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Drummers vocabulary

Drummer vocabulary

  • Count-in

    kownt in

    noun

    The counted pulses that signal to a band that a song is starting. Often the leader of a musical group will yell the count-in (“One, two, three, four!”) or the drummer will click their sticks together to signal the beginning of a song; both of these acts are “count-ins.”

  • From the top

    fruhm the top

    noun

    Starting a song from the beginning.

  • Grip

    grip

    noun

    The way a drummer holds his or her sticks. Common grips of the drumsticks include matched grip and traditional grip.

  • Dampening

    dam·puh·nuhng

    verb

    Another word for muffling.

  • Muffling

    muh·fuh·luhng

    verb

    Placing something on or in a drum to reduce its resonance.

  • Fat / phat

    fat

    adjective

    Positive term to describe any sound that is pleasantly “big”, “wide”, or “huge” to the ear. Also used to describe a groove that feels really good.

  • Fill

    fil

    noun

    A variation in a drum-set pattern where one breaks away from the beat/groove to play an embellishment. Typically, fills are played to connect phrases or sections of a song.

  • Down beat

    down beet

    noun

    The strongly-felt pulse of a piece of music; the place where the listener would clap their hands or tap their foot in time with what they are hearing.

  • Up beat

    up beet

    noun

    In music, a note that is played on the “&” in the counting of eighth notes in common time, or in opposition to the strongly-felt beat of the music (the “downbeat”).