"Back in Time: Lowboy" - Cymbal Series, Part 4

A series on the cymbal's incorporation into modern drum sets with host, Kelli Rae Tubbs. The history-rich videos discuss the transition of cymbals to their current-day use, starting with the orchestral and ceremonial use of cymbals and the inventions and innovations that helped in the transition in the early 1800s, starting with counterhoop mounted brackets and, nearly a century later, hand-held wire cymbal beaters and, later, pedal cymbals.
Charleston pedals, commonly known as snowshoe pedals, helped create a non-accented afterbeat which was perfect for dance music, as compared to the pedal cymbals which were a better match for march music.
The bulky Charleston pedal, however, gave way to a more compact, lighter weight skeleton-style metal framed invention by Barney Walberg, the lowboy.
The design was relatively simple. The lowboy was comprised of a base/heel plate, a treadle which connected at the toe to a mechanical linkage that created pressure on a compression spring held within a vertical riser and, protruding from the vertical riser, a metal rod which operated the up and down motion of the top cymbal. When the treadle was depressed, the top cymbal would be pulled down to clash against the lower cymbal.
Just like the drummers who used the Charleston pedal, the drummers who used a lowboy had the ability to play the foot cymbals on the afterbeat, creating an undeniably dance-able rhythm.
Part 5 discusses how the lowboy foot sock cymbal was modified to become what we recognize today as the hi-hat.
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ABOUT THE HOST || Kelli Rae Tubbs is a singing drummer and percussionist, as well as a bandleader specializing in 1920s jazz based Minnesota -- the Twin Cities to be more specific.
As a clinician/educator, she has delivered clinics covering the topics of keyboard percussion, improvisation, and the drumming techniques used in early American jazz.
She is a member of the Sabian Education Network and the D'Addario Education Collective and, in July 2016, was appointed to the Scholarly Research Committee of the Percussive Arts Society. She was a preliminary judge in the 2017 "Hit Like a Girl" drumming contest.
Kelli is a regular contributor to "Tom Tom Magazine" and, as an historian, is working to preserve our unique American musical heritage through the restoration of antique drums dating back to 1887 and the performance of early American jazz.
She has received four grants to study classic American drumming styles with drummer, educator, author, and historian, Daniel Glass, her co-author in the upcoming book entitled "The Postcard Project: A Snapshot of Drumming Life, 1900-1930" being released in 2017. In addition, she has received a grant to study silent film sound effects with William F. Ludwig III, owner of WFLIII Drums.
For more information about Kelli, her other projects, and upcoming clinics and appearances, visit www.KelliRaeTubbs.com.
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ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR || Nicholas Barr, founder of Northome Films, is an independent film maker and musician with a unique perspective for matching landscape and soundscape with human emotion. The advent of high-definition video-capable digital single lens reflex cameras opened up a new world of shooting for him.
ABOUT NORTHOME FILMS || Northome Films is a Minnesota-based video production company which had its start in creating music videos and "behind the scenes" documentaries with footage from recording sessions and live performances. What began as a personal passion for founder, Nicholas Barr, has become a way to communicate others' passions to their audiences, telling their authentic story. For more information, visit www.NorthomeFilms.com.
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ABOUT THE RHYTHM CLUB ALL-STARS || Led by internationally-renown drummer, Daniel Glass, this all-star line-up specializes in jazz of the 1920s-1940s. The Rhythm Club All-Stars features some of the top professionals on the Southern California scene, including Daniel Glass (Brian Setzer Orchestra, Royal Crown Revue, Bette Midler), John Reynolds (Cab Calloway), John Hatton (Brian Setzer Orchestra), and Corey Gemme (Johnny Crawford, High Sierra Jazz Band). Purchase CDs at www.DanielGlass.com/portfolio/rhythm-club-all-stars/.