Jump to letters in alphabet

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B .......................................................................................... 1
C .......................................................................................... 3
D .......................................................................................... 4
E ........................................................................................... 6
F ........................................................................................... 6
G .......................................................................................... 7
H .......................................................................................... 8
I ............................................................................................ 8
K .......................................................................................... 9
L ........................................................................................... 9
M ........................................................................................ 10
N ........................................................................................ 11
O ........................................................................................ 11
P ......................................................................................... 12
Q ........................................................................................ 13
S ......................................................................................... 14
T ......................................................................................... 16
U ........................................................................................ 18
V ......................................................................................... 18
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Z ......................................................................................... 18
A
Accent - A note that is played louder to accentuate it in relation to the other notes
played in a piece. The opposite to an accent is a ghost note.
Ad Lib – Literal meaning ‘at liberty’. Here you can play with more freedom and add
your own flavour to the music. Usually within the confines of being stylistically
appropriate.
Articulation – If a note is cleanly played it will be more articulated.
Attack – The initial sound that an object makes is described as its attack. For
example some cymbals have a very loud initial sound which means they have more
attack. Some create the sound more slowly so they have less attack.

B
Back Beat – This is our main snare placement. Commonly this is the accented
snare on beats 2 and 4.
Back Sticking – Often seen in marching drumming, this is where the drummer flips
their stick to strike the drum with the tip and then the butt to create visual interest.
Bar – Music is broken down into and then measured in bars. In 4/4 time signature a
bar contains four quarter notes.
Basel Drumming – Switzerland was prominent in the evolution of drum rudiments
and Basel is still considered a hub for rudimental excellence.
Bass Drum – The largest drum in the kit set up and therefore with the lowest
frequency. The bass (or kick) drum sits on the floor and is played with a foot pedal.
Common sizes range from 18”-24” although they can come in smaller or larger.
Bass Drum Pedal – The bass drum is played using the foot via a pedal. Since the
early 20th century a fairly standard basic design has survived although variations and
extra features are constantly being marketed.
Batter Head – The top head, or skin, of a drum. This is the one you hit.
Battery - In marching bands this is the drum section. It generally involves cymbals,
tenor, snare and bass
Bead - The tip of a drum stick.
Beam – The horizontal line that connects music notes. Only 8 th notes are smaller
can have a beam. For example quarter notes would not be connected.

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Bearing Edge - The edge of a drum shell where the drum head makes contact. If
this is damaged the drum will not tune easily. There are different angles that
manufacturers cut these for varying degrees of resonance.
Beat - The unit of measurement that we use within our bars of music. In 4/4 time
signature we have four quarter notes in the bar, or four whole beats.
Beater - The part of a bass drum pedal that strikes the drum.
Beats Per Minute - The bpm of a song tells us the tempo/speed. 60bpm would
mean sixty beats per minute, which would be one beat every second.
Behind The Beat – This involves playing slightly behind the metronome or pulse of
the song. It does not mean you have bad timing but is an effect you can use to
create a laid back feel. It can be used intentionally but sometimes drummers play
behind the beat without realising it.
Bell (of cymbal) - The domes middle part of a cymbal. This can be hit for effect but
its size also shapes the overall sound and decay of the cymbal.
Blast Beat - A fast and furious rhythm type from heavy metal involving a single
stroke roll or unison hands with double bass drum patterns below all playing even
notes.
Bodhran – An Irish frame drum played with a double ended stick called a tipper.
Bomb – Dropping bombs was a second World War era effect used in jazz when
spontaneous accents were played on the bass drum.
Bongos – A pair of single skinned wooden drums found in Latin America. Often
seen played alongside drums such as conga or timbale.
Bounce – We talk about bounce a lot in drumming. This relates to the rebound of
the stick after it has struck a drum head.
Bow (of Cymbal) – The main mass of a cymbal between the bottom of the bell and
the cymbal’s edge.
Break – Drum ‘breaks’ were popular in hip hop and then later styles such as drum
and bass. They were initially drum solo sections from 1960s funk music that could be
looped whilst someone rapped over the top.
Bridge – In a musical structure the bridge is often the section that prepares for the
return of a main section. For example it’s the ‘B’ in the popular AABA structure.
Brushes – A type of drum beater that creates a softer and very distinctive sound. It
consists of a handle with multiple strands of metal forming a fly-swat-esque shape.
Butt - The bottom end of the drum stick, as opposed to the tip. The drummer
generally holds the stick near to the butt.
Buzz - A fast multiple stroke which is created by pressing the stick down. This
causes very fast bounces that make a buzz sound.

