Whenever I'm asked to write an article on a specific topic, I'm struck by the thought that I don't know enough to write about it. In this case, telling you about cymbals, models, brands and alloys wouldn't be appropriate either, since I'm not a specialist, and as for manufacturing methods and techniques, you can find them on any brand's website. Honestly, I think the only interesting thing I can tell you about cymbals comes from my own experience with them, so I'll take you on a journey, and through the ones I've owned I'll pass on my modest knowledge.

Different brands and models will come up, and behind all of them lies a drummer's search for his sound. That way you'll understand how important cymbals are for seeking and finding the sound that defines you as musicians.

Broadly speaking, it can be said that the first cymbal makers were the Turks and the Chinese. Historically, Turkish makers are known to date back to the 1600s, so their influence on cymbal making has been very significant, considering that Turkish makers such as Zildjian emigrated to industrialized countries, exporting their knowledge and techniques for making these instruments. Let's say that all the cymbals played by drummers in the last century started out being of Turkish origin, made either in Turkey or by Turkish makers who emigrated to the USA. It wasn't until after the middle of the 20th century that cymbals began to be made in Europe by brands based on this continent. Little by little, factories such as UFIP, Tosco and Paiste got going. At first they followed Turkish manufacturing guidelines, and later some, such as Paiste in 1971, broke away with series that opened new paths in cymbal making, not only because of the materials, but because of a more industrial way of making them. Until then, the manufacturing process was practically handcrafted, just as it was done in Turkey. Nowadays there is a trend toward recovering these ancestral techniques, since over the last few decades, and since the boom of the modern cymbal in the '70s, hammering and lathing were done mechanically in most series. Now it's not hard to find series called "Traditional," "Natural," "Vintage," etc., offering that kind of cymbal made in the, let's say, old-fashioned style.

Cymbals and their importance in the kit
The first time you buy a drum kit, you think about the drums, the colors, the models and, above all, the budget. Once the kit has been chosen and the budget is stretched to the limit, along come some accessories called cymbals that you have to buy for everything to be complete. At that point you think: which cymbals should I buy?
Generally we go for the cheapest ones within our budget. It doesn't matter too much, since the first thing is the kit itself, and the cymbals take a back seat.

It's only a matter of time before you understand the importance of cymbals in the kit. For me, together with the snare, they define the drummer's sound and personality. The low and high frequencies of the drums must be complemented by the metallic frequencies of the cymbals, and their response must suit the musician's way of playing. When a drummer is looking for his sound on the kit, he can change the tuning without needing to change instruments, but with cymbals that's not the case; we have to look for new models to find new sounds.

My first drum kit was secondhand, and the cymbals were included in the package. There was a 22" Avedis Zildjian ride with a repaired crack, which made it look a bit like Don Quixote's hat. The crash was a 20" UFIP with holes for rivets, and the hi-hat was a 15" Avedis Zildjian. With this setup began my journey into the world of cymbals. The ride was too big and, with its repair, had lost "sustain." The crash was really a ride that had seen better days, and the hi-hat sounded dead. I didn't mind, as I said before, because my drum kit took up all my attention. About a year went by, and I was already dreaming of a crash that sounded bright and responded quickly. From then on, my search for the perfect cymbals began.

Looking for my favorite cymbals

The crash
I wanted that perfect crash that would open up without needing to be hit very hard. The problem was where to look and what to look for. In the '70s I didn't have much variety to choose from. Maybe more models were available in Madrid, but I lived in a small town, and the nearest store was in Alicante. I knew nothing about brands or series; I thought cymbals differed by size and little else. I went to a very small new store in Benidorm looking for my dream crash. I found a 14" Paiste "Formula 602," which was actually the top of a hi-hat, but I could see that small cymbal could sound very bright and respond very quickly. I remember playing at my town's fair and being blown away every time I hit that crash. It exploded and died away just as quickly. My delight didn't last long, since I broke it that very night. Why? It was too thin to use as my only accent cymbal, especially playing live without amplification. I tried replacing it with another one, the bottom of the hi-hat, but that didn't work; it was too hard and didn't sound like a crash.
I've had many different crashes since then. I've always liked fast, thin crashes in not-too-large sizes, between 14" and 18" at most. All brands offer similar models. Generally, a thin crash will open up sooner and its sound will also die away quickly. In situations requiring sensitivity, delicacy and a specific sound, a thin crash can be very useful. When we need volume and projection, crashes should be heavier. But
what other things influence a cymbal's sound?
First of all, its alloy: the metals it's made of. There are two main branches in cymbal making: one that descends from the Turkish tradition and another from the European one. Turkish cymbals, or those from that family, are made with alloys of metals such as copper and tin (the well-known B20 formula) and are hand-hammered, although nowadays they have series that are, so to speak, more European. Cymbals from the Turkish family offer darker, more complex tones than those from the European family, which are easier on the ear. When I say European cymbals, I mainly mean Paiste. Paiste, like UFIP, had and still has Turkish-style series, such as the so-called Formula 602, which competed with Zildjian's series. In the '70s, Paiste released its Formula 2002, which became much more popular. The Formula 2002, with bronze as its main metal, was a cymbal made with a European stamp, machine-hammered, with color, projection and responses suited to the electronic music that dominated those years. They really took the market by storm.
They gave a brighter sound and a shiny look. They seemed to repel dust. I had 2002s as my second set of cymbals, but I didn't understand models or weights: a 22" medium crash and a 20" one. I used the 22" as a ride and the 20" as a crash. They were very beautiful and sounded as if they were amplified, the way they sounded on records, but brightness wasn't enough. The ride didn't define the stick's stroke; I needed something heavier that would project the "ping" when struck.

