Allan Speers Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Just a thought. as I was going through various combinations of my large collection of tops & bottoms, it suddenly hit me. I mean, drums have been around since the Neanderthals, but where the heck did the idea for hats come from? (bagpipes, too) I mean, who's the lunatic that invented hi-hats? Do we know the aproximate year, and what drugs was this guy taking? -And where can I get some? (the drugs, not the hats) ----------------------------------------------- but seriously, I have a few more questions for y'all: Is there such a thing as a "bottom" hat? I know that typically the bottom is the heavy one (a choice I happen to dissagree with, sonically) but is that all that's going on, or do the cymbal-makers actually pick all "tops" and "bottoms" first, based on some sonic quality, and THEN match them up? I ask because I've noiced a trend in MY hats (lots of 'em) wherein the tops tend to have less "wash" and "razz" (highly technical terms) and are more controlled sounding. yet, most are not actually labelled as to position. I realize that one can do whatever one pleases, I just want to know the theory behind the things. ALSO: I have found God's top-hat. It's a 70's vintage 14" Zildian. unfortunately, it has two rather MASSIVE cracks. These are a good 6" on either side. The cymbal still sounds phenomenal, though. The guy I bought this set from had been using it as the bottom, but this is a crime against nature and all things bronze. There's little chance it will survive on top. I know I can drill it, but I hate that idea. Has anyone ever repaired a crack by having is brass-welded? Super-glue? What are my best options? I need to save this gem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george costanza Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hi-Hats were conceived in the early jazz era, as was the "trap kit" in general. I can't recall who has been given the credit for this innovation but I do seem to recall that there has been some investigation into this...will research & get back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george costanza Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 BTW, isn't the bottom cymbal heavier not so much for sonic reasons but for stability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Hi-hats, or "sock cymbals," as they were first called, began as a method of smacking two orchestral crash cymbals together with your foot, thus freeing your hands to play other instruments. Over time, they developed their own vocabulary and playing techniques. Ironically, nowadays cymbal players in marching bands often hold the two cymbals together so snare drummers can play them with sticks like hi-hats. What goes around comes around. Whoever invented sock cymbals was a genius indeed, because he could then do the job of two percussionists and keep all the pay. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Gervais Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Yes, Hi-hats were created in the early jazz era.... actually 1931...... but i have never found a name credited with the invention. Brilliant man......... whoever he was. As far as top/bottom goes - all the newer hats are identified top/bottom - but i have some very old hats - zildjian circa mid 60's maybe - and the stamps are still readable - and they are not stamped with indentifiers. My belief (tis only a belief - so it could in fact be wrong) is that early hats were made exactly the same - and it didn't matter which was top/bottom. Any others have more information? Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_dup3 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 A call-in to "Not so Modern Drummer"'s message board has yielded---after 2 weeks---exactly 0 resonses to this question! (Does that mean it's too obscure or that they're lame? ) The search continues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRi Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 ive seen various jazz documentaries that touch on the emergent drum kits, as previously known colloquially as "traps". form what i remember yeah the 30's was boom time for drum kit technologies formative era, especially with a move form swing to bebop... with people like Dizzie Gillespie leading the stage going crazy i guess it was up to the drummer to keep up id love any links to early trap kits. i have this copy of an old photograph that cracks me up... this young african american smiling proudly over the top of a pile of chaotically balanced percussion "things".... thats the best drum kit ive seen also i think the doco "in the shadows of motown" mentions something about the hi-hat pedal... http://analogik.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedly Nightshade Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 Originally posted by D_Samp_DRi: ive seen various jazz documentaries that touch on the emergent drum kits, as previously known colloquially as "traps". form what i remember yeah the 30's was boom time for drum kit technologies formative era, especially with a move form swing to bebop... with people like Dizzie Gillespie leading the stage going crazy i guess it was up to the drummer to keep up id love any links to early trap kits. i have this copy of an old photograph that cracks me up... this young african american smiling proudly over the top of a pile of chaotically balanced percussion "things".... thats the best drum kit ive seen also i think the doco "in the shadows of motown" mentions something about the hi-hat pedal...Could be you're thinking of either Baby Dodds (Louis Armstrong) or Sonny Greer (Ellington), both of whom were at it in the 20's. They were at it long, long before Dizzy. Check out Chick Webb's kit, all mounted on a rolling aluminum cage, back in the 30's. He was the bandleader of choice at the Savoy for a long time. A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM! "There is nothing I regret so much as my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?" -Henry David Thoreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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