Cymbals
Kinetic Intermediaries
The following essay is Chapter 8 from Drummer's Insight, the Meta Pursuit of Musicianship and Meaning.
More than the drums, it has been the cymbal that has led me into the disciplined depths of learning and self-study. The cymbal has been an essential intermediary between me, my sound and my touch, and continues to be the driving force pulling me deeper into discovery and learning. In this I am sure I am not alone.
The countless hours spent, often late into the night, simply playing time on a ride and a pair of hats has been and continues to be invaluable for the development of my listening, my presence of mind and my touch. Exploring the complexities within an exceptional cymbal sharpens my mind, relaxes my body. It refines my hearing, elevates my attentiveness to the subtleties of time, dynamics, and phrasing. The cymbal is what draws me to the drumset more than anything else. Over time, it shapes a profound connection between me and possibility.
Now, what can be said about this ancient instrument that hasn’t already been said? The wild and obscure political history of which it is a part has been well-documented. Well, maybe not “well-documented”. Its history is obscure enough to have created a fair amount of myth and legend, along with misinformation and political intrigue. Aspects of cymbal-making and lawsuits regarding family ownership have been argued over by “experts” for years. This applies as well to stamp “timelines”, to the differing processes of B-20 pour-casting, roto-casting, and to the sheet casting of B8, B12 and B15 phosphor-bronze alloys, along with arguments regarding hand vs. machine hammering, cupping and shaping – needlessly controversial topics which all lie beyond the scope of this book.
Let this chapter simply be a brief homage to the humble, magical and mysterious cymbal: plates of sonorific bronze, kinetic intermediaries, the direct connection between us and the music.
The complexities within a beautiful cymbal can be as wide-ranging and as rich as an orchestra – a full dynamic range of tonal color. No two are alike, each a complicated sonic mix that is inherently unique. How might we describe some of these characteristics?
Cymbals add light, complexity, color, brilliance and darkness. The cymbal is an archetypal sound, not unlike the earliest bronze bells cast hundreds, even thousands, of years ago.
Great cymbals possess a sparkling, rich sound that is not only timeless, it defines time. As one of the world’s oldest instruments, the cymbal holds within it time itself. The cymbal beat embodies the time flow of the group. Historically the cast bell marked the start and end of the day, calling peasants to the court and as a call to action for soldiers and worshipers.
Through contrast and brilliance, cymbals add bass to the bass, bronze to the brass, teeth to the guitars, and a shimmer to the entire musical experience. They are a key component of the skin, wood, bones and bronze that make a drumset a drumset.
In an ensemble, cymbals have the unique ability to provide contrast, to penetrate or unify the sound spectrum of the group. They serve as punctuation. Well-placed cymbal sounds provide powerful emphasis, climactic explosiveness, marking the start or the end of a passage.
Uniquely unpitched, cymbal sounds can sit above, within or below the musical spectrum, altering and influencing the light, color, weight or darkness of the music. Some cymbal sounds arc smoothly over the top of the ensemble, with the meditative consistency of a summer shower on a tin roof. They can illuminate the space within music with vivid colors, contributing a smoky or shimmering atmosphere. And with the richness that comes only from a well-hammered bronze alloy, cymbals may also support the music from below.
The sound of the right cymbal can be a feather-light cushion upon which the soulfulness of the music can rest, or it can clash with the low, hearty “ssssshhhing” of a gladiator’s sword.
In the orchestra, an acoustic jazz trio, or a romping big band; in an electric guitar-based power trio or even electronic music, the cymbal propels and sizzles. A cymbal can sooth and caress or convey frenzied emotion.
Although it is one of the lightest of musical instrument sounds, the cymbal confidently unifies all the elements of rhythm within the group. Although to some they may seem inconsequential, an accessory or even a nuisance, the fact is that cymbals are the main voice contributing forward momentum to the music, and are the foundation for the comping and rhythmic embellishment of the drums.
