rim shot



[Eng.]

A drumming effect that is often used with the snare drum that produces a sharp, percussive sound, much like a gun shot. This effect is used in a wide variety of musical genres including march music, jazz music, rock music, concert band/symphonic band music, and orchestral music. This effect is also extremely common in Latin music on the timbales. There are several methods of producing the rim shot effect and a wide range of sounds are possible.
1. Rim Shot
The most common rim shot effect is produced by striking one drumstick on the the rim and the head of a drum at the same time. The sound can be altered by changing the length of the drumstick that strikes the head of the drum. The sound will be higher in pitch if the drumstick strikes the head close to the rim. If the drumstick strikes the head more towards the center of the head, the pitch will be lower and sound more like a gun shot.
2. Stick Shot
Another common rim shot (often called stick shot) effect is produced by laying one drumstick on the drum, with the butt on the head of the drum and the shaft laying across the rim (or just the butt on the head of the drum) and striking it with the second drumstick. The sound can be altered by changing the length of the drumstick that is laying across the rim and head of the drum and further changed by striking the drumstick in different locations between where the striking meets the head and where it meets the rim.
3. Knock or Latin Rim Shot
Another method of producing a rim shot (often called a knock or Latin rim shot) effect is produced by placing the tip of one drumstick on the drum head and striking the shaft of that drumstick on the rim while the tip of the drumstick remains on the drum head. The sound can be altered by changing the length of the drumstick between where the it touches the drum head and the rim. This effect creates a less harsh sound and is used extensively in jazz and Latin music.

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