Theride cymbal is acymbal of materialsustain used to maintain abeat in music.[1] A standard in mostdrum kits, the ride's function is to maintain a steady pattern, sometimes called aride pattern, rather than provide theaccent of acrash cymbal. It is normally placed on the extreme right (ordominant hand) of a drum set, above thefloor tom.[2] It is often described as delivering a "shimmering" sound when struck soundly with a drumstick, and a clear ping when struck atop its bell.
The ride can fulfill any function or rhythm thehi-hat cymbal does, with the exception of an open and closed sound.[2]
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The termride may depict either the function or characteristic of the instrument. Most cymbal makers manufacture specific cymbals for the purpose.
Alternatively, some drummers use achina cymbal, asizzle cymbal or a specialized tone such as aswish orpang as a ride cymbal. When playing extremely softly, when usingbrushes, and when recording in a studio, even a thin crash may serve well as a ride cymbal.
When playing extremely loudly, a cymbal designed as a ride may deliver a very loud, long crash, due to its superiorsustain after being struck.
Cymbals designatedcrash/ride or more rarelyride/crash serve as either a large slow crash or secondary ride, or in very small kits as the onlysuspended cymbal.
Bell-less ride cymbals, known asflat rides, have a dry crash and clear stick definition. Quieter, they are popular in jazz drumming. Developed byPaiste in the 1960s, flat rides are used by notable drummersRoy Haynes,Jack DeJohnette,Paul Wertico,Carter Beauford,Jo Jones andCharlie Watts.[citation needed]
The highly regarded Paiste 602 Flat Ride was reissued in 2010, but is only available in 20" medium.
Swish and pang cymbals are exotic ride andcrash/ride cymbals similar tochina cymbals in tone.
A sizzle cymbal, thinner and one size larger than the main ride, was common in some styles of earlyrock music as a secondary ride cymbal, particularly for accompanying guitarlead breaks.
When struck, a ride cymbal makes asustained, shimmering sound rather than the shorter, decaying sound of acrash cymbal. The most common diameter for a ride cymbal is about 20 inches (51 cm), but anything from 18 inches (46 cm) to 22 inches (56 cm) is standard. Smaller and thinner cymbals tend to be darker with more shimmer, while larger and thicker cymbals tend to respond better in louder volume situations, and conversely. Rides of up to 26 inches (66 cm) and down to 16 inches (41 cm) are readily available, and down to 8 inches (20 cm) are currently manufactured. The very thickest and loudest tend to be about 22 inches, with larger rides restricted to medium and medium thin thicknesses.
| Audio samples | ||
|---|---|---|
| Component | Content | Audio(Ogg Vorbis) |
| Ride | Hit on thebow | 61 KBⓘ |
| Hit on thebell of the cymbal | 71 KBⓘ | |
| Hit on therim | 67 KBⓘ | |
| See theDrums page atWikimedia Commons for more | ||
Inrock orjazz, the ride cymbal is most often struck regularly in a rhythmic pattern as part of the accompaniment to the song. Often the drummer will vary between the same pattern either on thehi-hat cymbal or the ride cymbal, playing for example the hi-hat in the verses and the ride in the instrumentals and/or choruses.
The sound of a ride cymbal also varies depending on what kind ofmallet is used to hit it. Inrock andmetal, wood and nylon-tipped drum sticks are common; wood creates a smoother, quieter sound, whereas nylon tips create more of a "ping". It creates a low vibration to keep a steady beat, but a low sound volume. The bell, the bulge in the center of the cymbal, creates a brighter, less sustained sound. The bell creates such a brilliant tone compared to the subtle sound of the bow that it is often used as somewhat of another cymbal. Some ride cymbals, seen more often in various forms of metal and harder subgenres of rock, have an unusually large bell. This lessens the accuracy required to repeatedly hit the bell in fast patterns, and produces a louder, brighter tone than in most ride-cymbal bells.
Modern use of the ride cymbal was inspired by jazz drummerBaby Dodds's press roll rhythms.[4] According to the Percussive Arts Society, which inducted him into its hall of fame, "Dodds' way of playing press rolls ultimately evolved into the standard jazz ride-cymbal pattern. Whereas many drummers would play very short press rolls on the backbeats, Dodds would start his rolls on the backbeats but extend each one to the following beat, providing a smoother time flow."
The most basic ride pattern in rock and other styles is:[3]
Injazz, this would normally be playedwith a swing.Playⓘ