cymbals

views updated May 18 2018

cymbals. Perc. instrs. consisting of plate-shaped discs made of brass or other metal with leather handles. Played by being held one in each hand and clashed together; or fixed on a stand enabling the foot to do the clashing; or one can be fixed to the side of a big drum and the other clashed on to it; or they can be rattled at their edges; or one cymbal can be struck with a drumstick (or wire brush) or a roll perf. on it with drumsticks. Antique cymbals, specified in some scores (e.g. Debussy's L'Après-midi d'un faune), are tuned to a definite pitch. Ordinary cymbals have no definite pitch but one may sound higher than another. See choke cymbals, Chinese crash cymbals, and sizzle cymbals.