MIKE JOHNSTON

Candela65Why cymbals are crucial forpercussionists and the musicthey playby Norbert SaemannApercussion set-up is usually a huge collection ofdifferent sounds which the percussionist uses totastefully fill the spaces in the music. Besides congas,bongos, timbales, and hand percussion, cymbals are anotherpowerful and colorful way of designing soundscapes withina musical context. MEINL’s Candela Series cymbals offer anarray of creative and exotic sounds specifically made to meetall of the requirements for today’s modern percussionists.A true master in the global percussion scene is MEINL artistBertil Mark. We got together with him and discussed therelevance of cymbals for a percussionist within the music.What are the criteria for howyou choose your cymbals?Bertil Mark: As a percussionistI try to use cymbalswhich the drummer I play withdoesn’t have in his set-up. Inmy case that means cymbalssuch as all of the MEINL Bells,which have high tones with alot of sustain. I try to play themin a way that supports whathe’s doing rhythmically.Can you give us an examplehow you try to support whatthe drummer is playing?Bertil Mark:Given the factthat I am adrummermyself, Isometimeshave thesame rhythmicalsentiment as the drummer. Itend to enhance the same accentsas a drummer and forthat reason I chose a cymbalset up that also includesbig sized cymbals. If you playan accent in unison with thedrummer you can create ahuge energy.L try to createsounds which thedrummer doesnot have.A lot of artists use one ormore cymbals and stackthem to achieve wackysounds. Do you do that too?Bertil Mark: Yes, and that’swhat I like especially aboutMEINL cymbals. They can becombined with each other toachieve all kinds of wickedsounds, which comply with myideas of an organic-electronicsound approach. For exampleI imitate a natural sound bycombining a very thin and softcymbal with a china. As a resultyou get natural sounds whichare unique and have an electronicaesthetic. I use thesesounds then for example tooverdub a snare. It adds a newcharacter that has an electronictouch which I like a lot;like a drum machine that hasa handclap/snare sound combination.That works perfectlywith all MEINL cymbals.Start experimenting!That is myapproach as apercussionist.I try to createsounds which thedrummer doesnot have.Why is it important to havesounds the drummer doesnot have?Bertil Mark: Percussionistsalways fill the space in betweenand around the backbeat.Bass and snare drumhave a totally different frequencyspectrum than cymbals.We hold it all together.That’s why it is important tohave all these cymbal soundson top, high and sparkling, tocomplement those frequencies.That is essential. Thosesounds bring the music to life.THE SERIESMEINL Candela cymbals have been specially developedto meet all of the requirements for today’s modernpercussionists. The Candela series features light, extrathin cymbals, which reveal their full sound potential whenplayed by hand.Facts• B20 bronze alloy• Hand hammered for an unique sound• Extra thin cymbals for percussionistsrecommended stylesExperimental | Jazz | Latin | Pop | Studio | Worldpercussion splash10" ca10spercussion hihat10" ca10PHRecommended for use withthe MEINL Low Hat (page 74)percussion crashes14" ca14c16" ca16ctimbales crash-Ride18" ca18crjingle bell14" ca14pjbwww.meinlcymbals.com/candela