Lesson 1 – Part 3

The Hi-Hat

In this session you will learn how to make a dental plosive to make a hi-hat sound.

The Classic Hi-Hat

The second sound you need to learn to make your first beat pattern is called a hi-hat.

On a drum kit, a hi-hat is is a combination of two cymbals and a foot pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. When the two cymbals are together the sound it is called a closed hi-hat, and when the two cymbals are apart the sound is called an open hi-hat.

This is the symbol for a closed hi-hat:

The Dental Plosive

The Classic (closed) Hi-hat sound uses a dental plosive. This is the iconophonic for a dental plosive:

And it sounds like this (click on the Play button):

Dental means teeth and the sound is made using the tip of your tongue and the back of your top front teeth.

A dental plosive sounds a bit like the letter ‘t’ in English.

Learn how to make the classic closed hi-hat sound by watching this video:

When a closed hi-hat is used in a beat pattern it can be played. This closed hi-hat uses the dental plosive you learned in this lesson.

Click on the icon below to play the hi-hat four times:

When you are ready, click on the QUIZ button to take the Hi-Hat quiz.