Does anyone else get bruises or as I like to call them "battle wounds" while they play cymbals. When I finished an 8 hour rehearsal then a performance, I had alot a lot of little battle wounds all over my arms. Am I doing something wrong?

ALL of the people who play cymbals at my school get bruises or even like red gashes where the cymbals had pinched them. They just try to find ways around it. they try holding the cymbals out a little bit. but then they get really tired. I dont play cymbals so I cant really give any good suggestions but I CAN tell you its normal.

i constantly pinched my poor little tummy when i was doing slide chokes and crashes at my side..

its best to play away from the body but sometimes we would have to muffle them in a hurry and id pinch myself



being a girl.. it hurts more to miss the "pit" of your shoulder when doing a crash choke and hit the center of your chest


along with the pinches on my stomach.. i got some on my arms

You have 6 hours to edit your post. THIS MEANS ADDING OR SUBTRACTING CONTENT


oh yeah.. and my favorite.. clipping my chin and bleeding pretty bad


all of these things have stopped happening (except the stomach pinching) as i got use to my cymbals

Vertical hinge chokes can get you pretty good too.

I'm (hopefully) going to play cymbals next marching season. To get used to them, I've started playing during pep band. After only one game, I had 5 little red marks from being pinched on my left arm. There was a sixth that was from being pinched in the same place multiple times...It was about the size of a quarter. I also four bruises on my right arm. I guess I'm weird, because having all of those made me really excited to play next season.

you have to be a masochist to play cymbals the right way. bruises, scrapes and bleeding from choke positions isn't too uncommon (usually the armpit-pectorial area) and is usually infact, expected from crash chokes. Pinches, however should be able to be prevented with a little more experience in placing the hi-hat and choke positions.

Kevin_Fu is right. You have to be a complete nut to play cymbals, or what was it "masocism". Big words aren'tmy strong point. Anyways, lets just say if your not getting bruises or cuts or red marks, your playing wrong. And your hands should swell massively.

Huh...dunno how you guys play them but Surf has been going for 3 months now and the most I've gotten are a few hi-hat cuts and shoulder bruises...wait...yeah masochism...WOO!

Man, for our style, the pinches are pretty common, but you stop getting them with more experience. Another thing we have to deal with is blisters between our index and middle fingers. Twirling a pair of 20s for 8 hour practices ain't too fun if you have soft hands. Some people wear gloves, but guys like me like it raw (lol). I've developed some pretty thick skin on my fingers, heh.

Im not a guy but I play mine "raw" as well

my hands got tough on top of my hands between my thumbs and index fingers

You still have up to 6 hours to edit your posts if you want to add, correct, or delete something. This has become a very bad habit.

pinches on the arms can be avoided by pulling them away from your body.. but if youre playing fast and rough you still get pinches

bruises on the "pecs" or near the shoulders is something you just have to tollerate because it almost cant be helped

ever since my freshman year, my muscles (near my arm pits) and shoulders have become stronger and i hardly ever bruise there

haha no its plenty normal .... actually it looks like ive been practically beaten after compatition weeks... my arms are practically covered :-/
rain

Thanks for your advise you guys. It's funny, I've had people ask me what happened to my arm and one person asked (jokingly) "Who's been beating you?" But yeah I still have this very dark bruise about the size of a quarter and a couple little ones from last Saturday.

I played cymbals in the stands at football games - because I usually play mallets. Anyways, yeah I got lots of those... The ones that pinch you but don't break your skin and just turn into a really nasty bruise I call them cymbal hickies. But yeah I got them all over my arm and my stomach and people kept staring at me when I went to the beach haha.

I perrsonally haven't played the cymbals, but my friends that do, get bruises but they mainly have back problems. Maybe they aren't playing them right. *shrugs shoulders*

I get bruises all the time. I think it's pretty normal.

There is no reason for you to get any bruises unless you accidentally hit yourself or you are using poor technique.

when i was in middle school i had to play crash cymbals during a song, it had a really intense ending and big a crash at the end with a choke, by the end of concert season, i had red marks on my chest from the choking

Our band doesn't march cymbals. But during cadences i play alot a lot and hi-hat effects pinch me and sometimes I get hit with cymbal flips. And also whel i have to hold up cymbals for our snares they slap me with their sticks.

well whe playing cymbals the cuts, piches just happen when you start and aren't to good at transitions and catch your arm. But the bruses are supposed to happen and you should expect them to wouldn't ou already expect it if your throwing 40 puond metal/alluminum disc into your body

Listen to Jeff...If you play them correctly, you will find that bruises come from several different things. For one, you could be crashing them incorrectly, causing them to vibrate like mad, which leaves a nasty set of bruises. Or you could be pulling them into your chest too hard, not using enough finger/arm muffling to dampen the sound better.

i get "battle wounds" all the time one my stomach and arms, i have yet to find a way around it. i've gotten used to them execpt in the summer let me tell you it's really attractive to have bruise on your stomcah during swim suit season

Has anyone ever gotten hit on the fingers with a stick while having a ride going for a snare player?
That happened the other week at pep band right in the middle of a cheer, and it hurt like crap!
It was my boyfriend that hit them, too....Bah!

yeah because gettin bruises (in those areas) means more that you ARE using proper technique

No. I totally disagree. There is no reason to get any bruising if you use proper technique. The only thing I would expect is that your hands turn red from the straps being on for a long time.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then. I'm new to the whole cymbal thing, but I know I have not been taught incorrectly. My tech teaches us a very agressive style where the basic regular choke position involves snapping them into your forearms and your armpit area. It can get quite violent if you've got alot a lot of crash chokes in one phrase, but it comes with the territory. You've gotta be freakin' crazy to strap on circular discs of metal and crash them together and jab them into your body.