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Buzz Roll – When multiple buzz strokes are played in succession a buzz roll is
created

C
Cadence – In rhythmic terms this is a phrase that indicates the end of a section.
Cajon - A box drum of Peruvian originans. It is essentially a wooden box with a thin
front side that is struck whilst the player sits atop the box.
Calf Skin – All drum heads used calf skins until plastic technology replaced them.
They had a warm tone but were susceptible to atmospheric changes altering the
tuning.
Cascara - A popular Latin American rhythm often played together with a clave.
China Cymbal - A cymbal with an upturned edge which creates a distinctive trashy
sound.
Chinese Tom – Before the drum kit as we know it evolved there were traps sets.
Here they introduced Chinese toms. They were often decoratively painted and had
non-tunable animal skins which were tacked on.
Chops - A term used to describe combined speed and technique. That guy has
chops!
Clave - 1. A Latin American instrument involving two cylindrical wooden dowels that
are struck together. 2. The rhythm that was traditionally played on claves. Common
clave rhythms include the Son and Rumba.
Click Track – A metronomic tone that is often heard through headphones in the
recording studio, as well as live, so the band can easily stay in time.
Clutch – The system that attached the top hi-hat cymbal to the cymbal stand.
Cocktail Drum - A compact drum kit consisting of an upturned drum that often has a
modified bass pedal to strike the bottom head. It then has a small snare, cymbal, and
possibly a tom attached.
Collar – The upright part of a drum kit that sits between the horizontal part that we
hit and the metal ring.
Common Time – Another term for 4/4 time signature because it is so common.
Comping – Often used in jazz genres this word can be derived from ‘accompanying’
and ‘complementing’. It involves improvising certain elements of the kit (often snare
and bass drum) in reaction to your fellow band mates.
Concert Toms - Single-headed drums in scaling up in size. These were popular in
the 1970s on drum kit but are also found in other settings such as marching band
Tenor drums.

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Conga – Derived from Cuba, these large staved barrel shaped drums are around
waist height and played with the hands. Often played in pairs or with greater
numbers
Console – Before the current drum kit configuration the kit had a drum rack on
wheels from which items could be mounted as well as a tray for auxiliary percussion.
Counter Hoop – The hoop that sits at either end of the drum and is pulled down to
keep the drum head secured on the shell. Often these are metal with die-cast and
triple flanged being popular designs. Originally these were all wood.
Cow Bell – The same as those that hang from a cow’s neck these have become a
popular percussion item. They can be hand held or mounted on a stand, bass drum
or even a foot pedal.
Crash cymbal - A cymbal that produces a crashing sound. Distinct from the ride this
cymbal reacts very quickly with an explosive sound and is often used at the end of a
fill.
Crash/Ride – A cymbal that serves a dual purpose as a crash and a ride cymbal.
Cross-Stick – A technique to produce a softer snare drum option. The stick is laid
flat across the drum and the butt of the stick is struck against the rim of the drum.
Cut Time – Denoted with a C displaying a vertical line through it, cut time is often
used for faster tempos and means that a half note equals one beat.
Cymbal – The metal discs of the drum kit. These have a long history. The oldest
surviving manufacturer is Zildjian having originated in Constantinople in 1623.
Cymbal Choke – Striking the cymbal and then immediately grabbing it to produce a
staccato sound.

D
Damping – The act of lessening the natural resonance of a drum. This can be done
with tape, placing objects on the drum or using specifically made products such as
Moongel.
Direct Drive – Some bass drum pedals are connected to the beater with a chain but
some have a solid link called a direct drive.
Djembe - A single-headed hand drum from African. It is a goblet shape with an
animal skin secured with rope.
Double Headed - A drum with two heads (resonant and batter) as opposed to single
headed drums
Double Pedal – A pedal with two footboards and beaters allowing a drummer to play
with both feet on one bass drum as if having two bass drums.

