A rimshot is a percussion technique used to produce an accented snare drum stroke. The sound is produced by simultaneously hitting the rim and head of the drum with a drum stick.
The sound and various techniques
The sound of rimshots can be described as "part normal snare and part loud, woody accent", or "generally sharper, brighter and more cutting [than a standard accent]", since the technique produces large amounts of overtones.
The stroke is used on the snare in rock, pop, jazz, and blues and on the tom-toms in Afro-Cuban music. The technique is also common in bossa nova, ska, reggae, and rocksteady. As a result, the stroke is frequently used in bossa nova to imitate the sound of claves; it is also used for ballads in rock, pop, and country music.