Assuming

one higher pitched crash cymbal (on the left side of the drumkit)

and one lower pitched crash cymbal (on the right side of the drumkit)


did you notice any particular method on where drummers choose to strike the higher pitched and where the lower pitched crash cymbal....


for example on the very first bar of a song...would most play the lower pitched one to enter the song or the higher one?


i'm just trying to understand where each one is used more often.....any particular things to keep in mind?


thanks

 

Spoiler: What you mean, one left, one right?

Crash cyms are tuned (like timpani and toms) and panned (like toms) percussion, use them as such.

At the very first bar I mostly, but not only, use the centered crash or two (left and right).

 

i assume that there's 2 crash cymbals and one is higher in pitch and one lower in pitch

when u say centered crash which one u mean?

 

The third - of the VSTi drumkit I use. Why restrict to two?

 

When you say higher pitched, i'm assuming you mean a 16" cymbal on the left side. A 17" would be in the middle and an 18" would be on the right for example.

Usually, drummers use the left cymbals if the beat they're playing next is on the hi-hats, hence it's closer in proximity to where the sticks are. Some use the middle one at the start of a bar. No rules really, it all depends what fits the song. Just use your ear.

The right crash on the right is usually larger as i mentioned (18") because the tone would blend better with the ride cymbal, so they put it on the right side so they can reach for it faster when "riding". Typically, a bar involving ride cymbal would see a lot of that crash.

Again, no rules, use your ears.

 

It depends. Sustain is something that I consider more than the relative pitch of the cymbal. Do I want it to decay quickly or hang around a little? That comes back to the thickness of the cymbal more than it's diameter. Sometimes I use a ride for for a long crash and crash for a ride. When you have been playing drums as long as I have, you just develop an instinct for what is going to sound like what you want in different sections of the song. There really are no set rules. Sometimes I substitute things considered the usual or normal just to add some style, like putting a cowbell strike where a crash might go, or choking the cymbal or striking it from the side edge. How and where a cymbal is struck changes everything. If you can think of a hundred different ways to strike a cymbal, you will get a hundred different sounds. Sometimes I play them with a bow on the edge. lol

 

Hey There,
I've been playing acoustic drums all my life so here are my thoughts:
- You could use the crash cymbal that fits the chord of the song that you want to give an accent. With digital cymbals/drums you can shift the pitch of the cymbal so that it fits the sound and tone.

- With a live band I would normally use the larger cymbal when going to a Verse. It's lower in sound and therefore gives less energy which suits a verse
- Use the higher-pitched (e.g. the smaller) cymbal when you go to the Chorus. Most of the time that is a part of the song that has the most "Energy" and you can emphasize that with the higher sounding cymbal.
- For the Bridge/Middle 8 it can go both ways depending on the level of energy. This also true when going to a break/moment where the music stops but vocals continue.

But music although based on theory is much more a matter of emotion/feeling so there are no rules in this case. Do what sounds best or feels best to the track you are producing.