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Double-stroke Roll - A rudiment that involved playing two notes with each hand;
RRLL.
Double Time - A perceived doubling of tempo whilst actually staying in the same
tempo. Emphasis within the bars has doubled but the actual number of beats per bar
has remained the same.
Doumbek – An Arabian goblet shaped single headed hand drum originating.
Down Beat – The first beat of a bar. Originating from the conductor’s downward
movement on beat one.
Drag - A rudiment which involves two fast ghost notes played as a double stroke
leading into an accented note – e.g. rrL llR
Dragging – Slowing slightly; dragging the tempo back. This is a sign of a drummer
with bad timing.
Drop Clutch - A specialised hi-hat clutch that allows a drummer to deactivate the
clutch so the top hi-hat cymbal drops to form a closed hi-hat. The drummer can then
play double bass drum patterns with a closed hi-hat. Pressing the hi-hat pedal
reactivates the clutch.
Drum – Generally a shell with a membrane stretched across the top known as a
membranaphone.
Drum & Bass - An electronic musical genre closely linked to Jungle music. It is often
fast, around 170bpm, and originated from old funk beats sped up.
Drum Break – Previously mentioned under ‘Break’.
Drum Corps - Marching bands (primarily in the USA) consisting of drum section,
brass section and colour guard (flag bearers).
Drum Head/Skin – The membrane that is stretched across the drum shell. Originally
made from animal skin it is now often produced from manmade Mylar.
Drum Kit – The recognised modern combination of drums and cymbals. It finally
came together in America but had evolved with help from many countries such as
China, Turkey and the UK.
Drum Mat – A rug or mat which the drum kit sits upon. It allows the spikes of pedals,
etc to stick into it and stops the whole kit sliding forward when played.
Drum Rack – A derivative of the original console, these metal frames allow drums
and cymbals to be suspended in limitless positions.
Drum Screen - A perspex screen that is set up around the drummer to stop their
sound bleeding into the microphones of other instruments on the stage. .
Drum Sticks – The wooden beaters that are used to strike drums.

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Drumming Circle - A group of people sat in a circle with a drum each. They perform
together both as a musical past time and as a form of therapy or team building.
Dry - A term used to describe a sound with a short decay.

E
Electronic Drums – An increasingly popular alternative to acoustic drums. These
involve pads which have a sensor inside them. When they are hit a signal is sent to
the module or ‘brain’ and this triggers a sampled sound.
Endorser - A drummer who has an agreement with a manufacturer for certain levels
of compensation or discount and in return they promote that company’s products.
Ensemble Notes – Figures that are played by the ensemble or band. A drummer
can often choose how to interpret those unison phrases.

F
Fast – Regarding sound, this refers to a sound’s characteristic with a quick attack
and quick decay. The main spike of sound appears quickly then dissipates quickly.
Fat – Regarding sound, this refers to a full sound which is full of mid and lower
frequencies.
Feathering - Playing the bass drum very quietly. Often found in jazz.
Field drum – A deep snare drum found in drum corps today but originally found in
the military battle field. Often played in groups with other snare drummers, tenor
drums and bass drums.
Fill - A departure from the main drum beat in a song. This is where the drummer
might go around the toms before arriving back with a crash cymbal to continue the
drum beat.
Finger Control – Using the fingers primarily rather than the wrists or fingers. Great
for fast, precise articulated playing.
Flam - A rudiment involving a soft note followed immediately by a stronger, accented
note.
Flanged Hoops – As mentioned in ‘counter hoops’, these are the bands in metal
hoops. They first came as a single flange then a double and now commonly a triple.
Flat Ride - A ride cymbal without a bell. This creates less overtones and sustain..
Flesh Hoop – The wooden or metal hoop that a drum head is attached to. This sits
under the counter hoop so that it may apply tension to the drum head.
Flight Case – A strengthened case to transport musical equipment in destructive
situations such as air travel and extended touring.

