The Continuing Myths about Cymbal Alloys & Hammering - Part 3

Big Companies vs One Man Operations
There is a proliferation of cymbal makers out there today. It seems every other week there is a new company coming out of Turkey, saying “we make them the old way.” And now the Chinese companies have invaded, making Western style cymbals that get better every year. It’s a regular cymbal renaissance out there! As drummers, this is great. Never before has there been so many great cymbals to choose from! When I was a budding young drummer, there was just A. Zildjian in the US, K. Zildjian in Turkey, Paiste in Switzerland, and various Italian cymbals coming out of the UFIP consortium. And there weren’t all the different models & sizes either. Yes, these are great times for drummers & percussionists.
But to me, the most exciting development is the rise of the individual cymbal maker. These one man operations are doing things the bigger companies could/would never do. The sort of do-it-yourself cymbal revolution was started by Welshman, Steve Hubback. Steve started making cymbals & Gongs for himself, then attracted the attention of various European percussionists who asked if he could make something for them. Musicians such as Carl Palmer, Evelyn Glennie, Paolo Vinaccia, and others play his instruments (I have 2 Gongs and a shell chime of his). And things have grown from there. The beauty of Steve’s work is that it’s often done with whatever scrap metal he can source. He works in bronze, brass, nickel-silver, stainless steel—whatever he can forge into a musical instrument. 
And that’s what’s so cool about Steve and his creations is that, while all the big companies wage ad campaigns about how their alloy and process is better than everyone else’s, Steve just makes the most incredible sounding and looking instruments out of anything! He completely blows away all the big companies cymbal propaganda. And Steve has no permanent workshop, as he keeps moving around Europe, forging as he goes. 
Following this trend are a growing group of cymbal & Gongsmiths:
What’s interesting is how each of these cymbalsmiths has brought new and different ideas to the table. They are able to even custom tailor cymbals to a buyers specs. I encourage you to check out their websites. Each person has their own particular style and designs. Each one makes fantastic instruments.
~ MB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tam Tam vs Gong

Image
I can't tell you how many times this argument of "A tam tam is not a Gong" comes up. It came my way no less than 3 different times this week. Actually, 'tam tam' (also tam-tam) was 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term tam tam originated - some say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) To add to the confusion, 'tam-tam' is a term often used for either an   African  djembe or talking drum. When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum' or various works of Richard Wagner), then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used. Flat Faced Chinese Chau Gong/Tam Tam When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gon...
Read more

What to Look for When Buying a Gong

Image
Today's blog is a revised & updated blog I posted 3 years ago on my old website. I'm always having people ask me about buying a Gong. Well, here's some tips: •••••••• So you’ve decided to get a Gong. The first thing to ask is, what will I use a Gong for? What type of music do you play? Do you want to use it in a rock band, a jazz band, solo? Are you looking for a meditation device? These are important questions and will help determine what type and size of Gong to get.  One important thing to look at is how big a Gong do you want? Gongs are heavy. Gongs are not easy to transport. If this Gong will stay in your house/studio, then that makes it easy to have a larger size. But if you plan to travel in a band with it,  you need to look at the impact a different size Gong will have on transporting it.  A lot of drummers want a Gong because they look cool and sound cool. They also want that type of sound in their percussive arsenal.  A good place ...
Read more

Music Notation for Gongs

Image
Recently, I was asked a question about how Gongs are notated in a musical score. Here are various examples of different ways they have been notated, from traditional classical, to modern musical forms. The first thing is to differentiate the 2 main types of Gongs: the flat faced, usually termed Tam Tam in a classical score, and the Bossed Gong, with a raised center boss (AKA cup, nipple). A good example of a traditional symphonic Tam Tam part would be from Gustav Holst’s, The Planets . This example is from Mars, the Bringer of War : We can see the Gong/Tam Tam notated traditionally on a single staff line.  The next example is from Puccini’s opera, Turandot . This is the Tam Tam part, notated on the bottom line. Example #3 is also from Turandot. The score also calls for Tuned Bossed Gongs. Unfortunately I was unable to find a score example of them. John Cage used various Gongs in his percussion music. This is an example of how he notated ...
Read more