How much air is in between your hi-hats?

J

Joe2112

Junior Member
A little bit of an odd question, and couldn't find a discussion on it already, so figured I'd ask.

I normally keep my hi hats pretty close together. Maybe it's my stand combined with what I'm used to, but when there's too much air in between my hats I find it difficult to get full control of 'em. As Im starting to include more latin stuff in my playing, I've been practicing splashing the hi-hats with left foot. I feel like how Im used to it is too tight to get a good splash, but when I put more air in them, it's more difficult to control.

Sorry if its already been discussed, but how much space do you guys like in your hats?
 
About two fingers. Literally, I adjust it so I can just barely fit two fingers in between the cymbals. "Splashing" the hats is one of my favorite moves. Once a week I share a kit with a few other guys who always set the hats super close together so they are barely moving. I never understood that.
 
It varies for me. I have a set of Sabian HHX Evolutions that are really heavy. I keep them about 2 fingers apart. I have a set of Paiste Rudes that are significantly lighter and have a great sizzle when they are touching. I keep them pretty close and loose.
 
Two important factors in getting a good sound from the hats when you use ther pedal. One is the distance (air) between the cymbals themsevles. The other is how loose the top hat is in the clutch. Both of those will affect the sound as the cymbals come together. I do almost zero splashing of the hats with the pedal so I keep mine very loose in the clutch and only about 1/2 inch between the two. I play a pretty good combination of single and double bass, even within a sigle song, so to have them too far apart leaves them really wide open when I use my left foot on the bass drum pedal.

From what I have seen from other guys about an inch seems to be the norm.
 
Not that much - between an inch and two fingers. Probably less than the average. Enough to get some splash sounds.
 
Mine are pretty far apart, about 2.5 - 3". I like being able to have my foot pretty close to parallel with the floor when the cymbals are closed.
 
Joe2112 said:
A little bit of an odd question, and couldn't find a discussion on it already, so figured I'd ask.

I normally keep my hi hats pretty close together. Maybe it's my stand combined with what I'm used to, but when there's too much air in between my hats I find it difficult to get full control of 'em. As Im starting to include more latin stuff in my playing, I've been practicing splashing the hi-hats with left foot. I feel like how Im used to it is too tight to get a good splash, but when I put more air in them, it's more difficult to control.

Sorry if its already been discussed, but how much space do you guys like in your hats?
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That is an interesting question. I have been playing some Chinese style clash cymbals, they have a big spherical domed bell, I figured out that the air inside acts as a resonator, so if I hold them close together at the same distance and hit the edges tilting back and forth keeping the same distance, that I can actually get a note, and the note varies with the distance I hold them together while performing that technique. I tried to get the same effect with the hi-hats, but it isn't pronounced, though it motivated me to tweak my setup. If I level the hats, I like maybe a quarter inch, that allows my enough room to splash and chick at low volumes, but maximizes that resonant effect of the air in the cymbal.
 
It really depends on what type of music I'm playing. When I'm playing rock/punk/metal type stuff, I keep the hats about 1/2" apart when open. I don't have any problems getting a good splash that way.

When I'm playing jazz type stuff, I'll put an inch or more between them, but that's for a more defined 'chick' when keeping time with the left foot.

Maybe it's technique? I always splash by dropping my heel at the back of the footboard, just above the hinge. I've never had any problems that way.
 
I keep mine farther apart than most of my friends, who keep their hats pretty low. I'm usually somewhere between an inch and two fingers. I have skinny fingers, so that's only a half inch's difference. I do a lot of left-foot time keeping and I can't really do that if my hats are any closer together.
 
Never really paid much attention to the distance between the hats. I play a single pedal so my foot is always on the footboard. I set my bottom cymbal to a comfortable height and the top cymbal so that my foot is in a comfortable position when the hats are closed.
 
Depending on how loose the top hat is. If it's very loose then more space than if the top hat is tight.
 
Not very much at all. I don't use a hi-hat clutch, and I don't want them to be too open during a double bass run.

If I'm playing single bass, I'll open it up a little more. Maybe an inch at most. I don't need that much space.
 
SmoothOperator said:
... I like maybe a quarter inch, that allows my enough room to splash and chick at low volumes, but maximizes that resonant effect of the air in the cymbal.
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+1. For me the distance between the hats determines the volume range. So I like them very close together, 5-10 mm and since I can never get them level there is hardly any gap at the closest point.
 
almost touching (double bass player). any farther apart and they sound all clangy and gongy when hitting them open, although I can't get an audible chick out of them this way. it makes me sad :(
 
I have my main hats set at about an inch, although that varies depending on the style of music/song I'm playing.
My aux hats are set to be ever so slightly open, although again, that depends on the song I'm playing.
 
If I was playing single kick I'd have them just under an inch apart like I used to, but since I need to be able to take my foot off the pedal and still get a good half-open sound they're much closer together.
 
Probably 2 to 3 fingers apart, but I play single kick and like to use the hats to help keep some time and to add almost a ghost note type feel. Alot like Bonham did, I even use a ching-ring/tambourine on my hats for a little extra fill. I would not give up the ching-ring for the world. I can play them much closer without a problem, but I play straight-up Rock n Roll all the time. I do not use much tilt, but since I play openhanded, I keep my hats far lower than most drummers.
 
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