Rim Shots

in a song, who decides only rim shots are necessary for that particular bit or for the whole song?


The producer, lead singer or the drummer boy himself?

Pachikara-Tharakan said:

in a song, who decides only rim shots are necessary for that particular bit or for the whole song?


The producer, lead singer or the drummer boy himself?

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Yes. It all depends on the situation.

I have my artistic concept, and I'll argue for it strongly if necessary. But there are times when it's good to listen to others and give a little, too; for a whole host of reasons. Ask yourself, "does it really make that much of a difference to me?"

A conversation I had last week:

Me: Hey bass player, do you prefer the brass mallet or the nylon one on the glock?

Bass Player: Seriously? Let me hear both. (I A/B'd both mallets) I think I like the brass.

Me: Me, too. It brings out the high end.

Me: Hey Musical Director, what do you think of these brass mallets on the glock?

MD: I like the brass, generally, but on number 7 in the show, could you use the nylon? The brass is just a bit tinkly in that section. We don't want a toy piano kind of sound there.

Me: Fine.

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Now, that's a simple situation involving some incidental glock parts, but I take the same kind of attitude most of the time. If someone around me who I respect makes a suggestion about the music that comes from a genuine intention to make the music sound better, I'll hear them out, and give it a shot. Why not?

Depends, depends, depends. Is this in the context of your band of equals, or are you a hired side man, or is this a recording gig? Among your buddies, you're the man but want to have an open ear to others' ideas. As a side man, you are working for someone, so be willing to share your input and provide options for them to hear, but the boss is the boss.

I've always been playing with rim shots, just because i like the sound of a quick "smack".
Tho when playing jazz with a hard pattern on the snare drum, it really ain't worth it. fast patterns = no go.

Nobody ever told me to do either way, other than just play the damn thing
But i guess i'd like to know other people's kind of view. And simply learn from them aswell. They might share some valuabe information. Just remember to ask why you should do that and that, so you know when you should do so again.

Most people, even producers won't generally notice an accent note like that anyway(depending on the snare and hoops, of course)... I use them in most grooves I play, again, as an accent, not ever for every whack. In my experience, most people simply don't care, and really only another drummer would notice that you did something "different" for some of your snare notes. I still use them a lot, but I guess my answer is, put them where you think they sound good, and let them tell you not to do it if they don't like for some reason.

whenever i hear a rim shot though out song, i always think, why, there should have been a full heavy snare through out, that would have sounded awsome and not lame at all.
well, again, my personal thought so.

but , from all of ur informative replies above, now i understand.

thanks a lot, friends.

Bertram said:

Tho when playing jazz with a hard pattern on the snare drum, it really ain't worth it. fast patterns = no go.

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No, no, no.

It's about accents. If the phrase needs an accent, you could use a rimshot - especially in fast left hand comping. It's a totally different tone and you should use it as such when necessary.

Hate to join the party with nothing new to say, but it all depends. My reasoning is slightly different though. I play in a church where the musicians are SUPER obsessed with "tone" and appreciate a center on the drum sound rather than "crack" from rim shotting. Opposingly, I've been in studios where the producer wanted absolutely nothing but rimshots for every song.

I would ask the sound tech to give it a listen and see what they prefer. If they're any good at their job, they WILL give a rip and let you know. Conversly, some people will say anything to get you to leave them alone so they can run on auto-pilot and make easy cash.

In a big venue, obviously you can afford to fire at will... But in smaller ones, I would use rimshots sparingly as if it were an exclamation point.. Kind of like a tastefully placed china. If that's even imaginable anymore. Don't be afraid to use "pings" either. If you don't know what those are, it's just where you rimshof but instead of hitting the rim with the middle of the stick, you hit 3-4 inches away from the tip. If you can get them consist, it's a nice change of pace for ghost notes.

I think there's some confusion here between rim shots and rim clicks (also called cross sticks). I think the OP meant rim click and I think everyone responding is talking about rim shots.

Rim click = laying the stick across the snare resting the tip of the stick about an inch from the edge and striking the rim with the shaft of the stick. These are soft. Example: http://youtu.be/VSIKTCdil_s

Rim shot = striking the head of the drum with the tip of the stick while simultaneously striking the rim with the shaft of the stick. These are loud; generally, they're louder than a regular backbeat. Example: http://youtu.be/SptRyJljqoc

In case I'm right about this... In my experience, whether to play backbeats or rim clicks is sometimes up to me and sometimes not. The songwriter or someone in the band may instruct me when to switch from rim clicks to backbeats.

For some reason I have been using rim shots lately. They are good for some accents and also I started doing them while practicing my paradiddles and stuff like that on my Remo practice pad.

8Mile said:

I think there's some confusion here between rim shots and rim clicks (also called cross sticks). I think the OP meant rim click and I think everyone responding is talking about rim shots.

Rim click = laying the stick across the snare resting the tip of the stick about an inch from the edge and striking the rim with the shaft of the stick. These are soft.

Rim shot = striking the head of the drum with the tip of the stick while simultaneously striking the rim with the shaft of the stick. These are loud; generally, they're louder than a regular backbeat.

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I hadn't considered that...

At any rate, I guess I'd still have the same basic response. If I thought a part called for some chill rim-clicks, I'd just bust em out and let them tell me if they don't like it. Usually it's not a problem. Only certain types or parts of songs really call for that anyway.