Drumming 101: All the Basic Drum Terms You Should Know

Learning to play the drums means new equipment, new skills, and new terminology. Here, San Diego, CA drum teacher Maegan W. breaks down some basic drum terms so you can walk the walk and talk the talk…

Whether you’re new to the drumming world or you’re a seasoned pro, these drum terms are the ABC’s that every drummer should know.

But before you dive into the list of drum sound terms below, get some inspiration by checking out this video of drumming techniques – you’ll be grooving in no time!

What Are Some Drum Words?

1. Rudiments

Rudiments are the different drum patterns that can be used as drills themselves, or turned into music when applied properly to the drum set or drum kit.

There are several different drum rudiments, however, 40 of them have made the cut as the most important and popular rudiments to learn and use. If you want to learn all 40, Vic Firth has a guide on their website, but for now let’s take a look at some of the most basic rudiments that you will use in your drum lessons.

Before we get started, note that the letters “R” and “L” tell you which drum or hand to play. R = right hand and L = left hand.

The Single Stroke Roll

This is the most basic of all the rudiments. This is what you would naturally play if you just picked up the sticks and started playing. The pattern is R, L, R, L.

Lead with your right hand when you play this stroke, and it turns into a roll as the tempo increases.

Once you’ve learned the single stroke roll, try to play the same pattern leading with your left hand:  L, R, L, R.

Double Stroke Roll

Now we get into our double strokes. The right and left hand lead will apply here as well. This is where two strokes will be played on each hand R, R, L, L (right hand lead) or L, L, R, R (left hand lead).

Double stroke rolls are sometimes called “diddles.”

Paradiddle

The paradiddle is one of the most famous and important rudiments to master. It has several variations and can be applied in so many cool ways. The pattern is R, L, R, R, L, R, L, L. The pattern is all eighth notes.

Now that you have a basic overview of the essential rudiments, let’s take a look at some other common drum terms.

2. Drum Fill

A drum fill, also called a lick or a chop, is a phrase you play to fill in space between sections of a song, or to take you and the band to the next section like the verse, chorus, or bridge.

3. Drum Throne

The seat that the drummer sits on is often referred to as the throne. Yes, just like royalty, the drummer gets a special seat.

4. Traditional and Matched Grip

These terms describe how you hold the drum sticks. In the traditional grip, you hold the left stick like a fork, and the right stick like a wand.

With a matched grip, hold both sticks like a wand with your palms facing down.

5. Groove or Beat

The drum groove or beat, is a rhythmic pattern you play to the music that keeps the time.

6. Tempo

Tempo refers to the time or speed. Sometimes drummers will use a click track or metronome to practice and work on improving their tempo. Some bands and drummers even play live shows with a click track.

Drum Terminology for Beginners from A to Z

Still not satisfied? There are countless other drum and bass terms you need to master if you want to become an expert drummer. Here are some of the most important drum terms for beginners to know, arranged in order from A to Z. 

A

• Accent – this is one of the many important drum beat terms you will need to master. It has to do with placing emphasis on a certain note to give it more stress than others. 
• Acoustic drums – these drum set terms refer to drums that don’t contain any electronic components and are often made of wood or synthetic material.
• Axatse – this type of drum is a gourd with beads woven around its hollow body.

B

• Backbeat – this is another one of the most important drum beat terms. It has to do with stressing betas two and four in common time. 
• Ball joint – this mechanism lets a cymbal arm or tom tom arm rotate 360 degrees.
• Basket – also known as a snare drum basket, this is the cradle that keeps the snare drum in place.
• Bass drum – this is the lowest pitched drum in a marching band. When referred to in drum set terms, it is also called a kicks rum because it can be kicked with a foot pedal while you are playing. 
• Bass drum pedal – this is the pedal used to operate the bass drum 
• Beat displacement – this refers to moving forward all beats by one eight note. 
• Beater – this is a drumstick that has a mallet-type head and is used to beat a bass drum. 
• Bells – this instrument contains tuned metal bars that are mounted on rectangular frames (like marimbas, glockenspiels, or xylophones). 
• Blast beats – these are single stroke rolls that alternate and are broken up between the bass drum and snare drum. 
• Bodhran – this Irish drum is covered with goatskin.
• Bolero rhythm – this kind of ballad is great for dancing the bolero dance. 
• Bones – also known as castanets, these are wooden instruments held in the hand and clicked together in time to a rhythm. 
• Boom – this is an amr that extends from the cymbal stand to allow for greater positioning around the drumset
• Bossa nova–  this is a rhythm that you can play with the drums that has origins in Brazil. 
• Brekete – this kind of drum is shaped like a cylinder and can be played with a stick or the hand.
• Brushes – brushes have wire bristles and can be used for traditional jazz drumming. 

C

• Cabasa – this is a Latin type of drum that has a round cylinder on a handle. It is held in one hand and rubbed in the other.
• Castanets – see bones.
• Cajon – this is a wooden box drum that sounds like a conga. 
• Cha-cha  – this medium-tempo rhythm has Afro-Cuban origins. 
• Chimes – these small bells are brushed with the hand mallet, or drumstick to add a pleasant tone to a soft ballad. 
• Chops – in drum terms and techniques, this word refers to your rhythmic vocabulary.
• Claves – these cylindrical wooden sticks are clicked together to make a high pitched sound, usually in Latin music.   
• Common time – also referred to as 4/4 time and indicates four beats to the measure 
• Conga – this African/Cuban drum is meant to be played with the hands 
• Cowbell – this percussion instrument is frequently used in Latin music
• Crash cymbal – sometimes referred to just as crash, the crash cymbal is used to emphasize a specific beat. 
• Cymbal – this copper or bronze disk is struck with a drumstick to emphasize beats and add texture to music. 

D

• Djembe – this West African drum is shaped like a goblet and is one of the more common percussion instruments. 
• Double bass – this drum term refers to using two bass drums in a drum set. 

Downbeat – this is the main pulse as it is related to the rest of the measure. 

• Drop clutch –  this is a hi-hat clutch that lets the top cymbal drop whenever you hit a lever. 
• Drum lessons – you can find drum lessons here to become a better drummer. 
• Drum set – any set of drums with more than four or five individual pieces.
• Drumsticks – these are a pair of sticks that are to be used for drumming.
• Drum tabs – this is shorthand for writing drum tablature or sheet music. 

 

E

• E-drums – short for electronic drums, this kind of drum is synthesized and requires electricity to operate. 
• Egg shakers – these drums look like eggs and are meant to add a small amount of rhythm to a sound.

F

• Finger cymbals –  these cymbals are mounted to the hand and played by striking them together
• Floor tom – this is the deepest tom that is found on a standard drum set. 
• Foot pedal – this is the part of a hi-hat pedal or foot pedal that the foot is meant to rest on. 
• Forte – play nice and loud! 
• Free-floating – this is a term that describes a drum with hardware that is not permanently fixed to it. 

G

• Ghost note – this note is meant to played extremely quietly, almost at undetectable levels
• Glockenspiel– this instrument is played with mallets and consists of tuned metal bars on a  rectangular frame.
• Gourd –  gourds create a zipping kind of sound that you’ll often hear in Latin music.
• Gong – this is a large suspended cymbal meant to be struck with a large mallet. 

H

• Hand bells – these bells are tuned and meant to be held in the hand and shaken to produce a sound.