How the sizzle cymbal makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the sizzle cymbal belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
A sizzle cymbal is a cymbal to which rivets, chains or other rattles have been added to modify the sound, attached either by means of holes bored in the cymbal or by means of an attachment known as a sizzler.
These rattles have two main effects on the tone of the cymbal:
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a sizzle cymbal sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the sizzle cymbal?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.242).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1118321 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Sizzle cymbal – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Bikinibomb at English Wikipedia – Public domain