i know hitting two crashes at the same time is pretty common (and awesome!), but i was wondering if drummers usually hit two different size crashes, or two of the same for more volume?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPQR-OsH0RQ
in "smells like teen spirit" is the drummer hitting a 16in and 18in crash during the chorus, and then a 20in crash later in the chorus?
i just really want to know...its bugging me
It's just a music video. The kit was probably just a prop and not his actual kit.
Dave used a variety of different cymbals over the years. Earlier with Nirvana, he used mostly whatever he could get locally in the "used bin" in whatever city they were playing in, according to bios I've read and bootlegs I own that I've examined.
Later, Dave used a 22" Medium ride for a crash/ride, an 19" on his right and an 18" on his left... sometimes substituting a 18" and 20" for larger venues. Dave used all Zildjian after Nevermind came out.
His first kit with Nirvana was a Tama Granstar, sometimes using Yamahas and whatever else, since he would sometimes destroy his drums as an encore, a la Keith Moon. Later switch to a Rockstar Pro around the time of In Utero. The kit you hear in In Utero was nothing more than the Mahogany/basswood Rockstars, recorded by genius Steve Albini.
To field you general question, some drummers crash on two (including myself) to achieve a powerful and harmonious effect, depending on the approach. Even using the same size and type cymbal will result in slight pitch and harmonic differences, since no two cymbals are the same. I use two 18" crashes, but one is an A Custom Fast and the other a K Dark Thin. Interestingly, the K has more high tones, but predictably has a lower range, whereas the A has a balanced mid-range. I picked them both because they sounded great together and the A Custom fills in the mids, where the K covers the top and bottom.