Music and Drumming Terms
All
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| attack |
The first part of a sound, defined as the amount of time it takes for the acoustic waveform or electronic signal to rise from silence to its greatest amplitude. This initial period of attack is typically followed by a gradual decay of the sound. In reference to drumming, the attack can also be the point at which the instrument is struck; relating to the velocity of the striking apparatus and volume that it produces. |
| back-beat |
The weak pulse in the measure, namely beats 2 and 4 when playing in Common or 4/4 time signature. The term is often used to describe when the drummer plays the Snare drum in a basic dance rhythm. The strong pulse would be on beats 1 and 3. |
| batter head |
Referencing to the drumhead that is actually played. On a Snare drum or Tom-Tom, this would mean that top head, which is struck. On a Kick/Bass drum it's the drumhead in which the pedal beater strikes. If a single drum has two drumheads, one parallel to the batter head, this is typically referred to as the resonant head. |
| bpm |
An abbreviation of "beats per minute", a standard method of indicating musical tempo. |
| Buzz Roll |
Another name for Multiple Bounce Roll, but often times played in a more closed fashion so that the sound is like ripping paper. |
| click track |
An audio track, consisting of short tones, that acts as a metronome, helping musicians play at a preselected tempo. May be recorded on tape, or on a MIDI sequencer. |
| Common Time |
A time signature synonymous with 4/4 time. This is one of two time signatures (the other being Cut-Time) that do not have to be written as numbers. Four-four time (4/4) is used so much that it is often called Common Time and is notated as a bold C.
|
| cross-stick |
Using a drumstick, this is played by laying the stick across the drumhead with the end of the stick extending past the rim. The palm/heel of the hand stays in contact with the drumhead (close to center), dampening the snare drum while holding the stick. Lift the stick, keeping one end of stick on the head, and the other comes down and hits the rim. When played properly, it sounds much like a woodblock. The most popular way to play this is to flip the stick around so that the butt of the stick is used across the rim; giving the deepest and lowest tone possible. |
| cue |
Originally a section of music used in a film or video (aka cue mark), ranging from a short piece of background music to a complex score. The specific parts of the music that correlate to the visual events are referred to as "cue points" or "hit points". The term cue also refers to a visual or audible makers or signals. A visual cue may come from a conductor or band leader to direct or signal other musicians, or appear on sheet music (aka musical cue) to help ensemble musicians coordinate their playing. An audio cue could be any words, as in a lyric, or sounds, such as a particular part performed by a specific instrument. For the musician, a cue is often used to signal when to stop, start, or perform a particular rhythmic pattern or section within the music. |
| Cut-Time |
A time signature synonymous with 2/2 time.
See also cut-time feel |
 |
