one blazing white light pointed at the audience or near total darkness were the choices. We played great. Really it is shocking how well we are playing with nearly no rehearsals. It is like we are fucking professionals or something. An assortment of our usual suspects stopped by. The WORT crowd sure are good fans to have.  Even Educational Davis graced us with his presence. I noticed him there during "Helicopter" and it made me try harder.

I drank. All afternoon. It was unfortunate. It was not a factor in my performance as I'd sobered up by then but did give me a hell of a headache during the gig (thought that could have also been the lights). And well, it was, once again, just dumb. I think I am actually making progress even though sometimes it doesn't seem that way.

We did "I've Been So Mad Lately" and turned the reverb up on the PA so there was this ridiculous delay that had the effect of adding a couple of "fucks" for each one I said. It was ridiculous. Also, I think Justin's mic cable is on its way out (memo to self).

Had a nice moment with my bass player when JG counted off a song on the off-beats instead of on the beats like he's supposed to. We both noticed. We looked at each other. We made it work. We rock.

I sure do like using my shitty kit for gigs. So light. So easy to carry. And I don't worry about it getting banged around or whatever. I even let people help me carry it. The Sonor is great...but so heavy and so nice looking and...well I just prefer gigging the shitty black Pulse. Really does it matter?  If TD is gonna play at a nice place with a PA and stage and all that...I'll go the extra mile and bring the nice one. But for your average shitty bar gig...give me care-free ease.

Setlist to come.

SVFD, 4/6/2013, Badger Bowl

We played a Big Lebowski themed Mad Rollin' Dolls after party at Badger Bowl with The Type and Damidol.

There was (surprise, surprise) a misunderstanding about the PA which resolved in Damidol bringing theirs. They set up a bunch of mics for us (and I mean A BUNCH) but it is unclear if they turned them on and certainly they didn't balance the levels. Soundcheck ran kind of like a theatrical performance of what someone who has never seen or done a sound check might put on (sort of like the way that I wrote about alcohol treatment/recovery in my novel back many years ago when I had no idea what such things actually involved). I'm not faulting the sound "crew" because they were trying to help and without them we'd have been SOL completely. But it reminds me that becoming more proficient at running live sound is a good priority to have. I'd like to be able to make more helpful suggestions rather than just stand around mildly irritated.

Anyway we played and did pretty well. A small flub here or there for all involved but overall it sounded like we'd been playing together much longer than we have...and certainly like we've had more than the, what is it now, (perhaps ten?) rehearsals that we've actually had.  I had my required brain farts, particularly on Sergio, but I'm getting better at covering them by playing the root notes of the chord when I lose my brain function to play whatever ridiculous line I'm supposed to be playing. I'm not sure how I'm managing that, but somewhere under all this effort maybe I'm actually developing subconscious instinct. I know...I'm as shocked as anyone.

I consumed no alcohol on the night of the show nor in the preceeding 19 days. Proper food and sleep was had. I was a little tired from yard work, but less so than I'd expected. I used the Ampeg amp and it performed well...not rattling and not cutting out. I tested it by running the set at 70% of full volume earlier in the day. At the show I ran at about 33% of full volume.

Setlist was the same as at Mickey's.

Setlist:

Freedom
Came Out of a Lady
Metro
Sergio
Hope I Never Lose My Wallet
Mr Smiley
Dandelions
Rascal King
Superman
Rudy
Thigh High Nylons
Lost Again
Red Rubber Ball