In
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
, a drum stroke is a movement which produces a single or multiple
notes
Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to:
Music and entertainment
* Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music
* Notes (album), ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian
* ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) sho ...
on
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s or other
percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
s such as
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
s. There are several types of strokes: four basic single strokes (noted below),
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
strokes, and other
multiple strokes such as triples, quadruples, or buzzes of indeterminate number.
Basic strokes
The basic strokes produce a single hit or notes while resulting in different sounds. They are produced by different movements.
*The ''full stroke'' begins with the tip of the drumstick held 8-12" (20-30 cm) above the striking surface. The drummer strikes the drum and then returns the stick back up to its original position.
*The ''down stroke'' begins with the tip at the same height as the full stroke, but upon striking the drum head, the drummer keeps the stick low (about an inch above the striking surface).
*The ''up stroke'' begins with the tip of the stick hovering about an inch above the head of the drum. The drummer strikes the surface, then brings the stick up to full stroke or down stroke position.
*In the ''tap'', the stick begins at the same position as the up stroke and remains there after striking.
The four basic strokes are used to produce a variety of accented and unaccented beat combinations.
Other strokes
*Push/Pull or Push-Pull Strokes, dual fulcrum strokes with alternated wrist and finger motions.
*Moeller Method Strokes, the same 4 basic strokes as above, but with a dual fulcrum whipping motion.
*Gladstone Free Strokes, with a completely uninhibited rebound in full, half, or low varieties.
*Freehand or Gravity Strokes, a dual fulcrum stroke using the rim for alternating up and down halves.
*Ghost Notes, basic taps or up strokes played at a lower volume than the surrounding notes, the inverse of an accent.
See also
*
Drum rudiment
In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely assoc ...
*
Ghost note
In music, a ghost note is a musical note with a rhythmic value, but no discernible pitch when played. In musical notation, this is represented by an "X" for a note head instead of an oval, or parentheses around the note head. It should not be ...
*
Beat (music)
In music and music theory, the beat is the basic unit of time, the pulse (regularly repeating event), of the ''mensural level'' (or ''beat level''). The beat is often defined as the rhythm listeners would tap their toes to when listening to a p ...
*
Backbeat
In music and music theory, the beat is the basic unit of time, the pulse (regularly repeating event), of the ''mensural level'' (or ''beat level''). The beat is often defined as the rhythm listeners would tap their toes to when listening to a p ...
References
{{Drum beats
Percussion performance techniques