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Floating Shell – A drum design which has no lugs attached to the shell. Instead the
tension rods attach to a frame at either end of the shell which enables each head to
be tensioned independently.
Floor Tom – The largest tom of the drum kit, this drum traditionally has legs that
enable it to stand on the floor, hence the name. But nowadays the largest tom can
also hang from a tom mount just as the rack toms do. These drums generally range
from 14”-18”.
Foam Ring – A method of damping that involves a small foam ring attached to the
drum head. Some manufacturers market heads with this in place such as Evans’
Emad bass drum heads.
Focused – Regarding sound, a focused sound has a shorter sustain, few overtones
and is well defined.
Foot Plate - The part of a pedal that you place your foot on! Many have a hinge with
a heel plate flat on the floor although solid plates are also available.
Four-On-The-Floor – In four four time signature there are four quarter notes in a
bar. The bass drum sits on the floor. Therefore if you play four solid quarter note
bass drums in a bar that is called ‘four on the floor’. It is particularly prevalent in the
dance genres although can be used in any style.
Frame Drum – The most simple and oldest drum type. The most common form is a
shallow wooden frame with a single animal skin tacked onto one side. Variations of
this can be found across many cultures.
French Roll - A drum roll that involves three strokes per hand.
Front Line – In rudimental drum bands the snare drummers sometimes stand in a
straight line at the front. The other percussion instruments are positioned behind
them.
Fulcrum – The point at which the stick connects with the hand. We spend many
hours working on the perfect fulcrum to allow control but also adequate movement of
the stick. In matched grip the fulcrum is between the thumb and index finger knuckle.
Fusion kit – One of the recognised drum kit configurations. Here we would see 10,
12, 14” toms and a 20” bass drum. This differs from the standard rock sizes.

G
Ghost Note – A very light note, most commonly played on the snare drum.
Gig – A slang term for a paying music job, generally a performance or concert.
Glissando - A note whose pitch ascends or descends.
Gong – These are large cymbals, used extensively throughout history in Asian and
South Asian countries.

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Gong Drum - A large single headed drum with a head that extends beyond the
diameter of the shell and is suspended in a frame.
Grace Note – A note that is played slightly before the next note, ala a flam.
Groove – A difficult term to define but essentially the emotive aspect of a rhythm that
causes listeners to dance or move with the music.

H
Hammering – Some cymbals are subject to a hammering process which gives them
that uneven battered look. This affects the tone and decay of the cymbal.
Traditionally this was done by hand but is also done by machine today.
Hand Drum – Some drums are designed to be played by hand rather than sticks.
Hand Hammered – As discussed in ‘Hammering’ some cymbals are subjected to
this process via hand hammering which involves an artisan hitting the cymbal into
shape using a very skilled ear to distinguish when the correct sound is achieved.
Hanging Tom – Alternative name for rack tom or mounted tom.
Hardware - The stands or rack that drums and cymbals are suspended from.
Head – In jazz music the entire melody section is sometimes called the head.
Typically the head is played once at the start before the solos start and then again at
the end to finish the piece.
Heel-toe – A foot pedal technique in which the back end of the foot plays the first
note and then that lifts as the toe goes down to play the second note.
Heavy Metal - A popular music genre existing since around the 1970s distinguished
by heavy guitars and aggressive music.
Hemiola – A common polyrhthm which creates a 3 over 2 effect where a rhythm of
two even notes is played simultaneously with a rhythm of three equal notes in a bar.
Hi-Hat – The two cymbals that are positioned one above another on a stand. These
are hit by the stick as well as being stomped together by use of the foot pedal.
Hip-Hop - A musical genre derived from rap which relied heavily on sampled drum
beats, often borrowing from the funk genre.
Hybrid Rudiments - A rudiment that fuses elements of traditional rudiments. The list
of hybrid rudiments is ever expanding.

I
Idiophone - An instrument that produces a sound with vibration of the whole
instrument rather than using strings or membranes.

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Indefinite Pitch – Many percussion instruments create a pitch but it is not a specific
pitch as you would find on a pitched instrument such as a piano.
Independence - The term used for the challenge that drummers face when using up
to four limbs to play rhythms simultaneously.
Indie Music – technically music that is distributed through an independent record
label as opposed to the major labels. But this term became widely used for a style of
music even though many of these bands went on to be signed to major labels.
Introduction – The start of the song that sets the piece up before beginning the
main melody.

J
Jazz Ride – Relating to the rhythm that drives most jazz music. This is generally
kept on the ride cymbal and involves a quarter note on beat one, then the first and
third partial of the 8th note triplet on beat two, this is repeated across beats three and
four.

