Rimshot

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This article references the term in the world of music. For the term's use in radio and television broadcasting, see Rimshot (broadcasting).

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 two standard types of rim shots in marching percussion. The first, more common shot is called a "ping shot". In a ping shot, a drum stick hits the head and the rim at the same time, with the bead very close to the rim. This produces a high pitched sound. The other, called a "gock," is produced by putting the bead of the drum stick close to the center, the rim making contact closer to the hand than in a ping. 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".

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

The term is erroneously 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 sometimes 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.