Professional Cymbal Players

Marc asked me the other day about whether or not there are professional cymbal players, thinking it was bizarre that a person could spend his or her life being a professional musician and banging 2 cymbals together once or twice, maybe 3 times in a song (unless it's the Nutcracker Suite). I said that usually they are percussionists, and thus could play any of the other instruments, as well.

But, for the most part being a percussionist is a pretty sweet deal. I was always the timpani player, so I had a bit more work to do, as I was quite the expressive little drummer. (I would roll up the sleeves on my band sweater, bend really close to the timpani, always double checking my tuning, and stepping back and forth waiting to "pounce", if you will, and play my roll or whatever with great expression and gusto -- my body rising the louder I played. My band teacher would get even more excited in his conducting when he saw me get really into it, but sometimes he'd look at me in the middle of a song like I was a whack job.)

But even then I would say that the hardest part of being a percussionist in a band is not losing your count of the bars between the times you have to play. It really is hard!! (Especially when you spend that time talking to the tuba, trumpet, and trombone players -- right Carl?)