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| The drum kit |
 |
|
1 Crash cymbal | 2 Floor tom | 3 Toms 4 Bass drum | 5 Snare drum | 6 Hi-hat |
| Other components |
|
Ride cymbal | China cymbal | Splash cymbal | Sizzle cymbal |
A splash cymbal is a small cymbal used for an accent in a drum kit. Splash cymbals and china cymbals are the main types of effects cymbals. The cymbal is also known as a multi-crash cymbal or crescent cymbal.
Most splash cymbals range in size from 6" to 12" in diameter, though some splash cymbals go as low as 4". Some makers have produced cymbals described as splash cymbals up to 22" in diameter but these would be better described as medium thin crash cymbals. The most common size is 10", followed by 8".
The name "splash" gives quite an idea as to how the cymbal sounds, the word rhyming with crash but a literal splash (in water) being very small. The normal function of a splash cymbal is to provide a short, often highly syncopated accent. For their size, they are hit relatively hard to produce a quick attack and decay. They tend to have little taper so as to provide the necessary strength for this, the bell being little thicker than the rim, with the inevitable result that the tone has little richness.
For softer passages where a richer tone is required, some makers produce thin splash cymbals with a sound and taper similar to a crash cymbal.
China cymbals 12" or less in diameter are sometimes described as china splash cymbals or more rarely as mini Chinese.
Piggybacking
When mounting a splash cymbal, some drummers choose piggybacking, which is a method of mounting a cymbal (usually a splash cymbal or small crash) upside down on top of an already stand mounted cymbal. This has the benefits of requiring less mounting space, allowing a more compact drumkit, and allowing the drummer to move between the top and bottom cymbals of the piggyback in a single motion.
When piggybacking cymbals, most drummers chose to put an additional felt between the bells of the two cymbals, to eliminate any reverberation between the cymbals. Not all drummers do this, however, and those piggybacking cymbals are recommended to try out what sounds best for their setup.
The bottom cymbal of the piggyback is often a crash, although rides and even chinas can be used. Larger cymbals allow larger cymbals to be mounted on top of them, as their increased surface area allows a large enough playing surface underneath the top cymbal.
 This shows a 10" Medium Brilliant splash cymbal, piggyback mounted on a 20" Ride. Note the additional felt. |
 This shows a 10" Medium Brilliant splash cymbal, piggyback mounted on a 16" Crash. Note the additional felt. |
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