I received a question from Matt K. in Auckland, NZ about my Stage Notes - Short Crashes -Romeo and Juliet Video. Matt asks “What are you doing here: 3:50? Dusting them off? Superstition?”
It’s a great question, Matt! I’ll do my best to answer it here.
For reference, Matt is referring to a spot in the video where I tap the table with each cymbal just before playing.
Table Tapping is something that I’ve done for as long as I can remember. I can still picture the carpeted Wenger percussion case in my High School Band Room. To be perfectly honest, I can’t actually recall what made me start to do it.
From a purely technical standpoint, I believe that getting the cymbals in motion before asking them to make a sudden impact would help prevent the violence of striking them from a stand still. While I have ZERO scientific evidence to back this up, it’s similar to the concept of “warming-up” a Tam Tam before playing. While I’ve heard discussions that this is also a myth, I can tell you that warming up a Tam Tam (subtly) will have a SIGNIFICANT effect on the attack of your note (particularly at quiet dynamics).
For me, it comes down to “FEEL” one of the most important concepts in music. When playing a series of crashes together, the second note has always felt easier to create than the first. Give it a try and see if you can feel/hear a change!
HEADS UP: the table tap is very subtle (much like warming up a Tam Tam). It should definitely be inaudible and its goal is simply to get the cymbals vibrating before impact.
Hope that answers your question Matt K.!
Keep the questions coming!
ER
ericrenick@thepercussionER.com