American music since the early 1900’s is nothing if not syncopated, and it is, ironically, the cymbal’s light sound which carries the heaviest beats. This can be in a sense direct, as played by Jimmy Cobb, or indirectly and heavily syncopated, as played by Elvin Jones. By way of the cymbal, time is simultaneously held together and expressed.
Many of us are fascinated by cymbals, even to the point of infatuation. And for good reason: cymbals are the complex medium by which we develop our touch, phrasing, forward momentum and swing. They can be a gateway for the creation of a profound connection with sound, with learning and in the establishment of a personal discipline.
While cymbals may be the focal point of our rhythmic ideas, they are not without their contrasts and contradictions: simple yet complex, easy to play yet difficult to master; delicate yet strong, ancient yet modern. Cymbals can be bright and dark, icy while warm; they provide an even, continuous cushion yet accentuate, punctuate and penetrate.
They simultaneously expose weaknesses in our touch and inspire our best. Cymbals produce a wide spectrum of frequencies without a singular dominant pitch. Cymbals are simultaneously vibration generators and sound resonators. They speak the language of tradition yet are continually evolving. Capable of sounds described as pretty, bright, cutting and lush, their sounds can also be dark, ominous, and menacing. They blend well with virtually all instruments.
Their outer simplicity is misleading. Subtle adjustments to the metal’s shape, weight, profile, or to the hammering it receives, how it is shaped, lathed and the size and shape of its cup, all combine in infinite ways creating endless variations. Lying within each of them is a certain mystique. Well-made cymbals embody a sophisticated connection with time which transcends and dignifies the guttural utterances of the drum. Annealed, well-hammered and skillfully lathed bronze speaks with an unmistakable sound that resonates in our bones.
However, to some live sound engineers, cymbals present a nuisance to be eradicated at all costs.
As we know, proportions of copper (80%) and tin (20%) are combined to create the bronze alloy known as B20 bell bronze. Bell bronze is simultaneously hard and soft, able to withstand the intense processes necessary in creating these timeless instruments. Bell bronze rings out with unparalleled resonance.
The earliest bronze alloys were believed to have been created in Serbia and later Iran, about 2500 B.C. The casting of bronze bells are believed to have begun in China during the Shang and Zhou periods, roughly 1600 to 700 B.C.
Copper has had many positive uses and benefits over the course of human history, and dates back as far as 8000 BC. The unique electrical conductivity of copper is second only to gold. Copper is one of few metals frequently found in its metal state. That is, it sometimes need not be extracted from ore.
Copper possesses anti-bacterial qualities and has been used to purify water for centuries. We feel good around cymbals. Their high vibrational molecular structure resonates with our higher states of being.
Copper ores are sometimes found together with silver, gold, galena and many other minerals. The Andean region of South America, particularly Peru and Chile, produces about 45% of the worlds copper. Other major producers of copper include Indonesia, China, Australia, the USA and Canada. In the ground, porphyry (igneous rock infusion) copper deposits account for about 60% of the world's copper, with about 20% of copper deposits residing in sedimentary rock.
Massive, complex alchemical processes of fire and geo-tectonic forces transform raw earth into copper and tin ore over billions of years. Similar to the transformative forces of rock-making, intense fire and pressure are used in the foundry to transform raw materials into the brilliance of light and sound which shine forth from a beautiful cymbal.
Above ground, copper can be found in all areas of our lives, in electronic devices, wiring and in shipbuilding. Greater than 30% of the world’s copper is easily recyclable and is reused. Much of the copper used for cymbal making, the Turkish foundries in particular, comes from the recycling of telephone wire.
Cymbals date back to as early as China’s Bronze Age, which began in approximately 1700 BCE. According to legend, the ‘modern’ or Turkish cymbal-making formula was born four centuries ago in the year 1618 in Constantinople of an Armenian alchemist’s quest to create gold from base metals. For those who can “hear the difference”, that experiment was a success. This alchemist, Avedis I, later named Avedis Zildjian, discovered that mixing a fair amount of tin with copper produced a resonant and resilient alloy. Five years later, in 1623, Avedis was released from the sultan’s court and began creating his own cymbals which were heavily used in the Turkish Mehter bands of the period.
