Tips for Selecting Cymbals for Jazz Drumming 

I'm so glad you mentioned that a lot of the old K's sounded bad.

For jazz I like 'drier' cymbals with a lot of stick definition. I have a Meinl 'Vintage Pure' 22" light ride cymbal that I purchased a few years ago that is just about perfect for jazz..excellent stick definition with just enough 'carry' and it doesn't build up volume too much through fast bop patterns and it crashes well. Also have an older Zildjian K 22" flat ride which I often pair with the Meinl to give me a different ride voice for different passages in a tune. For a crash for jazz settings I use an old Zildjian 19" thin crash with rivets it has a lovely wash when struck near the edge with brushes. My best hats are an old Zildjian A 15" top with rivets paired with a Zenjian heavy 15" hand-hammered bottom. That cymbal combination serves me well for jazz and most applications..for louder volume situations I switch to Zildjian 'A' rides and crashes. Nice playing as usual.

You have been an invaluable source of wisdom and knowledge Rick, thank you so much for all that you do 😊

Brands ! So glad to see someone who says we can mix collection of cymbals ! Thank you !!!!

Great clip, great playing👍 I used to look for thin ride cymbals with as little hum (low overtone, not the white noise) as possible. I found them allright but then I started to think think that those pieces didn't have much personality in them. Nowadays I choose cymbals that have little of that hum sound, very pleased with my current collection

Several years ago I started getting serious about getting my chops back together (after having played a lot of straight 8th backbeat music for decades) and I needed to get my gear together for playing more Jazz. So, the Gretsch USAs came back out of storage and I started piecing together a set of cymbals. I found a really nice set of 13" K Custom Dark hats that really sound and feel great. Then, as you mentioned, I wanted to find three nice crash-able rides and I found a new 20" K Constantinople Bounce and 19" K Con Crash/Ride. They complement each other perfectly and have very similar characteristics yet have their own character. I also wanted to find a flat ride that I could dig into and originally found a K Lite Flat that I liked but after some time I felt it didn't sound good in certain acoustical settings. I eventually stumbled on a 20" K Con Flat (now discontinued) and it's the perfect flat for me. I don't really care for playing on those very pingy one-dimensional flats. I was looking for another that I could lay the shank into and get some wash and the K Con does that for me. I can dig into it over piano solos or vocalists and it doesn't overpower. That's the meat of my Jazz cymbal set. Occasionally I will also use an old 18" A Zildjian Swish (3 rivets) I bought in college in the 70s or an 18" A Custom EFX (that used to be part of my Rock setup but it cracked in several places so it's drilled out). I also have a 15" Zildjian Azuka (3 rivets) that I will sometimes use if I'm playing a lot of ballads. It speaks well with brushes and has a rather quick but even decay. The one thing all of these cymbals have is that shimmer or wobble characteristic that thinner, darker cymbals have. I'm always finding new inspiration from playing this set.

Rick is a such an amazing artist.

I'm blazed ! What a playing, teaching, know-how and lovely name (I'm French and part of my mother's family worked for and with Christian Dior) I hit the "Subscribe" button right away and will take advantage of your presence and generosity on RU-vid as more and more I lova and play drums but I'm inspired by jazz and the way you play it it, is technically and artistically what I love the most : finesse, dynamic, groove, technique and pleasure to listen even playing alone. First of a long series : THANKS !!

That end solo. So good. Man...

Thank you so much for your wisdom Rick ... and also relaxed and swinging playing. I learn so much from you.

My rock set up is Paiste sound edge hihats, an Istanbul pre split heavy ride and Sabian HH crashes. My jazz setup is istanbul mel lewis hihats, spizzichino ride, and an older canadian Azco ride or an istanbul agop signature.

That HH hi hat is more musical than any top 20 radio anywhere nowadays. Thanks for the valuable tips onto rides. Saved.

I feel like I just had a chance to drop in and hear some great tips from an experienced player. Thanks.

thank you for actually playing in your video....and so beautifully.....

All the answers to my questions are in this vidéo !! Thanks a lot Maestro.. It’s so clear with you 🤩!

Legendary video man, thank you

Istanbul Agop 30th anniversary are much more consistent than the old Ks and have that aged feel and sound to them. Right now I’m playing 20, 22, 26 and love it. The new traditional jazz series is nice as well And yes, I own different brands and love them all, including k Constantinople and Sabian Artisan, various Bosphorus, etc It’s a disease for which the only cure is……more cymbals

Love your playing!

Really enjoyed this video. Subscribed!

Istanbul Agop are awesome

I've just completed putting together a set of vintage Zildjian A's. I just dig the old school jazz sounds they can give. Definitely different than what you played here Rick, not as dry, dark or complex, but they just sound proper to me. Good vid Rick!

Fantastic .. A joy to watch And listen.. Rick you are a full orchestra..

Oh my word that 18 is insane! Dream cymbal

Bought a Paiste Masters 22, 2122g online a week ago, and it has a low hum which STAYS low. That low fundamental really helps with blend.

Love the tone of those drums!!

Makes sense. Back in the day there were no "Crash" cymbals, no "Ride" cymbals, just cymbals. You just had to look through a rack of cymbals and play them until you found one you liked.

