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Open Hi-Hat
The hi-hat, left open so it sizzles instead of ticking.
1 · Hear it
Listen twice: once alone, once with the band. The second one is how you'll actually hear it in songs.
2 · What it actually is
Same two cymbals — the pedal is released, so they ring against each other.
Its job
Marks the end of a phrase or lifts the energy right before a change.
Listen for
A wash of metal that fades instead of stopping dead.
You've heard it in: The off-beat 'tsssh' in house music.
3 · Words that go with it