The primary cymbal-making regions today are North America, northern Europe, Italy, Turkey and southern China. While there are other bronze alloys and methods, the resilient and sonorous quality of an alloy made with 80% copper and 20% tin remains the most common for professional cymbals to this day. While there have been modern upgrades in the interest of efficiency and consistency, the basic principles of the manufacturing process is unchanged.
At the foundry, these raw materials are combined and melted at 2000°F (1093°C). The molten alloy is carefully poured into vessels to make individual castings which weigh between 1kg and 10kg.
Castings are cooled and sorted by weight. Next, the multiple two-step process of heating and rolling under immense pressure thins and strengthens the metal. In some instances this heating/rolling is repeated up to a dozen times. Before it passes through the roller, each disc is turned 90 degrees from the previous rolling, resulting in strong cross-lamination within the metal. The consecutive rolling and reheating procedure drastically alters the metal’s molecular cross-grain structure forming a key latticework within. This alignment plays an important role in durability and resonance.
At this stage the metal has become exceedingly hard and the internal structure has been knitted together to form strong molecular bonds. However, at this point it is brittle and could be shattered like glass if mishandled. Following the final pass through the roller and the desired thickness is achieved, each piece reheated and is cupped. This stretches the bonds where the cup meets the bow. Still hot, the cymbal-to-be is now quenched in a cool bath. This annealing phase locks in the molecular bonds, although the cymbal must be allowed to rest before the metal can be worked. Following the quick cooling quench, the bronze metal is now pliable and resilient.
The entire process strengthens and bonds the metal so well that, once annealed, first-quality cymbal bronze can bounce like a ball and ring like a bell.
A center hole is punched, the edge is cut and the cymbal is made round. Now the cymbal is finally ready to be shaped.
Cymbals face diverging paths within the various stages of manufacturing depending on proprietary methods, design goals and the technological capacity of each manufacturer. Each path has its unique characteristics and outcomes, and it is this diversity of methods, combined with inconsistencies in the processes themselves, which give cymbals their infinite variability.
Master cymbal craftsman Paul Francis, maker of Cymbal Craftsman and Royal Cymbals, says there’s a built-in inconsistency in the whole process. While each step in the manufacturing is controlled as much as possible for consistency, these inconsistencies allow the potential for emergence of properties and characteristics unique to each and every cymbal.
Once cupped, annealed, sheered and a center hole has been punched, the raw blank may be hammered into shape by hand or pressed hydraulically (or both) under 75 tons of mechanical pressure. Hand or machine shaping instills permanent surface tension into the profile. Pressed cymbals can withstand extensive machine hammering.
Shaping and hammering are important steps which create surface tension, are a key part of the sonic characteristics of the cymbal, and allow them to maintain their shape over years and years.
Each cymbal is skillfully shaved in a process called lathing to remove the thin, oxidized surface skin or outer layer crust of the metal to create a complex yet open, clear sonic palette. The experienced lathe operator may make several passes with one or a combination of cutting tools. Lathing is a delicate job requiring a skilled operator. Otherwise weeks of work could be destroyed in seconds if too much metal is removed from the hard outer layer.
Due to simple physics, lathing results in the outer edge of a cymbal being thinner than the center, simply because there is more surface area. Shaving the outer layer opens up the cymbal, revealing its inherently shimmering and complex characteristics as a result of each of the previous steps. At this point however, the sound is still a bit tight. The finished cymbal opens up slightly after a few days’ rest, with it opening up more once the cymbal is played.
Historically, major changes in the methods of manufacture have coincided with major changes within the music. Cymbals influence the music the drummer makes, and the drummers influence the way cymbals are made. It is in the companies’ best interests to make cymbals which suit and inspire a drummer’s expression in the creation of either traditional or new forms of music.
The forging process used to make cymbals results in instruments that shimmer, are strong, complex, cutting, enduring and beautiful. The processes by which bronze alloy is transformed into a cymbal are tough, severe, even violent. By undergoing immense internal and external forces there emerges an instrument that is delicate, holds the essence of time and emits its brilliance through colors of sound.
