Rimshot because they were scripted into the routine by the comedian but were designed to be improvised by the drummer. But when the comedian jumped, or blinked or otherwise physically acted as if he was hit with a "slap" it would generally heighten the response that he would get from the audience. The cymbal and rimshot together or the rimshot followed immediately by the cymbal crash all worked together to maximize the reaction to the joke. Rimshot A rimshot is a percussion technique used to produce an accented snare drum backbeat. The sound is produced by simultaneously hitting the rim and
Rimshot rimshot when used to accent the punchline of a joke being told by a live comedian may or may not simultaneously be played with a small cymbal crash. This was popularized in comedy as staged by stand-up comedians performing at one of the resorts in the Catskill Mountain region. Many of these comics were of Jewish heritage and were known as "borscht belt comics." The best illustration of how a rimshot might be applied to a comedy routine is to look at the classic style of Henny Youngman who in addition to playing a violin would tell fast-paced, one-liner type