[gyutae]

Ok, I know that this is a pretty newbie question but what do you use your china for? I never really got into the china cymbal so I haven't really been exposed to it too much.

It sounds trashy and it looks really funny.

So where in music do you use your china?

[mind_drummer]

I use my 12" china for fast (quick decay) accents mostly in combination with my 10" splash (hit one after the other). Now, for serious loud thunder trashy accent (snare & bass drum hit silmutaneously) I use my 18" china. I love them both BTW.

[skinslapper]

I've got 18" and 22" Chinas.

I use them mainly for making a big crash with the snare and bass drum, but also largley by themselves. I'd also like to get some smaller ones for accents.

IF you really want to know how to use them, sorce some Terry Bozzio vid. I saw him in clinic (and met him after hehe) years ago when he started using his radia cymbals. I counted 22 chinas on his setup including 4 which were on remote hi-hat stands out the front of his kit so he could slam them with his feet. He was actually playing melodies with them.

[DrummerMom]

China cymbals like splash cymbals are also known as effects cymbals. They are to add a different flavor(sound to your kit).

I had an 18" but I didn't like so it's gone.

[malletjazz]

Originally Posted by skinslapper

IF you really want to know how to use them, sorce some Terry Bozzio vid.

No doubt, Bozzio is brilliant. Another drummer worth checking out (for a number of reasons, not just to see how he uses his china cymbal) is Manu Katche - he does some brilliant work with "effects cymbals" like chinas and splashes.

I tend to use my china for quick accents, as a substitute for a crash cymbal, or even to ride on. Sometimes, I'll "crash ride" using it on offbeats (the way one might use the ride cymbal bell) if it's a smaller china cymbal. Back when I was in college, getting to play some big band music, I had a 20" A Zildjian "swish" that I would use as a secondary ride. Check out some recordings with the late, great Mel Lewis (Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Big Band) to hear how wonderful a riveted china cymbal can sound as a ride.

	Zildjian Cymbals Shop for Zildjian Cymbals at Musician's Friend

[dnastrands]

Maybe to summarize, you might/could say that china cymbal is generally used for accents and effects. You can use it for so much more I suppose (Danny Carey rides it at times, see "jambi").

[full metal]

another great use for them is if you have a good set of soft mallets you can do a roll on the outhside edge and kinda get like a low gong sound out of them which is really cool in some music.

I have 12" zildjian china trash and 18" zildjian Z custom.

The custom dosnt have as much of a trashy sound to it and it is really nice to just throw into some music.


I have also seen some people start using them as hi hats, and some marching bands use them as hand cymbals

	Zildjian Cymbals Shop for Zildjian Cymbals at Musician's Friend

[skinslapper]

Billy Cobham also uses a large china (22 or 24 I'm not sure) as a ride. It gives a very responsive, washy sound to the beat when tapped but I just can't resist smashing the F***ERS HEH HEH!!

[AvengedDrummer]

Originally Posted by skinslapper

but I just can't resist smashing the F***ERS HEH HEH!!

Exactly, my friend has a 22in wuhan (best china for the price) and that thing just ROARS!

	Wuhan Cymbals Shop for Wuhan Cymbals at Musician's Friend

[myner]

I hammered my own cymbal once, it was a lazer 16" crash. the original sound was like a bloody steel plate. so i decided to hammer it into a china.
With the china, i get a nice thrashy tone, quite pronounced sticking. Good for creepy rolls for progressive rock. Its lasting me quite a while, although its cracked in like 5 places, it sounds even better. more thrashy sound, it lost some of its intial sticking sound. All's good. but i heard lazer is uping the crash prices, so i didn't bother buying another to replace my already dying one.