Top Cymbals Every Drummer Needs in Their Kit

Cymbals can’t be underestimated or overlooked when building your perfect drum kit, as they add dynamics, character, and spark to your drummer’s sound, helping you become memorable and unique. Let’s find out what cymbals every drummer needs in their kit.

Parts of Cymbals that Affect the Sound

First, let’s explore the parts of cymbals that matter. Cymbals consist of a few significant parts:

• The bell (or cup as some people call it). The larger, wider and taller it is, the more projection a cymbal has and the louder it sounds. Lower bells bring volume and projection slightly down.
• The body ( the bow, the middle section of the cymbal). The more curvature the body has, the higher the pitch. The lower and flatter its profile, the lower is the pitch.
• The edge. The thickness of the edge affects the ability of the cymbals to be crashable.

Cymbals may have the same cup but feature different weights. The weight affects the pitch: the thinner the cymbal, the higher it sounds. However, it also affects the feel. Lighter options are thinner and more flexible compared to heavier cymbals.

When browsing cymbals, you’ll likely come across polished ones with smooth surfaces and unlathed surfaces. Polished cymbals result in glassy sound, while unlathed (also known as raw) cymbals absorb the energy and make them decay faster due to the oxidation effect.

How to Find Perfect Cymbals: Aspects to Consider 

The cymbals you need in your set are a kind of standard set, featuring a 14-inch hi-hat, a 16-inch crash, and a 20-inch ride. In some cases, crash and ride cymbals are replaced by dual-purpose 18-inch crash-ride cymbals, providing enough volume to serve as a ride and featuring light construction to be used as a crash. As a beginner, you may start with a cymbal set including all necessary pieces, however this may limit your abilities to choose cymbals with different weights than those included in the set. By selecting individual cymbals, you have more options to choose from.

You can start with brass cymbals, which are more budget-friendly, or go for starter bronze options that are believed to be more sophisticated. Professional cymbals typically offer a wider range to find the sound you truly want.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when selecting cymbals:

1. When selecting a hi-hat, consider that the bottom cymbal should be slightly heavier than the top cymbal. This rule helps you achieve a good-sounding option even with low-budget brass cymbals.
2. Heavier genres like rock require heavier cymbals, while lighter music, like jazz, need lighter cymbals.
3. The thinner the cymbal, the more quickly it responds when you hit it.
4. Your technique also matters. If you hit cymbals incorrectly that can make even high-price cymbals sound poorly.
5. It's important to listen to yourself and consider your genre. However, to have versatile kits able to deliver a great palette of sounds, you should be open for experiments and be ready to combine various sizes and brands.

Crash Cymbals 

Crash cymbals help highlight transitions and climaxes in songs by adding excitement and energy, which makes them ideal for fills and accents.

Options to consider:

• 16-18-inch cymbals (like Sabian HHX Evolution Crash).These are perfect for quick accents with a splash sound. A good option for those who already use bigger cymbals.
• 19-inch crash cymbal (like Dream Contact Crash/Ride Cymbal). It’s big enough to be versatile for many styles. This cymbal can also be used as a ride cymbal, which makes it a good dual-purpose option.
• 22-inch crash cymbal (like Sabian HHX 22 Complex crash). It delivers a big explosive thunderous sound and can be used across genres, blending perfectly with the mix.

Ride Cymbals 

Ride cymbals are larger cymbals used to maintain a steady tempo during verses or quieter parts of the song. Having a clear bell sound and long sustain, they create a “bed” for other instruments.

Options to consider:

• 21-inch ride cymbal with traditional finish (like Istanbul AGOP Jazz Ride). These provide you with a nice articulate sound, which sounds darker and help it stand out among higher frequencies in jazz settings.
• 24-inch cymbal (like Paiste 2002 Big Beat Ride). This cymbal has a pronounced taper and a strong bell. A larger size and bigger weight provide you with better projection that helps you cut through guitar mix.
• 23-inch cymbal with traditional finish (like Zildjian Sweet Ride). This provides a good crash ability and is favoured by punk musicians.

Hi-Hats

Hi-hats provide music with a rhythmic heartbeat or, in other words, form the rhythmic foundation, offering several sounds: closed, half-open, or fully open. Hi-hats consist of two cymbals mounted on a stand, controlled by a foot pedal.

Options to consider:

• 15-inch hi-hats with bronze alloy (like Paiste 2002). This provides a full-bodied bright sound, which works well for traditional styles.
• 14-inch hi-hats (like Avedis Zildjian Vintage hi-hats). These are versatile options widely used in rock, fusion, and pop styles.
• 15-inch hi-hats (like Byzance). These produce heavy and dark sound that makes them the best choice for metal and hard rock music.

China Cymbals

Thanks to their distinctive inverted shape, china cymbals produce a raw, trashy sound, which works perfectly for aggressive music styles such as metal and hardcore. China cymbals provide a unique tone fitting well into energetic moments.

Options to consider:

• 18-inch Wuhan China. This one provides a classic, raw China sound at an affordable price.

Splash Cymbals

Despite their small size, splash cymbals provide loud sounds, which are perfect for quick, bright accents during fills, breaks, and solos. These cymbals add variety to your playing.

Options to consider:

• 10-inch Paiste PSTX Splash. This cymbal is perfect for fast, explosive sound. Thanks to holes featured proportional to its size, the cymbal sounds noisy and trashy.

Final Word 

This was our excursion into the world of cymbals, which can help you build your unique drummer’s sound. Recently we’ve also shared Tips on Selecting Drumsticks for Beginners. Check them out for helpful insights. We also invite you to explore our range of High-Quality Accessories for Drummers featuring a different series of cymbal sets and reliable leather bags for your drumsticks.