# Proposal for Emoji: Cymbal #### Submitted by: Roshan Ramankutty #### Date: March 29, 2025 ## I. Identification - CLDR short name: Cymbal - CLDR keywords: hi-hat, drum set, gong, taal, bo, jhyamta, tingsha, rimshot, crash, percussion, instrument, band, concert, music - Category: Objects — Music - ## II. Images B&W 72px x 72px ![[B&W Cymbal large 2.png]] B&W 18px x 18px ![[B&W Cymbal small 2.png]] Color 72px x 72px ![[Color Cymbal large.png]] Color 18px x 18px ![[Color Cymbal small.png]] B&W with Stand 72px x 72px ![[B&W Cymbal with Stand Large 1.png]] B&W with Stand 18px x 18px ![[B&W Cymbal with Stand Small 1.png]] Color with Stand 72px x 72px ![[Color Cymbal with Stand large.png]] Color with Stand 18px x 18px ![[Color Cymbal with Stand small.png]] ## III. Factors for Inclusion - a. **Expresses multiple concepts**: Cymbals are often associated with musical performances, particularly in bands, orchestras, and other ensemble settings. - b. **Can be used with other emoji**: Cymbals can be paired with other musical emoji, such as drum, trumpet, or microphone, to form compositions that convey ideas like “music performance” or “concert.” - c. **Breaks new ground**: Cymbals represent the "crash" and "dissonance" sounds visible in Western, South Asian, and East Asian music. No existing emoji directly represents cymbals as a distinct musical instrument. - d. **Legible and visually distinctive**: Cymbals, typically depicted as a single or pair of shiny, round brass plates, are easily recognizable and visually distinct from other musical instruments. - e. **High Usage**: - **Frequency**: - Google Search: ![[Pasted image 20250331160327.png]] - Elephant Comparison ![[elephant results.png]] - Google Web Trends: ![[Cymbal Web Trends.png]] - Google Image Trends: ![[Cymbal Image Trends.png]] - Google Books Ngram Viewer: ![[Cymbal Google Ngram Viewer .png]] - Google Video: Google Video no longer produces results. - f. **Completes an incomplete category**: Existing music-related emoji include drums, guitars, and violins, but no emoji currently represents cymbals. Cymbals represent percussive crashes and dissonance not currently provided by the existing drum category. Adding a cymbals emoji would fill this gap. - g. **Compatibility with Popular Existing Systems**: N/a ## IV. Factor's for Exclusion - **Not Already Represented**: Cymbals and Cymbal-like instruments, e.g ideophones like Gongs or Tambourines, are not represented by any specific emoji currently. Cymbals might be able to be represented by a possible ZWJ Sequence of 🥁 + 💥 or 🥁 + 🔔. However these symbols on their own without a ZWJ joiners don't cohesively or comprehensively reflect a Cymbal as an entity in itself - in fact they provide misleading associations, as an explosion doesn't really convey musicality and the bell conveys a ringing tonal experience, not a percussive "crash" or "shimmering" that one might expect from a cymbal. - **Not overly specific**: Cymbals are a well-defined musical instrument with widespread recognition and use across a variety of musical domains. A well designed cymbal emoji can be used in Western Classical and Contemporary as a hi-hat or crash cymbal; it has a place in Turkish and Arabic music as seen in Ottoman mehter bands; it has value in South Asian Classical music like Carnatic and Hindustani performances as seen with the Taal/Jhyamta and Tingsha in tibet; Southeast Asian music in Indonesia and Thailand; and cymbals play a large role in China - **Not Open Ended**: This proposal clearly specifies one clearly defined instrument and covers a specific category of percussion that is currently not represented in any capacity within emojis. - **Not Transient**: Cymbals have been a part of musical traditions for centuries, ensuring long-term relevance. The earliest known production of a cymbal has been found in Egypt dating back to 1500 BCE, as small bronze/copper handheld devices used in religious ceremonies and celebrations. In China, the origins of the "bo" cymbals can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty in 1046 BCE. In South Asia, references to the Taal can be found as part of the oral traditions in the area which trace back over two thousand years. - **Not Justified by another Emoji**: In the American popular culture, there are often requests to pair a cymbal emoji to allow for a "punchline" meaning: ![[Pasted image 20250409140426.png]] While this is a valuable and highly anticipated use-case and worth acknowledging, many of the usages of cymbals in other cultures are not accompanied directly by drums, or indeed drums of any kind. For instance, the Indian Taal and Manjira are managed by a separate percussionist in Hindustani music, where other percussive instruments like the Tabla is managed by a separate instrumentalist. The cymbal emoji in these circumstances stands on its own. Thank you! :)