Be like the cymbal.
Thanks for reading,
-- Brett F. Campbell
The countless hours spent, often late into the night, simply playing time on a ride and a pair of hats has been and continues to be invaluable for the development of my listening, my presence of mind and my touch. Exploring the complexities within an exceptional cymbal sharpens my mind, relaxes my body. It refines my hearing, elevates my attentiveness to the subtleties of time, dynamics, and phrasing. The cymbal is what draws me to the drumset more than anything else. Over time, it shapes a profound connection between me and possibility.
Now, what can be said about this ancient instrument that hasn’t already been said? The wild and obscure political history of which it is a part has been well-documented. Well, maybe not “well-documented”. Its history is obscure enough to have created a fair amount of myth and legend, along with misinformation and political intrigue. Aspects of cymbal-making and lawsuits regarding family ownership have been argued over by “experts” for years. This applies as well to stamp “timelines”, to the differing processes of B-20 pour-casting, roto-casting, and to the sheet casting of B8, B12 and B15 phosphor-bronze alloys, along with arguments regarding hand vs. machine hammering, cupping and shaping – needlessly controversial topics which all lie beyond the scope of this book.
Let this chapter simply be a brief homage to the humble, magical and mysterious cymbal: plates of sonorific bronze, kinetic intermediaries, the direct connection between us and the music.
The complexities within a beautiful cymbal can be as wide-ranging and as rich as an orchestra – a full dynamic range of tonal color. No two are alike, each a complicated sonic mix that is inherently unique. How might we describe some of these characteristics?
Cymbals add light, complexity, color, brilliance and darkness. The cymbal is an archetypal sound, not unlike the earliest bronze bells cast hundreds, even thousands, of years ago.
Great cymbals possess a sparkling, rich sound that is not only timeless, it defines time. As one of the world’s oldest instruments, the cymbal holds within it time itself. The cymbal beat embodies the time flow of the group. Historically the cast bell marked the start and end of the day, calling peasants to the court and as a call to action for soldiers and worshipers.
Through contrast and brilliance, cymbals add bass to the bass, bronze to the brass, teeth to the guitars, and a shimmer to the entire musical experience. They are a key component of the skin, wood, bones and bronze that make a drumset a drumset.
In an ensemble, cymbals have the unique ability to provide contrast, to penetrate or unify the sound spectrum of the group. They serve as punctuation. Well-placed cymbal sounds provide powerful emphasis, climactic explosiveness, marking the start or the end of a passage.
Uniquely unpitched, cymbal sounds can sit above, within or below the musical spectrum, altering and influencing the light, color, weight or darkness of the music. Some cymbal sounds arc smoothly over the top of the ensemble, with the meditative consistency of a summer shower on a tin roof. They can illuminate the space within music with vivid colors, contributing a smoky or shimmering atmosphere. And with the richness that comes only from a well-hammered bronze alloy, cymbals may also support the music from below.
The sound of the right cymbal can be a feather-light cushion upon which the soulfulness of the music can rest, or it can clash with the low, hearty “ssssshhhing” of a gladiator’s sword.
In the orchestra, an acoustic jazz trio, or a romping big band; in an electric guitar-based power trio or even electronic music, the cymbal propels and sizzles. A cymbal can sooth and caress or convey frenzied emotion.
Although it is one of the lightest of musical instrument sounds, the cymbal confidently unifies all the elements of rhythm within the group. Although to some they may seem inconsequential, an accessory or even a nuisance, the fact is that cymbals are the main voice contributing forward momentum to the music, and are the foundation for the comping and rhythmic embellishment of the drums.
American music since the early 1900’s is nothing if not syncopated, and it is, ironically, the cymbal’s light sound which carries the heaviest beats. This can be in a sense direct, as played by Jimmy Cobb, or indirectly and heavily syncopated, as played by Elvin Jones. By way of the cymbal, time is simultaneously held together and expressed.
