After playing enough places with tight stages, I figured there had to be options to shrink the space a percussionist takes up.

 

The niftiest of all solutions is the cajon. Its small size plays no small part in how expansively played it is around the world now. Details of its Afro-Peruvian origins are still mysterious from what I've found so far (see this TED video and comments for a start) but its progression into all kinds of music since is as epic as it is simple, all from so natural a musical invention as smacking a bare box!

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Hi-hats have gone through quite a progression too. Hinged boards called a "snowshoe" once closed cymbals together by foot, which evolved into "lo-hats" (also called "lo-boys" or "lo-socks" - see here and wikipedia). Lo-hats simply rose into "hi-hats", which gave drummers the power they have today to play mated cymbals with sticks and feet simultaneously.

 

I mention these two histories just to say that:

 

Thi-Hats occured to me as a practical move to put hi-hats on the leg. This idea came naturally not only from wanting to save space and cut out a hefty piece of hardware, but also from the natural progressions of both these percussion instruments - hi-hat & cajon - converging in the musical circumstances many of us play in today.

 

The cajon economizes sounds from full size drumsets into a small box you hit while sitting on, It's its own art. Hi-hats add another level, and more cajonists and percussionists incorporate them, mimicking a full kit, but still requiring the full size item from a full size kit - the hi-hat stand. Thi-Hats were conceived in the spirit of less-is-more that more musicians are doing more with. Thi-hats are not only efficient - because size, space, and gear are issues musicians constantly deal with, especially drummers! - but (hoping not to sound too gimmicky) they open up a new playing experience...

 

Having your hi-hats physically attached to your body is different than playing them disconnected from you on a separate stand. Intimately feeling every hit and clash and ring out fluidizes your playing, not unlike what some serious cajon players may already be familiar with, feeling their own playing underneath them in their bones.

 

So Thi-Hats are just another step in percussion, enabling more freedom with less equipment. I think of Thi-Hats as lo-hats come full circle. A lot of drum companies are making compact versions of larger percussion pieces, some that attach to a leg. It made sense to design a fully operational hi-hat apparatus for the leg, and it was only a short matter of time before others would have I'm sure. Thi-Hats are hi-hat playing devices that simply strap around the thigh - hence they're called "THI"-Hats (as in "THIGH"-hats). They are played the same way hi-hats are played on a stand, being actuated (opened and closed) via foot pedal. The pedal attaches to a cable which controls the top cymbal, tightened to it by a clutch, no different than how the top cymbal is tightened to the rod of a hi-hat stand. A dual external spring system holds the cymbals open and is response-controlled by a thumb nut under the coil spring which strengthens or lightens the responsiveness of the cymbals as you like. The cymbals fasten to extendable arms so that you can use any size cymbals you like, from tiny splashes to 15" cymbals. I made everything I could think of adjustable: thigh strap, foot strap, heel pad, cable (from both ends), arms, max open limit, thigh mount wings, thigh mount wing cushions. The design and all its embodiments are US PATENT PROTECTED and PCT protected internationally.

 

I can't list all the possibilities Thi-Hats offer. They are IDEAL for gigs with tight stages or little setup time. They're quite useful for drummers, either wanting to eliminate a hi-hat stand, or even add another set of hi-hats (they can be played together with hi-hats too of course). They're obviously something percussionists could use with all varieties of traditional and exotic drums or something new to throw into an experimental setup. Of course they're wonderful for cajonists, particularly those who make the most of the cajon as a substitue for a full drumkit while remaining compact. I believe Thi-Hats help that idea fully take off! But I also love the thought of singer/songwriters and performing musicians who want to add a percussive element to their stuff incorpoating Thi-Hats, giving the acoustic guitarist or multi-instrumentalist their own classic "chink" on the upbeat while they play somewhere or work out a song in their room, etc.

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There's much more to come. Thanks for your interest.

Sincerely,

Nick Acocella

Inventor of THI-HATS and CEO of THI-HATS LLC

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