B12 A raw material used for cymbal making. See Materials for cymbal making
B15 A raw material used for cymbal making. See Materials for cymbal making
B18 A raw material used for cymbal making. See Materials for cymbal making
B20 A raw material used for cymbal making. See Materials for cymbal making
B8 A raw material used for cymbal making. See Materials for cymbal making
Bark Sound made by a half-open hi-hat when struck and closed right after the beat
Bending Playing technique where the shape of the cymbal is temporarily altered to cause changes in pitch and sound while striking it
Bell A major part of a cymbal. See Anatomy of a cymbal
Blending The ability of a cymbal to mix its sound with the musical environment it is played in
Body The lower part of a cymbal's sound range
Bonk Feel of a cymbal that is too stiff because it has too much tension in it. Bonky cymbals lack fullness and warmth of sound and may feel unpleasing to the wrist. Opposite is wobbly
Bow Main part of a cymbal. See Anatomy of a cymbal
Brass Common name for alloys consisting of copper and zinc with optional extra ingredients. See Materials for cymbal making
Bronze Common name for alloys consisting of copper and tin with optional other ingredients. See Materials for cymbal making
Buffing Polishing a cymbal, usually done with machines
Bumper Large mechanical hammering machine used to achieve the raw shape of a cymbal
Casting Process of pouring the fluid cymbal alloy into molds giving a pellet or ingot which is later rolled to the desired thickness
Charleston Machine Historical name for hi-hat
Chick Noise made by hi-hat cymbals when the hi-hat machine is closed with the foot
China (Type Cymbal), Chinese Style Cymbals Opposed to Turkish style cymbals Chinese type cymbals have the outer part of the rim flanged upwards and a bell with quadratic profile resulting in a harsh, explosive sound. Many intermediate types exist combining properties of both Turkish and Chinese concepts
Choke Sound resulting from striking a cymbal and immediately muting it by firmly grabbing its edge
Cleaning Futile attempt to keep a cymbal looking brand new. As with most other issues there are firm advocates and opposers
Coating More or less fruitful attempt of cymbal makers to preserve the original new look of a cymbal. The cleaner faction of cymbal players tends to regard this as the best thing since sliced bread while the others condemn it for spoiling the sound
Contrast Property of a cymbal setup containing very different sounds
Crack Common damage found in used cymbals. Mostly resulting from overplaying
Crash 1. Cymbal made or used to create a quick washing noise of many different frequencies used for accenting. 2. Playing technique to create such a sound by hitting a cymbals edge flat with the tapered front part of a drum stick
Cup Part of a cymbal. Also called bell. See Anatomy of a cymbal
Cut Ability of a cymbal's sound to penetrate the rest of the music being played. See Projection
Definition Ability of a ride cymbal to make the initial ping sound stick out from both the following wash sound and the sound of other instruments
Dents Common defect with used cymbals. See Maintenance
Edge The outer rim or circumference of the cymbal. See Anatomy of a cymbal
Electronic Cymbals A myth
Euro Style (cymbals) Describes the type of cymbal created from pre-manufactured disks as opposed to cymbals created from an individual casting of molten bronze. Misleading term (most possibly coined by a non-European person) because both schools of cymbal making can be found in and outside of Europe
Flat Ride Ride cymbal without a cup
Focus Property of a cymbal to concentrate its sound in certain frequency areas. Cymbals with too much focus sound narrow and tight. Opposite is spready
Inverting 1. Mounting a cymbal upside down. Frequently used with Chinese style cymbals. 2. Turning a cymbals edge inside out where the cup still faces in the original direction (for example Paiste Novo China)
Hammering Method of giving a cymbal its shape or profile
Hi-Hat 1. A pair of (usually evenly) small to medium sized cymbals mounted on a special stand with the edges touching. 2. A special cymbal stand allowing two cymbals to be pressed together (hi-hat closed) or to be slightly touching (hi-hat opened), operated by a foot pedal, giving a wide variety of sounds not possible with a single cymbal. See Bark, Stacking
Key holing Undesirable growth of the mounting hole of a cymbal. See Maintenance
Lacquer See Coating
Lathing Method of reducing a cymbal's thickness to the desired degree, increase the amount of high frequencies, and obtain a shiny surface
Mini Cup A smaller than usual cup with Turkish style cymbals. See Anatomy of a cymbal
