Rimshot 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 head of a drum with a drum stick: "the sound is part normal snare and part loud, woody accent," "generally sharper, brighter and more cutting," as this produces large amounts of overtones. The stroke is used on the snare in rock, pop, and blues and on the tom-toms in Afro-Cuban music. The technique is very common in ska, reggae and rocksteady. In marching percussion there are three types of rimshots. The most common is the
Rimshot bearing edges and the shaft of the stick is struck against the rim opposite the tip, thus creating a dry, high pitched "click" similar to a set of claves. The stroke is used to simulate claves in Brazilian bossa nova and also used for ballads in rock, pop, and country. Drummer Gene Krupa is credited with having invented the rimshot. The musical phrase played on percussion instruments used to punctuate jokes is known in percussion jargon as a sting. This is often called a "rimshot" although some versions of it do not include a rimshot in the technical sense. A