A
crash cymbal is a type of
cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to in
ostinato. They can be mounted on a stand and played with a
drum stick, or by hand in
pairs. One or two crash cymbals are a standard part of a
drum kit.
Suspended crash cymbals are also used in
bands and
orchestras, either played with a drumstick or rolled with a pair of mallets to produce a slower, swelling crash. Sometimes a drummer may hit two different crash cymbals in a kit at the same time to produce a very loud accent, usually in
rock music.