For drummers who started playing in the 20th Century, their cymbal options were somewhat limited. Cymbals of that era generally fell into “K Zildjian-style” (dark), A” Zildjian-style” (medium) or, eventually, “Z Zildjian-style” (bright) and drummers, for the most part, would choose their cymbal set-ups from one line or the other depending on the type of music they played. Jazz drummers traditionally chose thinner cymbals that were dark and dry while Rock drummers preferred heavier cymbals that were brighter and more powerful.
These 3 series allowed complementary, single series cymbal sets and provided a range of types, sizes and sounds that was appropriate for the musical and drumming styles of the time. However, as music evolved and drumming expanded in the 21st Century, cymbal set-ups got larger and drummers began mixing-and-matching cymbals from different series to create more sonically diverse, musically relevant cymbal sets.
When TRX began producing cymbals in 2005, our first 3 series were DRK (dark), MDM (medium) and BRT (bright). Those series followed the existing rules but, because TRX’s mission was to meet the needs of younger players, we quickly noticed that our drummers were no longer playing by the old rules. Instead of playing single series cymbalsets, they were often combining cymbals from different series and they were asking for more than just the 3 basic tonal choices.
For example, they might wanty dark, sloshy hi-hats and a bright yet washy ride. They might prefer explosive, traditional crashes along with trashy chinas, vented cymbals, stacks and other effects.
We also noticed that, as the chart of Musical Contrasts shows, contrast is a fundamental aspect of all types of music. In a way, drummers have used cymbals to support the contrast in music by keeping time on the hi-hat during the verse and then going to the ride or crash-ride on the chorus or china on the breakdown for years.
This became the basis of our “High Contrast” concept. To better meet the demands of modern drummers, we started building on the established, historically narrow dark-medium-bright foundation by extending the palette with even darker and brighter cymbals at the edges and filling in the gaps in the middle. We now offer more than a dozen different series that cover a wide tonal spectrum from extra-dark to extra bright.
The result has been an explosion of new sounds and new choices that allow drummers to “play by their own rules” and create unique cymbal set-ups that fit the music they play and well as the way they play it. High Contrast cymbal set-ups like the one shown above are modern and musical. And, they’ve become incredibly popular with today’s drummers… and tomorrow’s.