Cymbal choke

In percussion, cymbal choke is a drum stroke which consists of striking a cymbal with a drum stick held in one hand and then immediately grabbing the cymbal with another hand, or more rarely, with the same hand. The cymbal choke produces a burst of sound which is abruptly silenced, which can be used for punctuation or dramatic fortissimo effects. In some modern music, namely heavy metal, it is "often employed to emphasize a particular beat or signal an abrupt conclusion to a passage."^[1] Cymbal chokes are used extensively by classical percussionists to muffle the sound of a cymbal in accordance with the composer's notation, or in an attempt to match the sustain of other instruments in the ensemble.

In modern music, cymbal chokes were used extensively by drummer Roger Taylor and can be heard in many Queen songs including "The Loser in the End" (1974) and "The Prophet's Song" (1975). It can also be heard at the start "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor and of the Metallica song "Master of Puppets". It can also be heard throughout most of "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" by Pink Floyd.

See also

• Damping (music)
• Ghost note

References

1. ↑ (2007). "List: Ten Favorite Stylistic Traits Unique to Metal" at the Wayback Machine (archived January 5, 2009), FloodWatchMusic.com.

Drum beats and strokes
Back beat Blast beat Break Cymbal choke D-beat Double- & half-time Drum cadence Drum kit Drum machine Drum rudiment Drum tablature Fill Gallop Ghost note Gravity roll Groove One drop Percussion notation Purdie shuffle Quadruplet Rhythm section Rimshot Ride pattern Roll Rosanna shuffle Snare rush Sting