Many of us are fascinated by cymbals, even to the point of infatuation. And for good reason: cymbals are the complex medium by which we develop our touch, phrasing, forward momentum and swing. They can be a gateway for the creation of a profound connection with sound, with learning and in the establishment of a personal discipline.
While cymbals may be the focal point of our rhythmic ideas, they are not without their contrasts and contradictions: simple yet complex, easy to play yet difficult to master; delicate yet strong, ancient yet modern. Cymbals can be bright and dark, icy while warm; they provide an even, continuous cushion yet accentuate, punctuate and penetrate.
They simultaneously expose weaknesses in our touch and inspire our best. Cymbals produce a wide spectrum of frequencies without a singular dominant pitch. Cymbals are simultaneously vibration generators and sound resonators. They speak the language of tradition yet are continually evolving. Capable of sounds described as pretty, bright, cutting and lush, their sounds can also be dark, ominous, and menacing. They blend well with virtually all instruments.
Their outer simplicity is misleading. Subtle adjustments to the metal’s shape, weight, profile, or to the hammering it receives, how it is shaped, lathed and the size and shape of its cup, all combine in infinite ways creating endless variations. Lying within each of them is a certain mystique. Well-made cymbals embody a sophisticated connection with time which transcends and dignifies the guttural utterances of the drum. Annealed, well-hammered and skillfully lathed bronze speaks with an unmistakable sound that resonates in our bones.
However, to some live sound engineers, cymbals present a nuisance to be eradicated at all costs.
As we know, proportions of copper (80%) and tin (20%) are combined to create the bronze alloy known as B20 bell bronze. Bell bronze is simultaneously hard and soft, able to withstand the intense processes necessary in creating these timeless instruments. Bell bronze rings out with unparalleled resonance.
The earliest bronze alloys were believed to have been created in Serbia and later Iran, about 2500 B.C. The casting of bronze bells are believed to have begun in China during the Shang and Zhou periods, roughly 1600 to 700 B.C.
Copper has had many positive uses and benefits over the course of human history, and dates back as far as 8000 BC. The unique electrical conductivity of copper is second only to gold. Copper is one of few metals frequently found in its metal state. That is, it sometimes need not be extracted from ore.
Copper possesses anti-bacterial qualities and has been used to purify water for centuries. We feel good around cymbals. Their high vibrational molecular structure resonates with our higher states of being.
Copper ores are sometimes found together with silver, gold, galena and many other minerals. The Andean region of South America, particularly Peru and Chile, produces about 45% of the worlds copper. Other major producers of copper include Indonesia, China, Australia, the USA and Canada. In the ground, porphyry (igneous rock infusion) copper deposits account for about 60% of the world's copper, with about 20% of copper deposits residing in sedimentary rock.
Massive, complex alchemical processes of fire and geo-tectonic forces transform raw earth into copper and tin ore over billions of years. Similar to the transformative forces of rock-making, intense fire and pressure are used in the foundry to transform raw materials into the brilliance of light and sound which shine forth from a beautiful cymbal.
Above ground, copper can be found in all areas of our lives, in electronic devices, wiring and in shipbuilding. Greater than 30% of the world’s copper is easily recyclable and is reused. Much of the copper used for cymbal making, the Turkish foundries in particular, comes from the recycling of telephone wire.
Cymbals date back to as early as China’s Bronze Age, which began in approximately 1700 BCE. According to legend, the ‘modern’ or Turkish cymbal-making formula was born four centuries ago in the year 1618 in Constantinople of an Armenian alchemist’s quest to create gold from base metals. For those who can “hear the difference”, that experiment was a success. This alchemist, Avedis I, later named Avedis Zildjian, discovered that mixing a fair amount of tin with copper produced a resonant and resilient alloy. Five years later, in 1623, Avedis was released from the sultan’s court and began creating his own cymbals which were heavily used in the Turkish Mehter bands of the period.
The primary cymbal-making regions today are North America, northern Europe, Italy, Turkey and southern China. While there are other bronze alloys and methods, the resilient and sonorous quality of an alloy made with 80% copper and 20% tin remains the most common for professional cymbals to this day. While there have been modern upgrades in the interest of efficiency and consistency, the basic principles of the manufacturing process is unchanged.