It's not wrong; It's just different from your technique.

I have to agree with Kevin. There is no way possible for you not to have a bruise from doign crash chokes, unless you do one every 20 minutes, then your fine. But some parts in our music involves us having 1 or 2 per measure for a 32 measure phrase. Running metal plates into an area on your body where there is no muscle protection is definately going to cause it.

And, i don't care who you are or how amazing you are as a beginner, your going to screw up something sometime and get rocked. For example, the other month, I was doing klanks, and i accidently drove the cymbal into my hip. 6 Inch bruise for 3 weeks. Sucked.

People are built differently. Some people bruise easily, some don't. Whenever I used to play I might get some redness on the front part of my armpit (whatever its called). Others would bruise up like a bad piece of fruit. Everyone is different. Whenever I choke, I bring the plates into my body at a 45 degree angle. The cymbals will form a letter "A" and your forearms will be an extension of this angle. Doing this allows you to tuck the cymbal under your forearms and your biceps so that you can get more body on the cymbal. The more body you have on the cymbal the quicker it will quit ringing. Thats just the way I do it though. To each there own.

With horizontal hinge chokes I would get marks but only because I did it shirtless. Never had it happen when I actually had clothes on. If you are getting pinched on your arms doing hinge chokes then are probably collapsing your body over the cymbal. If you are standing up straight and separating then you should be ok.

I will say that I don't know for the life of me how people are bruising there arms on crashes. Especially in multiple places. If you are bruising different parts of your body on the same crash then you are inconsistent with your technique. If anything you should have marks in consistent places. I can't think of any techniques that I've seen where there would be any arm bruises, pinches, or anything else. So in that case, I will say that technique is an issue

the cause for the bruises, scratches, etc. is bad form.. no, I don't sell any video's but if any of you live in the Houston, Texas area, I teach classes.

I agree with cymbals. Bad form is bad technique, which leads to bruises and blistered palms. It really sucks to have bad form.

whatever, guys.

i'll make sure to let SCV, Bluecoats, Spirit, Colts, Suncoast Sound, Southwind, Magic, Rhythm X, and Project cymbal players that some HS and DIII cymbal players think that their technique is wrong.

LOL.

The Jersey Surf is a Division 2 corps...and I did not say their technique was wrong. I said that bad technique is what causes bruises. Have you ever actually, in the most heterosexual way, seen an scv cymbalist or crossmen cymbalist with their shirt off during the summer? Two different corps using two different techniques. To date I've seen no marks, save for a pinch here or there. They do it correctly, and therefore have no major visible bruises. If you are doing it wrong, however, bruising may occur.

Maybe I ventured off topic then. What I'm talking about are the bruises you get after an ensemle or run-through. Of course hat scars are almost inevitable, but if you use correct technique those bruises that you get right after playing the show or sectionals can be lessened or even controlled if you use proper form. Of course some scars are going to be there.

I might agree that the tissue toughens up as you play cyms more often, but just because that may "lessen" the thresh-hold until you're bruising doesn't mean you won't get bruised again; It just may take longer.

To conclude:

Bad technique can cause bruising - I'll agree to that...heck...bad technique in anything can cause bruising.
Good technique can cause bruising - Definitely, depending on the technique being used.

Just don't think that because someone is getting bruised that they're using poor technique, it can go both ways.

After a few season of drum corps i can tell you that briuses can happen, but they shouldn't be frequent, you're more likley to see redness and tenderness. small scratches as well. sometimes sweat causes the plates to oxidize then cause the skin to turn blue/ green. combine that with the tenderness and it can feel alot a lot like bruising. and no it doesnt wash off in the shower. What is alot a lot more common however is pinching the stomach to the point of bruising, even after you get good at it, you'll still get it about once a week or so. you're hands i think get the brunt of the nasty, if you don't use gloves, they turn into stained leathery nasty. Another huge factor is the player that is pklaying everyone has different skin types. i know players that marched cymbals for 6 drum corps seasons straight, and never once got a bruise. some people skin is softer than others. It can even depend on the players individual tehchnique. Personally i liked to use more arms than pit, others use more pit than arm. the worst i ever got was from my left cymbal. it had a crack ion it, and it would cut me if i choked it against my body there. had it during move ins and the first 2 days of tour, the first week my right pec was a bloody pulp. then a scabby pulp, and that alternated for a bit until we finally got our cymbals from zildjian.

