Cymbal Basics with notation!

The purpose of this video is to provide an insultingly basic approach to marching cymbals. My technique might leave a bit to be desired, but if you want to touch on some cymbal terminology and see cymbal music performed live with the score, I hope this helps! This is not to be considered comprehensive or exclusive; there's lots of ways to approach this instrument. If you have a dedicated instructor, please follow what they teach you in that ensemble. This is more to help people who might have no live source of knowledge and want a set of foundational ideas on which to build.
More about me and what I'm up to at www.OrnithMusic.com

[@AlexV05]

I’m writing cadences for my drumline and I didn’t want to leave the cymbals out. So thank you very much, this helps me learn cymbal terminology and such :)

[@ornithmusic]

So glad to help! I'd love to hear what you're working on if you ever want to share

[@sophiadiaz1672]

This was so helpful as a first time band director teaching marching band!! Thank you!!!

[@ellerykinneyusc865]

This was super helpful I'm starting cymbals in two days and this made it easy to learn quickly

[@ornithmusic]

I’m so glad to hear that! If you have an instructor, definitely use and adhere to the vocabulary that they use or the forms they show you, but I’m so glad this video helped! Marching cymbal lines are such wonderful things, even though they’re rare. If you need any more clarification, or want a follow up video about specific techniques, I’d be happy to make one!

[@liamreynolds2506]

As a cymbal player who has been doing it competitively for the past year, this was a interesting video to look into. I've been working on ways to help teach some of the newcomers to cymbals learn the basics and even with variations this is as simple as it can get for a starting point so that you for making this video.

[@ornithmusic]

Thank you so much for your kind words! These are the basic set of techniques I use for all my beginners, so I’m glad it’ll help you share as well! That was exactly my goal, to provide a first step for those who want to learn. It can definitely be tricky to keep cymbal players engaged. It’s especially difficult without a dedicated instructor or extra time to work these specific techniques. When I write for an all-rookie cymbal line, I try to get them familiar with this set of skills, that way they can expand to releases and more visually complex manoeuvres but still contribute musically. I wish good skill to anyone learning these techniques!

[@nathalie4822]

I want to try to go into cymbal line, so this was super helpful to watch!

[@ornithmusic]

Glad I could help!

[@busunit3824]

Thanks for helping me with my technical skills as a beginning cymbal player.

[@ihateboardman]

amazing demonstration! keep up the easy to follow basic instructions on approaching marching cymbals!

[@Thorn13374]

Thanks for this. I’m heading to college marching where I’m in cymbals and this definitely has made me excited and helped me understand my music more. Thank you

[@ornithmusic]

So glad it helped you out! I wish you success with your season on cymbals. I hope your group uses the same or similar terminology! The more I teach, the more names I find for the same techniques 😅

[@haleyrichardson9844]

This video was really thorough and helped so much, thank you!

[@ornithmusic]

I’m so glad it helped! You’re very welcome!

[@Ncolasg]

Thank you man! I'm a composer from Brazil, and I'm learning so much about percussion writing, thanks for this.

[@surendersingal2192]

Thank you sir For teaching basics of marching cymbals n variations in crash sounds etc.

[@yapraga]

Thank you! A much needed lesson!

[@pianomaster995]

Thank you so much. I’m practicing to audition for the rose parade

[@zachariahbird971]

Super useful man for aspiring musicians looking into understanding the craft. thanks for putting this together!

[@SerenityMusic3]

Beautiful explanation ❤

[@daryerisperez8312]

Thanks!!!

[@roscioocasio4385]

Thank you Mr. Ornith for taking the time to show us your playing technique. I think I may have done some "distorted" variation of what you were showing when I played an approximate 6" diameter pair of Chinese Cymbals at a Chinese Buddhist Temple for almost 5 years and 9 months. Since I played by ear and both the Senior Monk and the Filipino Monk on the drum and bell (who I followed closely because we both enjoyed "freeplay" style of playing) could chant and play quickly, my style of playing was adaptive and fluid. The cymbals had ribbons that allowed me to adjust finger and palm positions as needed per the music. That's why I am trying to find a pair of 7" or 8" diameter cymbals ( I feel may be the "sweet spot" for the sound quality I am looking for without breaking the piggy bank) to maintain the skill. I haven't played since 5/23/23; because of a rift with some people at the temple. Thanks again for this video. Blessings! 🙏🙏🙏💜💐

[@ornithmusic]

Hello! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'm glad to hear that even folks outside of the marching world enjoy this one. I hope you can get back to playing soon!

[@Paper.Scraps]

i got cut from winter percussion auditions for my school unfortunately for the 2024 season. i tried for cymbal line and i was next on the list but they couldnt have me cuz it'd be too much :') im working on enhancing my skillset so my chances go up for the 2025 season!

[@justanothercrusader6166]

All power to you, best of luck!!! You’ll get it with enough hard work!!!

[@saltypickle4639]

How do you tell the difference between a port crash and a three step crash on sheet music?

[@ornithmusic]

There may be other ways that I'm not as familiar with, (usually a distinct notehead), but I will almost always use the default notehead and include the text "port" or "port crash" directly above. For clarity's sake, I'll almost always include the technique I'm after, even if the context renders it intuitive.

[@jamesisbrandt]

Your high hat is totally all wrong. You’re only choking the sound. A cymbal high hat sound actually has a tone. Yours has no tone whatsoever.