MS63 A raw material used for cymbal making. Friendly name is brass. See Materials for cymbal making
Nicks
NS12 A raw material used for cymbal making. Friendly name is nickel silver
Overplaying Striking a cymbal too hard or with to heavy a tool. Most common cause for damaged cymbals, especially cracked ones
Paiste Sound Alloy (PSA) A raw material used for cymbal making. See Materials for cymbal making
Pang A variety of cymbal with a small Turkish style cup and a narrow Chinese type flange
Pellet
Ping 1. Sound of a drumstick's tip hitting the bow of a cymbal. 2. Component of a ride cymbal's sound produced by the attack of the stick's tip, as opposed to the wash that follows it
Pit mark Small hole in the cymbal's surface where there wasn't enough metal to fill the entire thickness of the cymbal
Power Volume, sound intensity, loudness of a cymbal
Profile Cross-section of a cymbal. The shape and height of the profile are the strongest sound-determining factors of a cymbal
Projection Ability of a cymbal to stick out and be heard above the surrounding instruments
Prototype Cymbal made by the research and development team of a cymbal manufacturer for internal review as opposed to the series cymbals sold to the public
PSA See Paiste Sound Alloy
Ride 1. Cymbal made or used for accompanying music with a musical ostinato of continued beats marking the 'time grid' or pulse of the music. 2. Playing technique to mark the beat or pulse by striking the bow or bell of a cymbal
Roughing Removing the raw surface of a newly cast cymbal with a lathing machine to achieve the desired thickness
Separation (between bow and bell) The amount of sonic difference between the bow and bell of a (ride) cymbal
Series Product line of cymbals of different types but with general sonic similarity through use of common material and manufacturing techniques
Sheet Metal Pre-manufactured raw material for cymbal-making (as opposed to cast pellets)
Short Property of a crash cymbal that quickly builds up its full sound and decays as fast
Shoulder Tapered front part of a drum stick (excluding the tip)
Sizzle Type of cymbal with rivets mounted in small holes, usually around the edge, giving a sizzling noise during the cymbal's decay phase
Sound Edge Type of cymbal with meandering edge, usually used as the bottom cymbal in a hi-hat pair. Being an original design and patented by Paiste, available from several brands after the patent expired
Spin-Forming Process of shaping a cymbal in a single operation by pressing a sheet-metal disk with a heavy metal roller against a mold in a rotating motion
Spread 1. A cymbal's process of building up overtones when struck. 2. A ride cymbal's ability to produce over and undertones besides the initial ping sound generated by the tip of the drum stick. Spread is opposed to focus
Stacking Mounting two (or more) cymbals on the same stand so they touch each other with the intention to create a new sound. The most established stack is the hi-hat pair of cymbals
Stand Device for holding a cymbal so it can be played conveniently (and source of damage and other trouble when used inappropriately)
Sand-Blasting Process of treating a cymbal's surface with a strong fan that blows sand on it. The result is a mat shimmer
Sustain A cymbal's ability to hold the sound for a while after it has been struck
Taper Amount of thickness decrease in a cymbal from the middle to the edge. See Anatomy of a cymbal
Tarnishing Natural aging process of bronze and other alloys exposed to air. May be retarded by protectional lacquering or waxing which in turn muffles the sound
Tempering Process of re-heating the cymbal metal before hammering to make it malleable and avoid cracking
'That old K sound' Reference to the 'legendary' sound of cymbals made in the K. Zildjian factory in Istanbul. Partly a myth
Tilter Device for mounting a cymbal on a stand at an angle
Trueing Checking a cymbal's even shape during production by putting it on a flat surface
Turkish Style Cymbals The western (and less ancient) variety of cymbals characterized by a cup-shaped inner part and a less curved outer part (ass opposed to the Chinese style cymbal)
Warpage 1. Indication of bad manufacturing where cymbal's edge doesn't touch a flat surface evenly. 2. Outcome of bending a cymbal over the elastic point where the inner tension of the cymbal cannot restore its original shape anymore
Wash The sonic component of a ride cymbal's sound building up after the initial ping
Weight One of the sound-determining factors in a cymbal. See Anatomy of a cymbal
Wobble Sound characteristic of a cymbal that is too thin, hammered to weakly, or has not enough tension in it. Wobbly cymbals lack definition and firmness of sound. Opposite is bonky
