Skip to main content

High-Hat Techniques

Hi-hat technique involves learning how to use the foot pedal to play open and closed positions with the hi-hat. The drummer also must know the standard and non-standard hand position. Usually the dominant hand is used to play the hi-hat, while the non-dominant hand plays the snare drum. However, there are exceptions to this type of playing as well. Hi-hats consist of two cymbals that face each other and are controlled by a foot pedal.

Closed


When the drummer closes the hi-hat by pressing down on the foot pedal the hi-hat is said to be closed. This creates a muffled sound since the cymbals on the hi-hat are not free to vibrate unimpeded. Closing the hi-hat is often used along with a right hand steady eighth or 16th note rhythm to help provide the back-beat and tempo for a song. The drummer may also choose to turn a cymbal upside down and put it on top of the hi-hat to create an extra timbre.

Open


Open position is the natural position of the hi-hat. It is achieved by leaving the foot pedal all the way up. Often, the drummer will alternate between closed and open position, clanging the lower and top cymbals together. This creates an effect that provides an effective vibration on the main beats when the cymbal is open and a closed muffled sound on the offbeats when the cymbal is closed. A drummer will rarely use a closed position on the first beat and an open on a weak beat. The nature of strong and weak beats, demands the more powerful and penetrating open cymbal on strong beats.

Cooking


Cooking is a technique when used in jazz music to slightly offset the beat. This type of playing is also known as swing. The note values are not taking literally, and couplets of eighth notes are typically played with the first note longer than the second. With cooking the cymbals are closed and struck for the first part of the pattern and then opened and allowed to ring on the second part of the pattern. Sometimes, the drummer may throw in an additional clicking sound by hitting the side of the snare drum.

Open-Handed Playing


The traditional playing technique is to play the hi-hat with the right hand while the left and crosses under to play the snare. A technique called open-handed playing allows the drummer to play the hi-hat with the left hand since that hand is closer to the cymbal and the left hand plays the snare drum. This prevents the crossing of hands that can be awkward in certain playing conditions. This technique was termed open-handed because the drummer is not crossing his hands to play.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more