Here is a question for the "bad technique" people. Can someone define and explain for me what exactly bad technique is? What is "proper form"? I've always considered something to be "bad technique" whenever the sound produced from the cymbal line is one that was not the intent of the writer. Whats all of your definitions?

A cymbal line that has, good sound quality, a uniform approach to the cymbals, moves together but some of them get bruised while playing now has bad technique? Let's play a little cause and effect. Our effect is that we have bruises. As already stated, the cause is from bad technique. What can be done to correct this and to have good technique? Everyone is quick to point out that something is incorrect but no one has stated a solution. Which is what makes me agree with Kevin and think that a lot of the rest of you don't know what you are talking about. Everyone seemed to jump on the band wagon (some even completely changed there mind from a previous post) whenever Mr. Kozol stated his opinion. Not trying to be a hater. I just want to hear peoples reasoning for there conclusion instead of beating the bad technique horse even more.

In my opinion (notice that I said opinion)There is no wrong way to play cymbals which is why there are so many different techniques. Bruising is a by-product of a technique. As I stated previously, people are built different. Some people bruise easier than others. As long the cymbal line is adding to the music in a way that the writer intended, they are not wrong. Some people write parts for cymbals to be inverted. That’s obviously from bad technique, right? No, it's not, because that was the intention with the writing. Cymbals are not a “by the book” instrument. There isn’t an across the board standard.

People are way too quick to conclude that "bad technique" is always the answer but a solution is never given. All I'm asking for is the definition of bad technique and what I can do to fix it. Easy enough? Help me see your point of view.

1st)the point that Jkozal was trying to make was that you don't need to jam the cymbals into your body and create bruises. a "good technique" would be to find the balance of arm to pit combination so that it sounds and looks like you're jamming them into yourself but its really just a controlled movement. I would define bad technique as moving you're plates in an uncontrolled fashion. and to correct this is to practice. it would bee like trying to play a roll by just throwing the stick at the head and hoping two notes come out of it. the solution is to find the balance for crash chokes,and place them in the pocket (the area between the pec and the shoulder) don't slam and when moving to the high hat position, again place them on you're stomach, there is no need to jam them. there is ablsoutly nothing an instructor can say other than that, it is possible to look the same placing and slamming in the same line.

2nd) if some one is writing a part to have the cymbals invert, i would hope they know that, inverting a cymbal is BAD for it. it weakens the stricture, and will invert more and more easily each time, and eventually it will break. also on this, inverting is from bad technique. inverting happen when there is no flam in the crash and the force i great enough to create an air pressure difference so great that it escapes by force, causing the cymbal to invert. if there is a nice flam, the cymbal will not. its physics at work.
cymbals used to not be a "by the book" instrument, but the upper echelons of cymbal players have figured out what works and what doesn't, and every ear more books on marching cymbals gets published, and every year it becomes more of a "by the book" instrument. most places haven't gotten that level yet, even some indoor lines. but the number goes up every year. there are defiantly wrong ways to play cymbals, its like playing any other instrument, there is a correct way to play it, but there are 3 or 4 schools of thought on the best correct way. within that the individual interp of the amount of force used to create each sound different, one person may only have to use 30% of thier strength to create a FF crash and another 75%. by the same measure, on person may only use 30% of thier strenth to pull in for a choke, and another 75%. the bad technique part of that is when it becomes excessive. and what is excessive is an individual decision. chances are if they are getting bruised, its excessive and they could re configure their combination of arm- pit to get the same sound/duration using less brute force.

I don't play the cymbals but my friend does and today at our 7 hour practice, she managed to (barely) graze her own forehead with a cymbal.

The result was an impresson like of a cut on her forehead. It hasn't gone away yet. It might stay there for awhile.

The cymbal player in my line last year had welts on his stomach and arms from the cymbals. It's the same kid who also took his new shoes off on a muddy day and marched in his socks.

Is there anything out there that u can easily put over your shirt that will stop the brusing/ ripping of the shirt lol i hate when we have to play without our uniforms its the only thing that protects my chest.

Of course you're gonna get a few bruises here and there and your fingers will harden up a little, but...it should all go away eventually. The more you play, the tougher your hands will get, but don't expect it immediately, yet in the same respect don't expect tons of pain. First, double check with your line or pit instructor if you're holding them correctly...if that still doesn't work-I would check 2 more things...1) is the person you ask know what they're talking about? and if they do 2) then loosen up your grip a little. That usually is the first problem that is created. Hands and arms get tired, so we instinctively hold on tighter, whereas the answer usually is the excact opposite. None-the-less, it just takes practice. It's like playing any hand drum, at first your hands will be tender, but the more you play-the better your sound will be, the longer you can play, and the stronger your hands will be. Best of luck! If you have any more questions or if there's anythingI can do to help, shoot me an email.

Best,

Angel

j/p i have some red marks on my arm and chest. I used to play Bass Drum and the skin on the end of my thumb got pinched and it was all bloody and nasty haha

what muscles do you develop from holding those cymbals up for hourssssss????


EDIT: DON'T DOUBLE POST