At the foundry, these raw materials are combined and melted at 2000°F (1093°C). The molten alloy is carefully poured into vessels to make individual castings which weigh between 1kg and 10kg.
Castings are cooled and sorted by weight. Next, the multiple two-step process of heating and rolling under immense pressure thins and strengthens the metal. In some instances this heating/rolling is repeated up to a dozen times. Before it passes through the roller, each disc is turned 90 degrees from the previous rolling, resulting in strong cross-lamination within the metal. The consecutive rolling and reheating procedure drastically alters the metal’s molecular cross-grain structure forming a key latticework within. This alignment plays an important role in durability and resonance.
At this stage the metal has become exceedingly hard and the internal structure has been knitted together to form strong molecular bonds. However, at this point it is brittle and could be shattered like glass if mishandled. Following the final pass through the roller and the desired thickness is achieved, each piece reheated and is cupped. This stretches the bonds where the cup meets the bow. Still hot, the cymbal-to-be is now quenched in a cool bath. This annealing phase locks in the molecular bonds, although the cymbal must be allowed to rest before the metal can be worked. Following the quick cooling quench, the bronze metal is now pliable and resilient.
The entire process strengthens and bonds the metal so well that, once annealed, first-quality cymbal bronze can bounce like a ball and ring like a bell.
A center hole is punched, the edge is cut and the cymbal is made round. Now the cymbal is finally ready to be shaped.
Cymbals face diverging paths within the various stages of manufacturing depending on proprietary methods, design goals and the technological capacity of each manufacturer. Each path has its unique characteristics and outcomes, and it is this diversity of methods, combined with inconsistencies in the processes themselves, which give cymbals their infinite variability.
Master cymbal craftsman Paul Francis, maker of Cymbal Craftsman and Royal Cymbals, says there’s a built-in inconsistency in the whole process. While each step in the manufacturing is controlled as much as possible for consistency, these inconsistencies allow the potential for emergence of properties and characteristics unique to each and every cymbal.
Once cupped, annealed, sheered and a center hole has been punched, the raw blank may be hammered into shape by hand or pressed hydraulically (or both) under 75 tons of mechanical pressure. Hand or machine shaping instills permanent surface tension into the profile. Pressed cymbals can withstand extensive machine hammering.
Shaping and hammering are important steps which create surface tension, are a key part of the sonic characteristics of the cymbal, and allow them to maintain their shape over years and years.
Each cymbal is skillfully shaved in a process called lathing to remove the thin, oxidized surface skin or outer layer crust of the metal to create a complex yet open, clear sonic palette. The experienced lathe operator may make several passes with one or a combination of cutting tools. Lathing is a delicate job requiring a skilled operator. Otherwise weeks of work could be destroyed in seconds if too much metal is removed from the hard outer layer.
Due to simple physics, lathing results in the outer edge of a cymbal being thinner than the center, simply because there is more surface area. Shaving the outer layer opens up the cymbal, revealing its inherently shimmering and complex characteristics as a result of each of the previous steps. At this point however, the sound is still a bit tight. The finished cymbal opens up slightly after a few days’ rest, with it opening up more once the cymbal is played.
Historically, major changes in the methods of manufacture have coincided with major changes within the music. Cymbals influence the music the drummer makes, and the drummers influence the way cymbals are made. It is in the companies’ best interests to make cymbals which suit and inspire a drummer’s expression in the creation of either traditional or new forms of music.
The forging process used to make cymbals results in instruments that shimmer, are strong, complex, cutting, enduring and beautiful. The processes by which bronze alloy is transformed into a cymbal are tough, severe, even violent. By undergoing immense internal and external forces there emerges an instrument that is delicate, holds the essence of time and emits its brilliance through colors of sound.
Be like the cymbal.
Thanks for reading,
-- Brett F. Campbell
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Text or images on this site may not be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior written consent of the author.