Suspended Cymbal

As Printed on a Score

Labels a single cymbal hung on a stand (Suspended Cymbal, Sus. Cym. or Susp. Cym. later), written on a single line. Tremolo strokes ask for a roll, usually with soft mallets; the beater is named in words (soft mallets, sticks, wire brush, bowed), and l.v. or a damping sign governs the ring.

Abbreviations: Sus. Cym., Susp. Cym.

How Composers Use It

Rolled with soft mallets it swells from nothing into a wash of sound — the standard way to build a crescendo into a climax; struck with a stick it gives a bright, short tick, and bowed it sings an eerie, sustained tone. Say which beater you want, because the sound changes completely, and leave the player a moment to change mallets.

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