#1 [url]

Nov 2 04 6:40 PM

I thought of a way to make it so that the hi-hats open when you put your foot down - don't know if it's the way you're doing it.

It's like having a hi-hat in reverse: rather than the top cymbal moving, the bottom cymbal moves. You'd have to secure the top cymbal somehow so that it's fixed (on a shaft that doesn't move, obviously). Then the bottom cymbal will move down when you put your foot down. You'd get the same result as a regular pair of hi-hats except it will be closed and will only open when you stand on it.

The way I would design it:

A middle shaft that does not move at all - the top cymbal is attached to this shaft.
Then a hollow shaft which wraps around the middle shaft and moves up and down it. The bottom cymbal will rest on the top of the hollow shaft (probably with a clutch). The pedal will be attached to the hollow shaft so when you step on it the bottom cymbal is pulled downwards. Then when you let go again a spring mechanism will pull the bottom cymbal back up.