To rimshot or not to rimshot?

[Joe Nocella]

Hey Guys,

For those of you who gig regularly with a group that primarily performs western, backbeat-oriented music; do you:

a:) Play rimshots for backbeats all the time
b:) Most of the time
c:) None of the time, or sometimes accidently

The reason I ask is, I've been playing backbeats in the center of the head w/o rimshots for many years. I've had problems with tendons in my left hand and I thought letting the stick rebound would be better on my hands than rimshotting (which I perceived as producing more of a shock). I also thought that I could produce a more consistent sound. Pre ProTools, if you missed a rimshotted back beat, typically you had to recut the entire track.

Recently however I demoed a Pearl Maple MCX 6.5 snare at a local GC (not gospel chopper). I was playing some grooves and found myself playing rimshotted backbeats. They sounded so woody and groovy that I'm now considering switching back.

Which leads me to the following question. What are your thoughts and current tendencies with regards to rimshotting backbeats? Thanks!

[Gaddabout]

I've found I don't need to rimshot on my BB. It sounds like a gunshot no matter what i do.

[Lucas Ives]

It should be a sonic decision, not a health one. If you're using proper technique you won't hurt yourself by playing rimshots. Even when hitting the rim the grip should be loose enough to allow the stick to reverberate, there shouldn't be really any shock being absorbed by the hands.

[cjbdrm]

I play rimshots most of the time for backbeat-oriented music, unless they're too loud for the room/gig, then it's center of drum at appropriate SPL...

IMO rimshots 'cut' through a lot better, due to a sharper transient, especialy if mic'd from top...but that's not always appropriate.

If you play a lot of BB oriented music, and play rimshots, it's possible your hand technique will change quite a bit to accomodate the rimshot...it's happened to me and I see it a lot in some videos of the cats online...

[robhaerr]

I rimshot most of the time, too...except for when volume is an issue.

[Jeremy Smirnoff]

I don't do rimshots most of the time, because when I DO want to do them, they make more of an effect.

[Yussuf]

I used to rimshot about 99,9% of the time. But after witnessing Steve Jordan get so many different shadings out of the snare drum(f.ex. hitting a rimshot near the edge of the drum in a rockabilly song or getting a nice mellow sound by hitting dead centre with the butt end of the stick in a ballad etc. etc.) I was inspired to try to re-approach drumming. It definitely was an eye-opener how you can dictate the mood of a song SO much by just altering the way you hit the snare.

(Btw it's my first post on the HOD forum.. Hi everybody!)

[Paul Rivet]

I don't do rimshots most of the time, because when I DO want to do them, they make more of an effect.

...ah shoot, that's what I was going to say too!

[Joe Nocella]

Thanks for the replies guys and welcome to HoD Yussuf!

[Matus]

To me it's also a matter of sound and it depends mostly on the song. My "regular" backbeat is a rimshot but that might be full centered, off-center, towards the lower edge, etc. Also, a rimshot with the butt end of the stick gives me a warmer sound for certain songs or passages.
And there is a lot of difference you can make just with how much rim you hit. It can sound very thin or with 90% head sound.
Of course, there are certain songs I have to play without rimshots, just because the sound I'm going for is softer (this will be most likely played with the butt end of the stick).
I've had no health problems with hitting rimshots, just minor ones with doing it with traditional grip when I can't hear myself too well, but I don't use it that much anymore, so...