Suspended cymbal
Encyclopedia
A suspended cymbal is any single cymbal
played with a stick or beater rather than struck against another cymbal. A common abbreviation used is sus. cym., or sus. cymb. (with, or without the period).
, in which the term cymbals normally refers to a pair of clash cymbals
. The first suspended cymbals used in the modern orchestra were one of a pair of orchestral cymbals, supported by hanging it bell upwards by its strap. This technique is still used, at times, but has largely been replaced by specialised cymbals with larger mounting holes that can be mounted on a cymbal stand.
Occasionally the term suspended cymbal is still used in the original sense of one of a pair of orchestral cymbals hung by its strap, and this is the usage in older scores and may be the wish of modern conductors in playing them. It is essential to check this before committing to a particular technique.
On the other hand, some orchestras now forbid use of cymbals in this way. Thin cymbals are particularly liable to damage if played energetically with a beater.
s, or swells. To do this, the player uses a single-stroke roll on the outside edge of the cymbal, using soft mallets, one on each side. The terminology most commonly used to describe this technique is a suspended cymbal roll. At times, a score also calls for hitting the cymbal with a stick or scraping it with a triangle
beater. Other techniques utilize the bow of a string instrument, usually that of a contrabass
, to be drawn slowly across the outside rim of the cymbal. This technique will give a very shrill, eerie sound, particularly useful in film music.
Another lesser-known technique is to place a suspended cymbal upside down on a timpani
head. The timpanist is instructed to roll ad lib on the suspended cymbal while moving the timpani pedal up and down as a glissando
. Film composer Danny Elfman
has made great use of this technique, which needs to be performed in a more "transparent" orchestral setting to be heard.
Other composers will use a sample
, or recording, of the cymbal struck by a mallet with a long, natural decay. They will then play that segment backwards, so the effect heard is a crescendo
to a crisp cutoff of the sound. This is used to great effect for film music, pop music
, and even to punctuate scenes in many so-called reality television
shows.
, nearly all the cymbals used are suspended cymbals in the broadest sense, the main exceptions being pairs of hi-hat cymbals.
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
played with a stick or beater rather than struck against another cymbal. A common abbreviation used is sus. cym., or sus. cymb. (with, or without the period).
History
The term comes from the modern orchestraOrchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, in which the term cymbals normally refers to a pair of clash cymbals
Clash cymbals
Clash cymbals or hand cymbals are cymbals played in identical pairs by holding one cymbal in each hand and striking the two together.-Terminology:The technical term clash cymbal is rarely used...
. The first suspended cymbals used in the modern orchestra were one of a pair of orchestral cymbals, supported by hanging it bell upwards by its strap. This technique is still used, at times, but has largely been replaced by specialised cymbals with larger mounting holes that can be mounted on a cymbal stand.
Occasionally the term suspended cymbal is still used in the original sense of one of a pair of orchestral cymbals hung by its strap, and this is the usage in older scores and may be the wish of modern conductors in playing them. It is essential to check this before committing to a particular technique.
On the other hand, some orchestras now forbid use of cymbals in this way. Thin cymbals are particularly liable to damage if played energetically with a beater.
Technique
In an orchestral setting, suspended cymbals are most often used for rolled crescendoCrescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
s, or swells. To do this, the player uses a single-stroke roll on the outside edge of the cymbal, using soft mallets, one on each side. The terminology most commonly used to describe this technique is a suspended cymbal roll. At times, a score also calls for hitting the cymbal with a stick or scraping it with a triangle
Triangle (instrument)
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve...
beater. Other techniques utilize the bow of a string instrument, usually that of a contrabass
Contrabass
Contrabass refers to a musical instrument of very low pitch; generally those pitched one octave below instruments of the bass register...
, to be drawn slowly across the outside rim of the cymbal. This technique will give a very shrill, eerie sound, particularly useful in film music.
Another lesser-known technique is to place a suspended cymbal upside down on a timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
head. The timpanist is instructed to roll ad lib on the suspended cymbal while moving the timpani pedal up and down as a glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
. Film composer Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
has made great use of this technique, which needs to be performed in a more "transparent" orchestral setting to be heard.
Other composers will use a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, or recording, of the cymbal struck by a mallet with a long, natural decay. They will then play that segment backwards, so the effect heard is a crescendo
Crescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
to a crisp cutoff of the sound. This is used to great effect for film music, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and even to punctuate scenes in many so-called reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
shows.
Other uses
In a drum kitDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, nearly all the cymbals used are suspended cymbals in the broadest sense, the main exceptions being pairs of hi-hat cymbals.