== The North Line ======

Term	Definition
2's-	A check pattern doubled. (16th's)
3's-	A check pattern tripled. (16th triplets)
4's-	A check pattern quadrupled. (32nd's)
articulation-	To express the a note or music with more character. (accents, grace notes, etc...)
at attention-	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.
balance-	For a section not to over-power another section or the drumline not to over-power a section.
book-	The musical score/drill writing for the season.
cadence-	A short piece of work only involving the drumline that can be looped and marched to.
Captain Head-	Head Instructor of the whole percussion section.
check-	A basic pattern of a more difficult pattern.
chops-	The physical ability level of a drummer.
clean-	When a passage is technically correct, in the ensemble, and in unison.
diddle-	Two 32nd played with one stick.
dink	Smallest drum of a bass line.
dirty-	The precise opposite of clean - incorrect playing, style, and/or interpretation; playing out of ensemble, ticking out of the unison.
drool-	Pecking your drum at an inappropriate time.
dut-	Chant used to keep time.
dynamics-	The loudness/softness of the sound produced.
execution-	The ability to make everything work at the proper time.
gock-	A medium-high pitched sound made on a drum by hitting rim and head at the same time with the tip of the stick at the center of the drum head.
grid-	To take a rudiment (flam, diddle, etc.) and place it on the first, second, third, and fourth beats of a sixteenth note over a series of measures. Can also be done over triplets.
hack-	To play something stupid when you aren't supposed to be playing, caused by boredom and innate desire to hit your drum.
hertah-	Two 32nd notes immediately followed by two 16th notes.
intonation-	The pitch of each instrument.
L/l-	Play with left hand.
lick-	Any part of a drum score, although usually concerning a solo or particularly difficult passage.
listen in-	To listen for the center snare's sound, thereby assuring that you are playing exactly like him/her.
pad-	A practice pad.
pang-	A gock played 6" away from rim.
peck-	To improv on any percussive instrument when you get bored.
phrasing-	The ability to make the correct transitions in the music.
ping-	A gock played 3" away from rim.
plates-	Marching cymbals
pong-	see gock
matched-	A grip where your hands look identical.
R/r-	Play with right hand.
set-	see at attention
skangk-	A tenor note where you hit the lowest or second lowest pitched drum of the set of tenors, then immediately put your hand on the drum head to muffle the sound.
slide-	Sliding one cymbal over another to get a open hi-hat sound.
splits-	Bass drum passages that use more then one drum and sound like one instrument.
style-	An original way of playing or interpretation.
taps-	Unaccented notes in a pattern played at 3".
technique-	The way in which the fundamentals of rudimental drumming are handled. (grip, fingers, heights, etc...)
tick-	A pulsed roll, unclean flam-drag, or any other technical error that makes the song sound worse.
tone quality-	Producing a sound that is pleasing to the ear.
traditional-	A grip where your left stick has a 45 degree angle and your right is straight ahead.
vertical-	Positioning cymbals upwards.
visual-	Something the percussionist does to add a visual texture to a piece. (twirls, back-sticking, fake-sticking, drum to drum, etc...)

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last updated 4.16.00