I'd say when you get your ride, get a "thin" one that really shimmers, not clang'y. You probably don't want clankity clank clank clank unless you need to cut thru a loud band. You can always get a clank by hitting the bell part anyway.

I went to the music shop the other day and tapped on probably over twenty five rides. I found at least two that I really liked. I think they were about 225 or so and they were 22 inch ones. I can't remember what brands they were except that a couple of the best sounding were Zildjians. Others were either Paiste or Sabian. The ones I picked sounded especially good to me. Hopefully the salesman, I know well, will remember the one I really liked. They have a drum specialist.

I would say to tap on a bunch of them and pick out the ones you like the best. There should be a big selection and it should be in a quiet environment, not GC. Once you pick out the ones you like the best, if you are like me, you'll have a hard time deciding which one to get because they all sound so good and are about the same price.

When hit, I like to hear a nice controlled, even decay of the sound that doesn't oscillate in an unbalanced, wobbly type of way, but should produce a steady sound that fades away evenly without unbalanced tones washing around unevenly.

I think every cymbal sounds slightly different, just like every snowflake is different. There are a lot of things going on there: thicknesses, machining, castings, alloys, hammerings, hand crafting, different set ups of the machines by different people, skill of the craftsman, etc.

I bought a really comfortable Roc-n-sock throne that has a hydralic seat post and a backrest. I used to use an improvised stool that actually worked pretty good.

Keep practicing your rhythms and don't be afraid to let go and improvise into your own grooves. It's only rock and roll, and I like it.