Hi Rick, found your video really interesting because I've ben mixing my cymbals for a long time. Those old Ks sound great, and fantastic all together. The advice on hihats brill too.. My first 'real' hihats were newbeats so have a leaning to them, but also gave AAX studio hats, which I also love. Both the hihats you showed were great but so different. I'm out of action with a broken & dislocated left shoulder (slipped hillwalking) 5 weeks ago ... so can't play for a while. All the very best to you and your family, especially with Christmas holiday on the horizon!

Gretą playing!!! Beautyful feel !!!

Awesome sounding cymbals and you play awesome as well obviously! I just bought a Paiste mellow ride and it sounds and feels so beautiful. My other favorite ride is a K Constantinople thin ride oh or my K dry ride with a rivet and man amazing as well. My hats are old A’s I believe and they sound and feel like butter and a K sweet crash that also sounds incredible.

his voice sounds as nice as his playing. good man.

Such great info, Rick! Thanks!

Such a great lesson to ubderstand the soul of playing! Thanls a lot I will show this to my nephew as the moment comes to do so. We are starting with bongos and we eill see how the road goes...😂. Throwing the stick!

Great stuff Rick 👍👍👍

Thanks Rick ...you are Pure Class!!!

Beautiful playing

I like those 15" hats!

👏👏👏👏Bravissimo, sei nelle mie idee jazz. 🎶🎶🎶🥁

I'm a devotee of Istanbul Agop Cymbals and feel that they're better value that other makes as they're lighter and more colourful. When other makes send a retailer a cymbal tree those instruments are usually rather thick and heavy; I've read that this is because they don't want too many breakages.

Keep in mind that these beautiful, dark sounding ride cymbals sound great in the studio and concert venues with good mics, but when you're playing in a bar or restaurant with a lot of background noise they probably won't cut and you'll be working hard to be heard.

Rick - you are amazing! Very helpful video

GREAT ADVISE ALL AROUND

Super sweet Rick!! 👍🙂

Nice, thanks! Best ride I ever had (stolen) was a 24" A zildjian, no rivets. Another friend in New Orleans had a sweet 22 " A? with rivets, OMG.

even a frypan sounds good on your hands buddy, awesome playing!!!!!

Thank you Rick

Great !! Congrats

Happy holiday term misstro

Excellent, Rick! Love the information. I was glad to see you mention Istanbul and Bosphorus as I’ve added those to my collection over the past year and a half. Love them! I’ve played mainly Zildjian and some Sabian through the years (56 of them). Just this past month, I added a few Paiste cymbals as well (had never played them and was curious). I appreciate your hard work. Keep the videos coming! Just a quick question. I have a 20” Zildjian ping/mini-cup ride that I’ve had for at least 50 years. Recently, it developed some annoying higher pitched overtones you mentioned in this video. It was really getting to me one night during a gig and I looked at my piano player (jazz trio) and he was hearing the same thing (sour look on his face so I knew it wasn’t just me). Could it be it’s just lost that great sound? There’s no damage. Thanks in advance.

those bigger hats were like god speaking. Really.

I have the same size Agop Special Jazz and they are so nice. Mine is very similar to yours. My only complaint is mine has a terrible bell sound. So bad I never use it and regretted buying it for a bit after hearing Agop signature series rides and how good some of the bells sound. The ride characteristics and crashability is fantastic tho so no more regrets. I love your selection of cymbals. I love old lightweight Paiste 602 hats for jazz too 1500+1600g for the pair or so. That's what I play. Great splash.

Nice video Rick, amazing cymbals! Have you ever played those K custom dry complex rides? The ones zildjian designed with Bill Stewart. If so, what do you think of them?

Damn Rick, you should be a household name along the likes of Gadd

What the heck is that cowbell sounding cymbal on the right? Thats such a sick piece of hardware!

I wish my Catalina Club bop kit sounded that good!

i have a tip for you..if you dont want to spend so much money but you stil want to have the perfect jazz cymbal sound use either wuhan western style medium thins or thins and use 2 14" crashes as a hihat or use either dream bliss crash rides or dream bliss paperthins or vintage bliss. there is no better otion for having good cymbals for a cheap price. but if you want to have the non plus ultra search up zildjian k and cie 1940s era or k constantinople 1930s era...

Can you explain a little more about cymbal hum? I've tried looking this up elsewhere and there's very little Info about it. I don't really get it.

So Rick, you have had cymbals or have cymbals that range in years, e.g. 80 year old that you’ve had for 35 years. Where did you get these vintage aged cymbals? Give us your thoughts on vintage hard to find versus new out of th3 box?

I have two drums, one of them I use only to practice and teach, and the other in gigs. But cymbals never is enough. 😂

Too too too good !

I am assuming the hum you’re referring to is different from overtones?

I use the plastic tub that comes with dog poo bags as cymbal sleeves.

What's that lick/sticking at 6:24? Haha. Amazing sounding cymbals and playing, Rick!

drum heads for bass drum? I'm assuming coated ambassadors

Rick, do you, or any one out there have any thoughts about type of cymbals to use with acoustic driven music,,using brushes ? Especially the crash, Thanks

Crazy how close the Istanbul sounds in tone compared to the old K's!!! I guess the Istanbul has more spread because it's hammered less? Maybe because the production costs would be too much with more hammering? Thanks for the video!!

Rick: Since you mention Mel Lewis, what do you think of the current Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis rides?

3:50 which video about the hum? can you link ?

And the quieter lower pitch jazz cymbals don’t destroy your ears as easily 😵‍💫

Why do people tape cymbals

Really enjoyed this video. Subscribed!