11/25/17

 

What is a Rim Shot?

Rimshot

A rimshot is the sound produced by hitting the rim and the head of a drum at once, with a drum stick. Rimshots are usually played to produce a more accented note, and are typically played loudly. However, soft rim shots are possible.

There are three standard types of rim shots in marching percussion. The first, most common type of rimshot, is the normal rimshot. This is played with the bead (tip) of the stick about three inches from the rim. This produces a prominent, accented tone. The second is called a "ping shot". In a ping shot, the bead is oriented much closer to the rim, about one inch. This produces a high pitched sound. The third, called a "gock," is produced by putting the bead of the drum stick at the center, the rim making contact closer to the hand than in a ping or normal rimshot. This makes a lower sound.

In Latin percussion, timbale players play rimshots near the edge of the head, but these sound very different from gocks in marching percussion.

In orchestral percussion, a rimshot is performed by placing one drum stick with the stick head near the middle of the drumhead, and the shaft pressed against the rim, and striking with the other stick. This produces a less powerful, but more precise and accurate rimshot than its marching cousin. This method is known as a "stick shot".

On a Roland TR-808 drum synthesizer, a rimshot is performed by method of analogue synthesis, with a button pressed as close to the middle of its surface as possible to insure proper function. This produces a more accented, more unrecognizable sound than its marching/latin cousins.

Rimshots and gocks both produce loud cracks that contain large amounts of overtones.

The term is often used to refer to the sting played by the drummer in cabaret shows to accentuate the punchline of a joke. As a result, a particularly obvious laugh line is called a rimshot.

The rimshot should not be confused with the cross stick technique, in which the tip of a drumstick is placed on the head near one of the bearing edges and the shaft of the stick is struck against the rim opposite the tip, creating a dry, high pitched "click" similar to a set of claves:[1] this is a rim knock.

 References

  1. ^ Michael Miller (2004). Playing Drums. Alpha Books. ISBN 159257162X.
  2. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

     

 

This site was last updated 11/18/17