Cymbal stand

A cymbal stand is a stand designed primarily to support a suspended cymbal in a drum kit or percussion section.

There are many forms, including:

The hi-hat stand is a stand for supporting and operating a pair of clash cymbals; The term cymbal stand in English does not normally include this specialised stand.

As well as cymbals, cymbal stands are used to support many other small percussion instruments, and accessories such as practice pads.

Although very ancient examples of single cymbals have been found, all ancient references to cymbals and related instruments have them played in pairs similar to modern clash cymbals.

The first modern use of a single cymbal was the orchestral use of a suspended cymbal, using one of a pair suspended by its strap. As suspended cymbals became more common, stands were devised to support them from below. However, even towards the middle of the twentieth century, there was no provision for tilting the cymbal. Cymbals were supported in the same horizontal position as a cymbal suspended by its strap, by brackets affixed to drums, particularly to bass drums, and increasingly on stands. Such horizontal mounting required neither upper felt nor wingnut.

Increasing drum kit sizes and increasingly elaborate drum kit parts led to development of versatile modern stands, that allow cymbals to be secured and positioned in almost any position and at almost any angle.

The simplest free-standing cymbal stands consist of a metal tripod with two or three concentric tubes allowing height adjustment, and a button at the top to allow angle adjustment. Above the button, a mounting bolt goes through the cymbal.

Below the cymbal, the mounting bolt passes through first a dome washer and then a bottom felt, which support the cymbal. The bolt then passes through the cymbal. The part of the mounting bolt that passes through the cymbal is separated from the cymbal by a sleeve, most commonly of plastic, which protects the metal cymbal from contact with the metal bolt. Omission of this sleeve by beginners is common, and leads to keyhole damage to the cymbal mounting hole, and often also to cracking around the hole.

Instead of a metal dome washer and separate plastic sleeve, some stands use a plastic bottom washer, either domed or flat, combined with the sleeve as a single piece.

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Wikipedia