K
Kettle Drum – Large bowl shaped drums also called timapni. These are common in
classical music genres today although were used as war drums mounted on horses
historically.
Kevlar – This is commonly used in bullet proof vests due to its strength. Therefore it
has also found use as a drum head on the highly tensioned drums in marching
corps.
Kick Drum – Alternative term for bass drum.

L
Lathing - The last process for many cymbals is to be mounted on a lathe whilst
layers of metal are chiseled off.
Latin-Jazz - A hybrid style which took from South American and Caribbean Latin
styles and brought to North America to be fused with jazz sensibilities.
Layered Drumming – As opposed to linear drumming, layered drumming involves
different voices of the drum kit being played simultaneously..
Linear Drumming – Rhythms in which only one voice of the drum kit is played at
any one time.
Lo-Boy - The forerunner to the hi-hat in which two cymbals were mounted a few
inches above the foot pedal. At this stage it wasn’t possible to play the hi-hat with the
sticks so it was purely a foot instrument.

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Long drum – Historical name for bass drum.
Long Roll - See Double-stroke Roll.
Loop - A pattern which is played around in a loop indefinitely.
Low Tom – Alternative name for the largest tom or floor tom.

M
Machine Hammered - A technique for crafting a cymbal that uses a machine to
hammer it rather than being hand hammered.
Mallets - A category of drum beaters that have a soft end, often covered in felt.
These are great on tom toms and for cymbal swells.
Mama Dada - A commonly used beginner term to teach the double stroke roll.
Marching Drum - See field drum
Matched Grip – Unlike traditional grip, the more modern matched grip sees both
sticks being held the same way.
Measure – Alternative term for a bar of music..
Melodic Toms – Alternative term for concert toms.
Membranophone – This is one of the main musical instrument categories in the
Hornbostel-Sachs system and defines an instrument with a membrane stretched
across it. Most drums are therefore a membranaphone.
Metal Shell – Drums shells can be made from a number of materials such as wood,
plastic or metal. Many snare drums are metal but there are full metal kits as well.
Metric Modulation - A method of changing the pulse or tempo by modulating
through a common note value first.
Metronome – A device which keeps a steady pulse t keep musicians in time.
Middle Eight – In common song structure the middle eight is the third section,
usually after two verses and two choruses, which gives the listener something new in
order to keep interest..
Moeller Method – Early 20th century American drummer, Stanford A. Moeller,
created a system that is still core in the learning’s of many drummers to improve
control and technique.
Montuno – This is a Latin version of the western ‘vamp’ which allows a small section
of music to be repeated indefinitely. These are often a backdrop for a solo.
Mounted Tom – Whereas a floor tom often sit on the floor via legs, a mounted tom
can be suspended from a bass drum or cymbal stand.
Mounting Hoop - The rigid hoop of a drum head, also known as a flesh hoop.

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Muffled – The result of muffling a drum so that it decreases resonance and creates
a shorter, dead thump sound.
Muffling Rings – See foam rings
Mute – These are often in the foam of rubber or foam rings that sit on the drum
heads and allow for very quiet practice.
Mylar - A material which Remo and Evans used in the 1950s to create plastic drum
heads.

N
NARD – The National Association of Rudimental Drummers. This organisation was
created in the early 1930s and soon set out the main ’26 Standard American
Rudiments’.
Nylon Tip – First created by Joe Calato of Regal Tip, these are the plastic tips that
some drum sticks have to created a harder wearing and more articulated drum stick
tip.

O
Octave – The interval between two notes which are exactly 12 semitones apart.
Octoban – These are long drums with a very small diameter which Tama
showcased in the 1970s. They come in sets which vary in length whilst all having 6”
diameters.
Odd Meter – Referring to time signatures that are not duple or triple such as 7/8,
5/4, 11/16, etc. But sometimes used to describe a time signature simply having an
odd number of beats in it.
Off Beat – Referring to the beats between the main beats. SO in 8 th note rhythms it
is each ‘&’ which falls between the quarter note pulse.
On Top of the Beat - Where behind the beat plays slightly after the click, here the
drummer plays slightly ahead to create a sense of urgency.
Open – As opposed to muffled, this type of sound can resonate freely.
Open Handed – Often employed by left handed drummers to allow them to play on
a predominately right handed set up. Here the player doesn’t cross hands. Famous
examples of this style include Simon Phillips and Carter Beauford.
Ostinato - A rhythmic pattern that is repeated without being changed. One example
would be a repeating foot pattern (ostinato) that the drummer then improvises over
the top with their hands.

