Does anyone have any ideas for individual exercises for the cymbals,instead of just chopping out all day.Is there any written exercises or ones we can learn in a couple of days?Basically the situation is that we dont have anything to do while our cymbal tech is gone.

Stretch, exercise. That's what the plateline I'm in does.

We also have rather hard music, so we're usually working on splits. I wouldn't think your school does that since it's High School (I'm not trying to be mean, just assuming your school is just like every other high school with a plateline).

Umm . . . There are split and timing exercises. I don't have them anymore, though. Sorry.

ahh...its okay but we do have a split exercise but its a little to hard for the new coming cymbal players.We have been teaching them the basics Chokes,SlideChokes,Ripples,Flip-ups,AVA's Ect.

yeah, I mean all you can really do is just perfect technique and different parts of the show. I know just how hard it is to get everything perfect.

Just write up a simple split exercise. Start out in unison, move to split quarters, eigths, sixteens (tap-diddles), and sixtuplets (tap-sixes. Basically three taps in rapid succesion.).

You don't even need FINALE. Just grab some staff paper from your band director, or draw it out yourself.

Teach the new kids the fundamentals of splitting. It's easier once they can understand the concept and apply it to their feet. Subdivision and all that.

One major thing the cymbal line I'm with practiced a LOT on was excecution of every single thing. I'm not sure how your technique is, but we made sure to pop and muscle every single move we did in unison (unless the visuals were split up or in ripples).

Just random advice.

Yeah man thanks for all the advice i need all the help i can get right now.I think im going to have to go over marking time more and counts with them the most

My best advice is take a warmup the rest of the line does (8 on a hand, or whatever) and make up a chart that goes with it. The warm-up IMO should include various positions you play in (horizontal crash, verts, etc.) with choking, transition from horizontal to vertical, work on timing and uniformity.

One of the best things you can use for conditioning is just to hold the cymbals in various positions. Have your section circle up and have your section leader move from one position to the other while everyone else follows along. Hold each position for so long, and every day, hold them just a little bit longer. I've even heard of people listening to a CD or the radio while they condition, as it will help relax you more.

Before you begin, stretch! This is SO important! The more you feel sore, the more you should stretch! Stretch before and after you play, when you're taking a break, before you go to bed, when you wake up the next morning, etc. This will help you SO much. I guarantee it! Then, start your conditioning.

1. Start down at your set position.
2. Fully extend your arms so they form a T. Hold this "iron cross" position with the plates hanging loosely.
3. Move them so they're straight up in the air with the insides angled just slightly down.
4. Bring them down to an "A position" making sure that you are holding them out in front of your body. This one will work a lot of the muscles in your arms.
5. Go through the various playing positions making sure that everyone is looking uniform. Don't be afraid to be picky! Its the little things that will make or break your line!

Don't forget to stretch afterwards!

Hope this helps you warmup a little better. Make sure that you spend time alone as a section, but that you are also warming up with the rest of your battery.

Have fun, and good luck!

One thing to keep in mind. I am very much against the Iron Cross. I spoke with many doctors about this. Keeping a muscle in any position for more than 30 seconds is dangerous and can tear muscle. The best way to build up endurance is through anaerobic exercise.

Cymbalman-
I don't know what you're talking about with the Iron Crosses.
We usually go to each position for each 2-4 counts to get the blood flowing.
Our instructor does like to make us stay at vertical set for 2-3 minutes though.

Iron Cross: Do the Jesus pose. That's an Iron Cross.

Huh.
Our Iron Crosses are always arms all the way up above your head with plates perpendicular to the floor and everything still, then the Jesus pose with plates perpendicular, then the Jesus pose with plates parallel to the floor facing down, the out in front of you still facing down.
And then it repeats and you hold each position for however many counts you want.
It gets the blood flwoing and builds up muscle.

From my friend, the Director of Coaching from the state soccer association:

Holding muscles in a particular position does nothing to boost strength. Conditioning through activity and motion, however, does. Along with weight lifting, exercises such as big and small arm circles and lots of stretching will aid with the conditioning of the movement of those particular groups of muscles.

Also, strengthening your core, your abdominals, obliques, and all of the muscles in your back will do wonders for the conditioning of the rest of your body.

cymbalman i love you book,

and he has a lot of stuff in his book to help you with timing and everything else. it is an amazing book, simple break downs that are easy to understand.

It has great timing exercises and great technique ideas

becuase isomtrics only use the weight of your own body. or that of resistance, gravity isnt part of the definition. you also only hold an isometirc for 30 seconds or less, then do many reps of that. There are som many people that dont understand the skeltal muscle system that they wind up not helping themselves, and risking injury when they do it.

there are those people who hang the weight on the rotator cuff and tear those muscles. IF you are to do it, then you need to hold them at least 10 degrees infront of your body.

but youd beusing different muscles than those used to play to hold them up. The best way to improve muscular stamina is by using them to do the task at hand. with cymbals, play more, but dont keep them static for more than a few seconds.
another way to increase stamina is to be able to shift the weight to another part of your body to give another a rest. if your arms are tired, carry your cymbals with your trapezoid, if thats tired, used your abdomen. Im not saying hold them with those muscles, but carry the weight there.

I'm currently rewriting our plate line's part in our warm-ups, and I'm not quite sure what to do for 8 on a hand. (or 8-8-16 as our line does) Any suggestions?

Off-topic. I can't believe I spelled "cymbal" as "simble."

Please flog me.

I've got the molly whips in hand. All you need to do is drive down to Miami to receive said flogging.

stretch snugglebunny