Sting (percussion)

A sting, often referred to as a rimshot, is a short sequence played by a drummer to punctuate a joke, especially an obvious one. A sting is often used as accompaniment during cabaret- and circus-style shows. The sound of the sting is sometimes written ba dum tsh, ba-dum ching, and occasionally ba dum tis. An abbreviation used in chats is //* .

Stings may take the form of a short roll followed by crash cymbal and kick drum, a flam, or a rimshot.

An example basic sting is shown below, consisting of a tom followed by a kick, a short rest and then kick, snare and choked crash together.