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Overhang Pedal - An earl incarnation of the bass drum pedal in which the pedal
was suspended from the hoop of the bass drum.
Overtones – When a drum or cymbal vibrates it creates it’s main sound which is the
fundamental tone. Any other harmonic vibrations create overtones. This can create
pleasant or unpleasant effects.

P
Paper Thin – A very thin cymbal which is often higher in pitch with a fast attack.
Paradiddle - One of the fundamental rudiments which uses the sticking R L R R L R
LL
Parallel Strainer - A snare throw mechanism that allows the snare wires to lay
across the resonant head completely flat.
Percussive Arts Society (PAS) - An international organization, much like NARD,
which exists to promote percussion education, research and best practices.
Pea-Soup – The slang term to describe the classic disco beat in which the hi-hat is
opened on the ‘&’ of every beat. It creates a sound that can be described as ‘pea-
soup[‘.
Permutation – An alternative way of using a sticking pattern. Often well known
rudiments can be started in a different position within the phrase. This would be
called a permutation.
Piccolo Snare - A shallow snare drum, usually with a standard diameter.
Pick-up - A little phrase that starts a tune and leads everyone into the first bar.
Pinstripe – A famous drum head made by Remo with two plies stuck together and
showing a single black stripe just inside the diamter.
Pitch - The relationship of a note’s frequency compared to other notes.
Plies – The layers of wood used in a drum shell and the layers of plastic used in a
drum head of described as plies.
Pocket - A term to describe playing in the groove.
Poly-Meter – When two different time signatures are played simultaneously, often
with a view to resolving after a set period of bars.
Polyrhythm – Similar to Poly meter, polyrhythm’s involve playing two different
subdivisions simultaneously.
Porthole- A small hole cut into the resonant bass drum head to allow air to move out
and also to allow a microphone to be placed inside the drum. hole.
Power Tom - A tom tom with a greater depth.

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Practice Pad – A pad often with a rubber surface that allows us to practice drum
hand patterns away from the drum kit. Bass drum practice pads also exist now for
the same purpose.
Press Roll – Same as Buzz Roll..
Pulse – Most music has a pulse. It is often the rhythm that people clap or stamp their
feet to when listening to a song. The most common pulse would be the quarter note
feel in four four time signature.

Q
Quaver – The traditional term for an eighth note which lasts for half a beat.

R
Rack Tom – See mounted tom
Remo – A drum head manufacturer created by Remo Beli.
Remote Hi-Hat - A secondary hi-hat that can be positioned anywhere around the kit
because the pedal is connected via a cable.
Resonant Head - The bottom head of a drum which resonates when you hit the top
(batter) head.
Rhythm – The quality of a musical piece that pertains to its regular beats and the
pattern that it creates.
Rhythm Section - The instruments in a band that maintain the rhythms. This usually
includes the drums, bass guitar and a chording instrument such as a rhythm guitar.
Rhythmic Displacement - A rhythmic technique in which a recognised pattern is
shifted along to accentuate a less obvious beat in the bar.
Ride Cymbal - A larger cymbal that is used to keep a steady rhythm on, as opposed
to a crash which is used to accentuate single notes.
Rim – An alternative name for a counter hoop on a drum. Usually made of metal.
Rim Shot - A note, often played on the snare, which involves hitting the rim and the
drum head simultaneously. It creates a loud ‘crack’ sound.
Ring – High pitched overtone.
Roll – The term for a rudiment that creates a continuous sound such as a single
stroke roll, double stroke roll or buzz roll.
Roto-Toms – Small drums that are devoid of shells and are mounted on a frame.
They are tuned to spinning the drum
Round - A sound which is mellow and without many overtones.

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Rudimental Drumming – A style of drumming found in marching drum corps which
relies heavily on the rudiments. Such groups often compete and many display strong
elements of choreography.
Rudiments – The standardized sticking patterns that originally allowed battlefield
signals to be easily learnt and understood. These are still the core of drum kit players
and a strong grasp of these is considered fundamental in a player’s development.

