There are a few fundamental differences between the crash and ride cymbals. First of all, drummers use a crash option when they need to emphasize the accents in a song. The sound of a crash is loud. Ride cymbals are usually bigger than crash ones. Drummers can play a ride during the whole song, especially to show a steady pattern. The sound of such equipment is not as explosive as the sound of a crash. The rides also cost slightly more than the crashes.