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.

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.

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.

An abbreviation of "beats per minute", a standard method of indicating musical tempo.

Another name for Multiple Bounce Roll, but often times played in a more closed fashion so that the sound is like ripping paper.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A time signature synonymous with 2/2 time.

This is one of two time signatures (the other being Common Time) that do not have to be written as numbers. When 4/4 or Common Time is cut in half the result is 2/2 or Cut-Time, written as a C with a vertical slash slicing the C in half.

See also cut-time feel

Playing any groove twice as fast as its regular tempo, while the measures of music continue as normal. Often confused with Half-time. To achieve this, the back-beat is played on the & or AND of the beat, rather than the normal fashion ... playing on beats 2 and 4 as in 4/4 time. There is also a music notation for cut-time where the music is written normally, but you are instructed to play it twice as fast ... which is what cut-time means.

This terms is used in relation to the pulse of the music, which, 99% of the time, is the quarter-note.

A term used to inform the performer to add something to the batter head of a drum in order to decrease the resonance. This is typically something more than just a Moon Gel, like a wallet or handkerchief which makes more of a drastic change in the sound.

An abbreviation for "decibel", which is a unit of measure used to logarithmically express ratios of change in power or signal levels; a measure of sound pressure level.

Decibel is equal to one-tenth of a Bel (named after Alexander Graham Bell).

Playing any groove twice as fast as the regular tempo, while the measures of music continue as normal. This is synonymous with Cut-time feel. The Double-Time Feel is when the groove goes twice as fast; Double-Time (without the word feel) would tell the entire band to play the music twice as fast too.

This terms is used in relation to the pulse of the music, which, 99% of the time, is the quarter-note.

See also cut-time feel

Sometimes called a "ghost note", is a soft/light tap, almost imperceptible to the ear. The drumstick height used when performing these strokes should be 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch above the surface; the closer to the drumhead the better. A ghost stroke is used to color rhythmic patterns within a groove of fill.

Typically, when performing Ghost Strokes within a groove, such as the right hand on the HiHat and left hand on the Snare drum, the performer will want the ghosted notes to be softer than any notes played on the HiHat. Failing to do this will make the ghost strokes sound more like tap strokes ... and they won't blend properly within the groove being played.