S
Salsa – Referring to a number of Cuban/Latin rhythms.
Sample - A small section of recorded music that is reused in a new piece of music.
Second Line - A New Orleans style of drumming that derives from the musicians in
the parade. It often has a very unique feel somewhere between straight and swung.
Shed – Slang term just meaning to practice the drums.
Shell, Drum – The cylindrical body of the drum.
Shell Pack – Drum kits are often sold as shell packs. This means the main drums
without cymbals and stands, and often without a snare drum.
Shoulder - The upper part of the drum stick where it starts to taper.
Shuffle - A rhythm based upon the first and third partial of a triplet. It is a swung
rhythm.
Side Drum – See field drum.
Signature Series - A drum product that had design input from a well known
drummer and is sold with their name printed on it..
Single Headed - See Concert Toms,
Single Tension - A double headed drum without tension lugs. The tension rod from
one head is connected to that of the other head and they are tuned simultaneously.
Sizzle Cymbal - A cymbal with rivets installed through small holes.
Skip Beat - In a jazz swing pattern the skip beat is the ‘let’ of beat two and four.
Snare Drum – A double headed drum which features snare wires pulled taught
across the resonant head to create a buzz sound when the batter head is struck.
Snare Bed – The lower bearing edge of a snare drum is often cut away to allow the
snare wires to fit tighter across the resonant head.
Snare Head – The resonant head on a snare drum is often called a snare head. This
is generally very thin so it gets excited easily and allows the snare wires to buzz
freely.

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Snare Throw-Off – The mechanism on the side of a snare drum that allows
adjustment of the snare wire tension.
Snare Strainer – Alternative term for a snare throw-off.
Snare Wires – The metal wires that are held across the snare drum resonant head.
Snow Shoe Pedal – An early incarnation of the hi-hat, this device had two foot
boards with a small cymbal attached to each. When the top board was pressed down
with the foot it clanged against the cymbal on the lower board.
Sock Cymbal – Slightly taller than the low-boy, this early hi-hat design allowed the
hi-hats to sit slightly higher up the drummer’s leg.
Solid Wood Drum – A drum with a shell constructed from a solid piece of wood
rather than plies.
Splash Cymbal - A small crash cymbal usually between 6-12”.
Spurs – The metal (often rubber covered) spikes each side of a bass drum that
prevent it sliding forward.
Staccato - A short, sharp sound detached from the next as opposed to legato.
Stacked Cymbals - Two cymbals mounted on top of each other to create a very
short, trashy effect.
Staff – The five lined system that we write music on.
Standard – Often heard in jazz circles, a standard is a classic tune that will often be
played. It is wise to be familiar with the standards.
Steel Drum – A drum with Caribbean origins, these are traditionally oil drums cut
with sections pounded to create specific notes. These are played in groups and can
perform melodies.
Sticking Patterns – The order of left and rights used in a phrase. Rudiments help
form common sticking patterns such as the single stroke roll which consists of Right,
Left, Right, Left, etc.
Structure - The component parts of a song. Common structures might be Verse,
Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Middle Eight, Chorus.
Sub Kick - A speaker with revered wiring to act as a microphone capable of picking
up the low frequencies produced by a bass drum.
Subdivision – The main beats in a bar can be subdivided to create more interesting
patterns.
Sustain – The length of a note. A snare drum has a naturally short sustain whereas
a cymbal has a long sustain before the sound decays.
Sweet Spot – The part of a drum or cymbal that produces the most pleasant tone.

15 Drum Term Glossary © 2017 www.totaldrummer.com

Swell - The build in sound of a cymbal.
Swing – A style of music related to jazz but also the term for a piece of music that is
based on a triplet subdivision rather than straight eight notes.
Swish Knocker - A large china cymbal with rivets.
Syncopation – The placing of emphasis on the weaker beats of a bar.

