Hi-Hats

Around the 1920's, the pupose of the left foot in the modern drum kit is given its purpose with the invention of the "snowshoe" pedal, which copied the mechanics of hand sock cymbals. Now, by pressing down on a foot board with the left foot, two small cymbals hovering near the ground connected. This mechanism was completely crude and offered little control over the sustain or movement since the snowshoe was connected to the foot by a strap-- hence the name. Accordingly, the "low boy" was invented, standing some 10 inches off the ground, with a spring-loaded direct pull mechanism that caused the top cymbal to independently rise. Though "Mr. Hi-hat," Papa Joe Jones of the Count Basie orchestra, declares himself the inventor, no one is quite sure of how the hi-hat "grew" out of the low boy. While the drum company Leedy offered the low boy and hi-hat models in its 1924 catalog, it was not until the 1930's that hi-hats became the standard. Now drummers could play cymbals with either by hand or foot. This invention incorporated syncopation in all limbs. Now the drummer could play three instruments at a time.

A site that gives a great overview on the history of the hi-hats is wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-hat