The sounds of a drum kit

A drum kit is a set of very different sounds. The grid below plays each of them once, from the lowest to the brightest. As you listen, ask yourself which ones you would use to keep time, and which ones to mark a moment.

The low end: kick

The kick (bass drum) is the heartbeat: a sound you feel as much as hear. It usually marks the strong beats, and dance music leans on it hardest.

The middle: snare, clap and rim

The snare answers the kick with a bright crack. A clap does the same job with a softer, wider sound and is common in electronic music and hip-hop. The rim (a stick on the drum’s edge) is a quieter click for small accents.

The metal: hi-hats and cymbals

The closed hi-hat is a short tick that fills the time between kicks and snares. Open the hats and they ring longer: the open hi-hat adds lift, often just before a beat. The crash is a loud splash that marks the start of a new section, and the ride is a steadier ping some styles use instead of hats. The toms are pitched drums, heard mostly in fills.

Putting them together

Few beats use every sound. Here four of them work together: kick and clap trade places, the closed hats keep time and one open hat lifts the end of the bar.

A useful way to think about it: kick and snare (or clap) are the skeleton of a beat, the hats are its motion, and toms and cymbals are its punctuation.