T
Tabor - A mediaeval precursor to the snare drum.
Tabla - The pair of drums from Northern India. The larger one is a bayan and the
smaller one the dayan.
Tala – A metric cycle in Indian music with a specific number of beats anywhere from
3 to 128.
Tambourine – A frame that has metal jingles imbedded in its side. It comes with or
without a membrane.
Tam-tam – A type of gong.
Tap Tuning – The final fine tuning part of drum tuning in which the drummer taps
just inside each tension rod on the drum head surface. The aim is for the pitch to be
identical at all points around the circumference of the head.
Technique – The required motor functions and the execution of the learned patterns
as a result of many hours of practice.
Temple blocks – Hollowed out wooden blocks that are struck to create a note.
Tempo – The speed of a musical piece measured as beats per minute.
Tenor Drum – Single headed drums found in marching drum ensembles.
Tension & Release – A musical device in which tension is created in a piece to set
up for the subsequent release which allows a pleasing resolution for the listener.
Tension Casing – The metal fitting that the tension rod is screwed into on the side
of the drum.
Tension Hoop – Alternative for Counter Hoop.
Tension Rod - A threaded bolt that holds the counter hoop and therefore the drum
head on the drum. These are tightened or loosened to achieve the desired tuning.
Throne – The common name for a drum stool.
Timbales – A pair of drums found in Cuban music. These are single headed metal
drums which are tuned very high and are often played with rimshots.
Timbre – The term to describe the tonal qualities and character of an instrument.

16 Drum Term Glossary © 2017 www.totaldrummer.com

Time – Could be used as, “he’s got good time,” meaning he kept a consistent tempo,
or as, “play time through that section of music,” which just means keep the basic
beat going.
Time Keeping – Staying in time and not allowing the tempo to fluctuate.
Time Signature – A convention used in Western music to state how many beats are
in a bar.
Timpani – Traditional name for a kettle drum.
Tom Tom – A staple part of the drum kit, these originally came to the kit in the
decorative Chinese form with tacked on heads. Now they have tuneable heads
thanks to Gene Kruper.
Trading Fours – A common element in jazz music, here one musician solos for four
bars and then the next musician solos for four bars. Thus the two musicians are
trading fours..
Traditional Jazz – A term to describe early 20th century Dixieland jazz.
Traditional Grip – The older method for stick holding as opposed to matched grip.
The right hand is the same in both technique. But in traditional the left hand employs
a different group. This originated with marching drummers who needed to get that
stick over the raised rim of the slanted drum hanging from their waist.
Traps – Shortened from contraption, this was the early incarnation of the drum kit..
Trashy- A term used to describe cymbals with many mid-range frequencies. Stacks
are known to be very trashy.
Trigger – the rise of hybrid drumming means that many acoustics kits have triggers
on the side. When the drum is hit it produces it’s normal acoustic sound whilst also
sending a signal via the trigger to the electronic module to trigger whatever sound is
assigned.
Triple-Flanged - A counter hoop with three folds in it. Counter hoops started with
one flange, then two, then finally evolved to have three.
Triplet – A subdivision that places three equally spaced notes usually occupied by
two equally spaced notes.
Tuneable Tom – Tom toms were initially tacked on to the drum. They later evolved
with the batter head being tuneable before both heads became tuneable in the
1930s.
Tuning Lug – Alternative for Tension Casing.
Tuning Rod – Alternative for Tension Rod.
Tuplet – A type of subdivision other than two or four such as a triplet or sextuplet.
The number will generally be shown above the tuplet for easy reading.

17 Drum Term Glossary © 2017 www.totaldrummer.com

Turn-Around – The end of a common phrase in music before it returns to the start
again. A drummer will often place a fill here to mark the end of the sequence.

U
Unison - When two or more musical parts are played together.
Unlathed – See lathing. Unlathed cymbals produce a drier more articulated sound.
Up Beat – In music there are up beats and down beats. Where beats one and three
are down beats, beats two and four are upbeats.

V
Vamp - A short repeating section of music, maybe just two chords. This can be
played indefinitely until a cue moves the band onto the next section or the end of the
music.
Vent – Most drums have a small hole in the shell to allow air to move out of the drum
when the head is struck and therefore compresses.

W
Wash – A cymbal can be played as such to create a swell of constant sound, or a
wash.
Wet - A drum sound that is often the result of a slack head.
Wood Hoops – Counter hoops were once wooden before metal became popular.
Some wooden hoops are still sold today.

Z
Zildjian, One of the oldest companies having been created in 1623 in
Constantinople. It is still one of the biggest cymbal manufacturers today.

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18 Drum Term Glossary © 2017 www.totaldrummer.com