Clash cymbals
Two sets of clash cymbals in use in a marching band
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| Percussion instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Percussion |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 111.142 (Cymbals: Vessel clappers with everted rim) |
Clash cymbals (also called concert cymbals or orchestral cymbals) are cymbals played in matched pairs by holding one cymbal in each hand and striking the two together.
They are also called hand cymbals; however, a hand cymbal can also be a suspended cymbal struck by hand rather than with a beater, and western types are often called crash cymbals; however, a crash cymbal is more commonly a medium sized and strongly tapered suspended cymbal struck with a drum stick.
In musical scores, clash cymbals are normally indicated as cymbals or sometimes simply C.C. If another type of cymbal, for example a suspended cymbal, is required in an orchestral score, then for historical reasons this is often also indicated cymbals. Some composers and arrangers use the plural cymbals or crash cymbals to indicate clash cymbals, with the singular cymbal to indicate a suspended cymbal.
Composers will often mix clash cymbals and suspended cymbal on the same part. There are a number of techniques used to indicate which is desired. Whenever with stick or with mallet is written, a suspended cymbal is used. A return to clash cymbals can be specified with the Italian phrase a 2. Russian composers developed a notation to differentiate between clash and suspended cymbals in which a + (plus sign) is written over a note to be played on suspended cymbal and a ° (open circle) is written over a note to be played with clash cymbals.
Designers of various sound banks, such as the Garritan Personal Orchestra, distinguish between handheld and suspended cymbals by referring to the former as "Piatti cymbals", having already reserved the term "crash cymbal" for the latter. Since "piatti" is the Italian term for "cymbal", this may be an awkward, redundant term.
Clash cymbals are conventionally played by a standing player. In a marching band context, the player prepares for the crash by holding the cymbals parallel a few inches apart, with the surfaces vertical, one at waist height and the other some distance above it. They are struck together by bringing the upper cymbal down and the lower up to meet in approximately the middle.
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