Create Your Own “Poor Man’s Sizzle” For Just over a Nickel
Many styles of music can be greatly enhanced by the presence of a nice, smooth sizzle. The problem with incorporating a sizzle into your setup is having to drop the money on a new ride cymbal, and for those of us who are operating on a budget, this can be hard to swing. If you are not familiar with what a sizzle is, it’s simply a cymbal with rivets pressed loosely into pre-drilled holes in the cymbal. The rivets vibrate when you hit the cymbal creating a beautiful vibration (sizzle) that slowly tapers off, and has a long sustain. I have provided a picture of a Zildjian A Custom Sizzle Ride below so you can see what one looks like. Also, next to it you can see the rivets they use to create the sizzle effect.
As you can probably guess this is not a cheap investment, and even a used sizzle at a vintage shop, or bought from a private owner will still likely run you $100 or more. Well my friends, I have a solution that will cost you just over 5 cents.
Lets call this the “poor man’s sizzle,” and for this more than sufficient substitution, you will need nothing more than a nickel (yep, the actual US currency) and a piece of tape. I prefer medical tape, or some kind of tape that’s fibrous rather than plastic. It tends to stick to the cymbal better, and is more free moving to allow for maximum vibration of the nickel.
Now I’m gonna take you through the steps to create your very own “poor man’s sizzle.”
1) Tear off a thin piece of tape (I like to divide my tape roll in half, as pictured, to maximize the number of strips I can get out of one roll)
2) Attach your nickel to one end of the tape strip
3) Stick the other end of the tape to your ride, and your done!
The great thing about this sizzle solution, is that you can add or take away as many nickels as you want in order to intensify, or decrease the amount of sizzle (I have used up to 5 on mine before.) You can also move the nickels around the cymbal to get different amounts of vibrations, and sustain. Putting the coin closer to the outside edge will allow for maximum vibration/sustain, and closer to the bell will decrease vibration/sustain. Lastly, try getting creative and using different types of currency to create different sizzle tones. I sometimes use dimes, or even quarters for louder music. Heck, you can even throw some Canadian money on there, and see what you get.
Let me make it clear that I am aware that there are other sizzle substitutions out there. I own a ProMark Rattler that is basically just a beaded chain attached to a felt that dangles on top of your cymbal. I have found that these types of products are hard to control, and somewhat cumbersome. I have even gotten my stick tangled in the chain before and had to ditch my stick and grab a new one. I have included a picture just for reference.
So next time you are in need of a sizzle, just remember that you need look no further than your medicine cabinet, and your coin jar. To see this sizzle in action, check out yesterdays post (just below this one) where I play my “poor man’s sizzle” at Hotel Cafe with singer songwriter Kim DiVine. Have Fun!
