rim shots
Comedic percussion accents
A rim shot is a drumming technique where the stick strikes both the drumhead and the rim simultaneously, producing a sharp, accented crack.
In comedy, a rim shot—typically the "ba-dum-tss" pattern on snare and cymbal—punctuates a punchline or corny joke: He delivered the pun and waited for the rim shot.
The comedic use has become so associated with groan-worthy humor that rim shot alone can signal "that was a bad joke."
- ba dum tssComedic percussion sting
- percussiveRelating to struck sounds
- drum fillShort solo between sections
- drumheadTaut membrane over cylinder
- drumstickStick for striking drums
snare · rimshot · punchline · staccato · jazz · comedic timing · beats · stand-up comedy · comedy club · open mic night · sound effect · Johnny Carson · vaudeville · ghost note · tom-tom · syncopation · sitcom · laugh track
- darbukametal body, finger rolls
- jokesjokes, joke, puns, one-liners, pun
- audio samplessamples, loops, vocal samples, drum kits, kicks
- rhythmsbeat, rhythm, syncopation, offbeat, cadence
rim shotsapplause
Collective hand-clapping approval
belly laughs · dead silence · standing ovation · crickets · thunderous applause
rim, shot, rims, shots, rimmed, rimming, shooting, shooter, shooters