Instruments - Part 21

 Cymbals

Cymbals are a percussion instrument used in orchestral, rock and pop music.  They are descended from an ancient instrument called crotales, which consisted of small metal hand-held disks that were struck together.  Above is a Roman statue of a dancing faun playing crotales.

Modern cymbals are large metal disks that can be smashed against each other at an orchestral climax, or they can be mounted on a vertical rod as part of a drum set and played by striking them with a drumstick.  Above is the drummer of the Brazilian band Das Bandas do Oficina playing the drum and cymbals.

A variant of the cymbals in a drum set is the hi-hat.  This consists of two cymbals mounted on a pole with a foot pedal that brings the cymbals together.  Above, the drummer of Das Bandas do Oficina is playing the drum and striking the hi-hat.  Most of the time, he keeps the hi-hat closed (the cymbals are pressed together) so it produces only a muted sound when struck, but from time to time he opens the hi-hat to produce a different, louder sound.

Here's a guy with a drum set in his back yard in San Francisco in 2011.  He's playing the drums and cymbal.  He also has a hi-hat at the back of the drum set, but he's not using it.

One final instrument related to the cymbals is the gong.  It's also a metal disk, and it produces a similar sound.  The larger the gong, the lower the pitch.  This brief clip with a large gong is from the opening credits of the 1955 movie The Ladykillers.  By the way, I recommend the movie.  It's an early Alec Guinness black comedy in which a bunch of crooks are foiled by a little old lady.