Drum Slang

Apeshit (ayp shitt)

Using large movements with arms and body; going very fast and loud. e.g., During the solo, Jared went apeshit on the bass drums.

Ashtray hand (ash tray hand)

n. when the left hand (traditional grip) of a snare player is facing up looking like an ash tray.

At Attention (at uh ten shun)

To be still and alert to what your instructors are saying; marching drumlines are often called to attention with a barked command such as "Set", "Attention", etc., so they will hear what they are about to be told.

Backstick (back stik)

v. Playing with the butt end of the stick.

Bag (bag)

n. <1> Anything which is horrible, e.g. a musical score, a performance, etc. (e.g. That drumline was the bag.) <2> The worst player in a particular section. also tick box, bag of ass, tick

Bag of Suck (bag of suk)

) n. When there is so much suckin' goin' on in the whole Drumline that it comprises an entire bag of it!! e.g. You guys are screwin around so much that you look and sound like a giant bag of suck!! also flaming bag of shit

Balls (balz)

n. Intensity; e.g., Play with some balls, man. also sacks, cojones

Balls-to-the-walls (balz to tha walz)

adj. Seriously intense

Balltag (ball tag)

v. For members of the drumline to take sticks and/or mallets and hitthe drummer who messed up in the balls; e.g., "Go balltag Johnson for that last run-through."

Ballzando (baltz ahn doh)

adj. A dynamic level far aboveall traditional dynamic levels. e.g., "You guys don't have to play it at ballzando to be heard over the pit."

Beating (beet ing)

n. A drumline practice session that teeters on the line between very tough rehearsal and raw, all-out punishment, intended to establish discipline or simply to improve chops. see also roll stroll.

Beaver (beev ehr)

v. To cut up ones stick from rimshots, e.g. "Hey man, Shorty just beavered your sticks."

Beech 'Em (beech em)

v. when your section leader calls "beech 'em" and everybody takes there drums off, because the director wants to yak his head off for an hour. A great way to piss of the director.

Big Johnson (bihg jon sun)

n. A Scott Johnson signature drumstick, e.g. "Get out the big Johnsons and let's start warming up."

Bill Beater (bill beet ehr)

n. <1> A variation of the Egg Beater that is played with a 16th note before the E.B. that is played R-RRRLLR-RRRLL etc also played off left hand.

Bitch (bich)

n. <1> A relatively virgin drum line addition whom is frequently called upon for such services as fetching water, picking up trash, carrying things around on the field, and being subjected to countless acts of ridicule and embarassment.<2> Any snare drummer other than the snare captain.

Bitch Beater (bich beet-ehr)

n. Means you are playing way too loud.

Book (book)

n. The musical score/drillwriting for the season.

Brain Fart (brayn fahrt)

n. Any mistake made by a member of the line.

Brass Slapper (brass slap ehr)

n. Cymbal player.

Bunk (bungk)

adj. See 'dirty'.

Burn (buhrn)

v. To play any lick or passage very fast...can be done solo or with other players. e.g. "Let's burn triplet diddle once." also reef, e.g. "We were reefin' the '94 Blue Devils shopping spree last night!"

Bus Macking (buhs maq king)

v. The extreme flirting (or, often times, amateur pornography) that goes on riding home after a great competition.

Butterflies (butt er flies)

n. Tenor crossover/sweep lick; notated as 32: 13242413 13132424. Produces a "butterfly" looking arm motion. also helicopters, figure-eights

Butt's Drum (butz druhm

) n. see dink.

Buzz Kill (buzz kihl)

n. Expecting a cool lic, but it turns out to suck, e.g. "The Red Devils HS drumline is a total buzz kill."

Cattle Guard (cat uhl gard)

n. Derogatory term for the color guard.

Cheese (cheez)

n. A note which is both flammed and diddled (dragged).

Cheezz (cheez)

n. A poorly written part, e.g. That whole bar was nothing but cheezz

Chef, (the) (chef)

n. A percussionist who plays traditional grip and can't keep that good ol' left hand down, just likes stirring chicken noodle soup...

Chili Dogs (chill ee dogz)

n. Rudiment - flam taps, with cheese on the flams. also cheese flam accent, cheeselet

Chops (chopz)

n. <1> The muscles located in the wrist of a drummer. <2> Any area of the hand that is sore after drumming for hours. <3> The physical ability level of a drummer. e.g. "He's got good chops."

Chop out (chop owt)

v. To play a part that is rudimentally simple, but still hard to play because of the speed it is played at.

Chop wood (chop wud)

v. To play the drum at any angle besides perpendicular to the head.

Chow (chow)

v. see shlock

Chuchutta (chuh chuht ah)

n. Flam accented triplets with an added flam on the third note of each triplet

Clam (clam)

n. A mistake (someone who is making a lot of mistakes is said to be eating clam chowder)

Clean (cleen)

adj. when a passage is technically correct, in the ensemble, and in unison.

Clusterfuck (cluhs tur fuk)

n. A set in which everyone is disoriented and misplaced.

Coming to Jesus (cuhm ing to jee zus)

v. A drumline meeting in which the instructor deals out the tough love and lets a struggling drumline know what it's going to take to become a quality ensemble. see also family meeting

Cop-a-squat (cop uh skwat)

v. For one to squat down and take a knee during practice.

Cop Killer (cop kill ehr)

n. Anybody who manages to bust their stick through a kevlar head.

Correctional Center (coh rec shun uhl sen tehr)

n. Wherever correctional therapy takes place... usually out of view of the public.

Correctional Therapy (coh rec shun uhl thair uh pee)

n. Anything which a drumline does to a young, arrogant, or whiny member so as to adjust their attitude. Anything embarrasing or painful goes.

Crutch (cruch)

) n. A part your director puts in to help the band keep tempo. Usually when the battery is not playing. Often top bass or snare captain playing on the quarters. ALSO Cheater beats. proper noun -- The one playing the notes.