Hi-hat
It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues.
When extended upward roughly 3 feet (76 cm) they were originally known as "high sock" cymbals, which evolved over time to the familiar "high-hat" term.
Depending on how hard a hi-hat is struck and whether it is "open" (i.e., pedal not pressed, so the two cymbals are not closed together), a hi-hat can produce a range of dynamics, from very quiet "chck" (or "chick") sounds, done with merely gently pressing the pedal—this is suitable for soft accompaniment during a ballad or the start of a guitar solo—to very loud (e.g. striking fully open hats hard with sticks, a technique used in loud heavy metal music songs).
Next was the low-sock, low-boy or low-hat,[clarification needed] pedal-activated cymbals employing an ankle-high apparatus similar to a modern hi-hat stand.
Another claim, published in Jazz Profiles Blogspot on 8 August 2008, to the invention of the hi-hat is attributed to drummer William "O'Neil" Spencer (b.1909-d.1944).
"[4] The editor of the 2008 Jazz Profiles article made specific mention to others who are thought to invent the hi-hat, including Jo Jones, but also Kaiser Marshall.
In the early 1970s, hard rock drummers (including Led Zeppelin's John Bonham) began to use 15-inch (38 cm) hi-hats, such as the Paiste Giant Beat.
In the late 1980s, Zildjian released its revolutionary 12-inch (30 cm) Special Recording hats, which were small, heavy hi-hat cymbals intended for close miking either live or recording, and other manufacturers quickly followed suit, Sabian for example with their 10-inch (25 cm) mini hats.
Another evolution is that a pair of hi-hat cymbals may not be identical, with the bottom often heavier than the top[citation needed], and possibly vented.
Drop-clutches are also used to lock and release hi-hats while both feet are in use playing double bass drums.
The standard hi-hat features two cymbals mounted on a stand consisting of a mating metal tube and rod supported by a tripod and linked to a pedal.
The stationary bottom cymbal sits atop the tube, typically parallel to the ground, but is often fitted with an adjustment screw allowing it to be set slightly tilted.
The top cymbal is mounted bell up on the rod and closed against the bottom by foot pressure on the pedal.
A drop clutch allows a pair of hats mounted on a conventional hi-hat stand to be closed without use of the pedal.
Following this principle, Sabian alongside drummer Tony Verderosa, has developed the 12" VFX distortion hi-hats, mixing a Crash cymbal on the bottom with a China on the top.
When struck closed or played with the pedal, the hi-hat gives a short, crisp, muted percussive sound, referred to as a "chick".
It can also be played just by lifting and lowering the foot to clash the cymbals together, a style commonly used to accent beats 2 and 4 in jazz music.
Some top modern drummers like Billy Cobham, Carter Beauford, Shawn Drover and Simon Phillips, play open handed, striking with their left.
This is shown[clarification needed] when drums or cymbals in the middle of the set are played with the hi-hat rhythm.
The technique is common with metal genres, such as Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater.
Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones used a technique in which he did not play the hi-hat in unison with the snare drum at all.
