A series on the cymbal's incorporation into modern drum sets with host, Kelli Rae Tubbs. The history-rich videos discuss the transition of cymbals to their current-day use, starting with the orchestral and ceremonial use of cymbals and the inventions and innovations that helped in the transition from orchestral pieces to modern music.
Part 2 uncovers another piece of the puzzle of how cymbals made their way from the orchestra to the rock band: the bass drum pedal and a device called a "clanger." Cymbals were secured to concert and marching bass drums using counterhoop-mounted brackets, effectively combining the roles of bass drum player and cymbal player. The invention of the hand-held wire beater and a modification to the bracket’s orientation made the job easier for the bass drum/cymbal player.
As the varieties of popular music expanded, a new invention developed in the late 1800s, the foot-operated bass drum pedal, started gaining popularity and, with it, a metal device called the “clanger.” The clanger would strike a hoop-mounted cymbal in the same motion as the bass drum when the pedal was depressed.
Between 1886 and 1929, no fewer than 40 designs for bass drum pedals with a clanger device were patented. They came to be known as “pedal cymbals” and were often outfitted with American stamped brass cymbals, which were the most affordable, typically priced at just one-quarter the cost of Turkish cymbals being imported to the United States by the Zildjian family.
The clanger could be engaged and disengaged manually, however it was difficult to execute snare drum rolls and intricate patterns while switching between the two. Additionally, most pedals did not allow for the cymbal to be struck on the afterbeat…only simultaneously with the bass drum. In the next segment, the topic of Charleston pedals, commonly known as “snowshoe pedals,” is discussed.