The ride
The ride is a foundational cymbal in the kit. A good ride is one that ties together and gives strength to the accompaniment in each section. In jazz, for example, a good ride is the most important thing, since almost all the groove work is done on it.
With all cymbals, weight, size, materials and hammering have the same kind of influence. If you need a powerful ping sound that projects without amplification, the ride should be heavy and have a large bell. The darkness and complexity of the sound will come from the hammering, the texture from its composition. But as with other cymbals, the tuning of the instrument, the style, the musician's way of attacking, etc., are factors that will lead us in one direction or another when looking for our cymbals. In very acoustic styles such as jazz, rides tend to come from the Turkish family, and brands following this tradition have proliferated on the market. They are rides with lots of nuances and dark tones that fill the space when played. They tend to have a stick response that isn't very hard, more mellow, but the range is wide and it isn't easy to find the right cymbal.
For a long time I was after a hard ride that would let the stroke of the stick, the "ping," be heard effortlessly. I once tried a Paiste Formula 602 Heavy Ride: it fascinated me. It took me so long to get one that by the time I had it, my tastes had changed. When I came to Madrid I used Sabian for a while, and some rides from the "HH" series served me well for playing pop and rock, but my work took me to other styles. When I started playing with Ketama, UFIP cymbals came into my life. They had a perfect balance between old and new. My favorite series was the "Natural Series." Meinl also gave me the chance to play some high-quality cymbals, with original and innovative effects. At the moment my tastes lean toward the sound of heavily hammered Turkish-style cymbals, and I currently use some Zildjians that give me what I need: the K Custom Special Dry, Constantinople and the Oriental series (with Chinese overtones).
What the brands offer has grown a lot. They all have cymbals with a traditional sound or series with new sounds and finishes. But let's talk about effects: China cymbals and splashes.

China type
The first time I heard a China cymbal was on a Billy Cobham record. I thought it was a broken or old cymbal. I called it the "cooking pot" cymbal and tried to imitate it by putting two cymbals together, but the one on the record was much more powerful. One day I saw what it looked like in a magazine, and I became obsessed with getting one. The first China I had was a Paiste 2002 "China Type," but it didn't quite satisfy me; I found it too hard. The second was a Zildjian "China Boy," but that wasn't the sound I was looking for either. I had a China sound in my head that was explosive and light, like a sheet of metal. All the ones I tried felt hard to play, and the effect only came out when hit very hard. My trick of stacking two cymbals together sounded closer to what I imagined. Once I heard a China cymbal made in China, and it sounded very explosive to me, just as I heard it in my head. The Chinese, like the Turks, have made cymbals for centuries, using age-old techniques. I never got to own a "Chinese China," but I know that nowadays there are brands, such as Wuhan, that have brought their cymbals to the Western market, and they are very interesting and cheap. I've had a few more Chinas in my kit, but I always put another cymbal on top to get the "trashy" sound I like. These days I get my special China with a Zildjian "Crash of Doom" and a splash underneath. That way they sound like a crash-ride and a China, light and explosive at the same time.

The splash
This little cymbal hadn't caught my attention until the Police came along in the '80s. Stewart Copeland gave it a prominence I had never heard before. I had seen this cymbal much earlier at a Buddy Rich concert, but I didn't know how it sounded, since he hardly played it, except during the brush solo. The truth is that it didn't impress me very much. With the Police, however, splashes were almost the stars of the kit. So in the '80s I got my first splash: a 12" 2002. That little cymbal sounded really good. It opened up incredibly easily and, being 12", I almost used it as a crash. It was very light and soft. For that reason, and because I played live without amplification, I broke it. Since then I've had others in every size. I experimented by putting an 8" and a 12" together, getting a very interesting China-splash effect, and, I don't know why, little by little they've disappeared from my kit. Now I use them to transform my crashes or rides by placing them underneath or on top. Effects cymbals are like that: you use them too much at first and then you get tired of them, although not always. There are drummers who have based part of their style on them, such as Manu Katché. It's refreshing to listen to him.

The splashes I've liked best have also been the most fragile. When a splash opens up easily while still being a crash, it cuts through the air and its effect is magnificent. Logically, these small, thin cymbals are very delicate, and if you abuse them and play hard, they break as if they were made of paper. But it's also true that it's inevitable to overuse them when you discover this effect and find a truly "crashy" one. Finally, I've left the hi-hat cymbals for last, mainly because of how important they are.

The hi-hat
For me, these two cymbals, along with the ride, are the hardest to find. My first hi-hat, as I told you, didn't sound great; it was too dull. My first discovery came in the '70s, when the Paiste 2002 "Sound Edge" appeared. These hi-hats had a rippled bottom cymbal that let the air escape, producing a powerful "chick" and good projection. For the first time I used a smaller size, 14", and to me they were great. Now almost every series has models with air-release systems, and it isn't hard to get a powerful sound playing them with the foot or the stick. Choosing a hi-hat you feel comfortable with is essential. Nowadays almost all music is based on the work of the snare, hi-hat and bass drum. All the groove is basically done with these three elements, so the right hi-hat can be a great help in achieving that balance. There are plenty of possibilities for finding one, bearing in mind that, as with snares, they are made in almost every size, from 10" to 15", light or heavy and with different textures and hammering.

Summary
Cymbals are a fundamental complement to our drum kit. Without them, the sound isn't complete. With them, we can express our personality when we play. Keep in mind that finding your dream cymbals is, in a way, finding yourself. Many cymbals have passed through my hands, and I've gone through many changes since I started. That's life, that's music, and that's the search for sound.