Garfield grip:

(Cymbal strap should be tied such that it makes a loop that has no twists and doesn't have the the same side of the strap touching itself)

1) Put your hand through the loop from the top side of the strap

2) Turn hand upside down

3) Move hand straight back and the strap should go in between your index finger and thumb.

have fun

hey soldierofthunder i need help flashin cymbals can u download pics and vidz?

Here's MY question. How do you convince a very up-tight band director to allow the cymbals to use bandannas in such a manner? I have the hardest time getting the director I work for to go for anything practical... Then again, he's a trumpet player...

what we do at my school is grab the entire stap in our hands and "throw" it around our wrists. Our motto also is " if you bleed, your doing it right." Im also looking for another way to spin like the youtube videos -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLtJYoEr8m4 - if any of you know how, i wouldn't might the secret being blown


- notice i ask the guy in the comments-

That is exactly the wrong way of doing it. Please tell me that you don't have an instructor standing in front of you telling you this. If you are bleeding, you probably need to reconsider how you are doing things. Would you expect to follow philosophy if you were playing a snare drum or any other musical instrument? Of course not. Why would that make any more sense with cymbals?

Actually he is kind of right. there is almost no avoidance of blood playing with any style of cymbals.

TC if you could please try and explain your pistol grip more because it doesnt sound like the way i marched pistol grip.

I'm well aware that there are going to be small nicks and cuts every once in awhile. Just as a snare can miss a rimshot and hit a finger on the rim or even someone reading a book and getting a papercut. Things like that happen.

What I do take issue with is someone saying "if you bleed, your doing it right", with the assumption that you are expected to bleed while playing cymbals. As if it makes you more macho? Maybe I'm just being "old school" and I am wrong on this one. Perhaps there is a contemporary movement of cymbal technique out there that I'm completely unaware of. I'd be willing to change my opinion and perceptions on playing cymbals if someone can explain to me which technique, when done properly, should cause bodily harm and/ or loss of blood.

well there is a point where someone is going to bleed from cymbals or just become very battered... my first year of indoor i had bruses(sp?) the size of softballs by my armpits.

at scouts all four of us had the inside of our elbows peppered with small cuts due to vibrations of the cymbals...and just messed up hands in general.

this year for indoor my line has a visual that is causing wear around the wrist causing some actual blood...oh and i cut my self why cutting my straps

One of the coolest visuals we did when I marched cymbals involved us and the rifle line.

For the cymbals you raised up you left hand beside your head. It was like a shield

The rifle line then acted like they were going to stab you in the head.

The simultaneously you move your right hand down to your side.


Then you would use your left foot and act like you kicked it up and when you bring your left foot behind you "kicking" the cymbal you spun it up.

So the counts would be
1-rest
2-shield cymbal down
3-rest
4-kick and bring the left hand cymbal back to your normal position

The spilling of blood in cymbal line will likely happen because far too many people aren't given direction and instruction by someone... well, period.

If you have decent technique, control, and the better part of your brain intact and functional the sight of blood caused by a cymbal within the act of performing or rehearsing should make u think, "man, I musta really f&%#ed up cuz I actually cut myself! I usually play with good technique, focus, and control and therefore don't gash myself open! I should refocus and play like I know what I'm doing cuz I look ridiculous right now like I can't handle my instrument."

Abrasions caused by straps from long rehearsals on the other hand will happen. You can either deal w/it or wear gloves that cover that part of the wrist. I believe Harbinger makes weightlifting gloves that work perfect. I marched an entire season @ Pacific Crest w/some beasty 20" Sabian Hand Hammered Germanic cyms w/no problems (well, the velcro stopped sticking after a while but that's why we have electrical tape :b).

As for armpit bruises I'm assuming those occurred as a result of playing chokes, yes? With things like that where playing the technique properly causes injury (I know it's just bruises but it's technically an injury nonetheless) you might want to consider changing the technique. I was taught to bring my chokes low enough so I don't nail my armpits and far back enough to get a complete stoppage of vibration immediately due to the amount of surface area inhibiting vibration. In short, if I aim my hands at a spot high on my hips it puts the cymbals in prime position to get a good choke by sandwiching a vibrating cym between my side and my arm. While it IS more difficult 2 get quick chokes you'll soon find yourself actually building chops cuz you'll be challenging yourself to get the speed back and the speed will be there if you work on it... it's called practice for a reason.

And lastly, as a prime example of why you don't need 2 injure yourself 2 b considered a hardcore cymballer I will explain my on-the-fly uninversion technique. Once you have a thorough understanding of how the cyms react 2 your body and vice-versa even the toughest of cymbals can be uninverted by slamming it quite hard and more importantly very accurately against the side of your hip. If you're not careful you WILL hurt yourself and get a gnarly bruise that's super-touchy. The rear part of the dome must hit the meaty part of your hip (where your thigh, butt and hip bone all meet up, the "sweet-spot"). If you do it right it wont really hurt, you may feel a slight but short-lived sting on your mid-thigh and ribcage areas (it's just the edges of the cym snapping back into position). But if you miss and your knot hits ur "sweet-spot" THAT will b painful and the cym will likely not even uninvert, which means u gotta try again. And please don't use your knees 2 uninvert, ur begging for fractures and future knee problems.

So don't get bloody, keep the bruises to a minimum and just focus and try to use some common sense. If it hurts it can most likely be done differently.

Ugh. I got little high school girls doing multiple pit vipers in competition every year at Paramount and I can't remember the last time somebody got cut. All the injuries they've received have been a result of lack of focus on either slides or chokes. Sorry 4 the rant it just boggles my mind how many people really are like the old joke says, "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." "Then don't do that." If you're getting injured while playing a musical instrument then you need to eliminate the cause of the injury, plain and simple.

BTW, how many bandannas get thrashed every year because some genius thot they'd make a good support system for huge chunks of metal? My kids work through leather straps pretty quick even WITH grommets. My girls would run thru a bandanna b4 lunchtime easy :b I can just see it now... cym tears thru a bandana, the knot slips thru and the cym either flys into a crowd and injures a spectator or it falls edge 1st onto the cement (FYI, dings on the edge caused by such droppages is what makes your cymbals crack at the edge in case you were wondering... so please protect your edges). I thot all this stuff was common sense but I guess protecting your health and your instrument are 2 complex ideas for so many people to understand. I hear whining all the time about how people don't respect cym lines and whatnot and I'm beginning to see why myself. If you don't take pride enough in what you do to educate yourself about these things than you have no right to say you're a cymbal player IMO. It just makes you some random shmoe that thot, "wow those sure r shiny and loud so that's what I'm gonna play, ahyuck!"

Well, now hopefully some people are a tad more educated about things and may just focus and think next time. That's all I ask guys, just use your brain if u got 1.