Sting (percussion)

A sting is a short drum sequence played by a drummer to punctuate a joke, especially an obvious one.

[citation needed] When a full orchestra flourish is to be indicated as a sting, it sometimes is written or spoken as, ta da!

Common stings may feature a short roll followed by a crash or splash cymbal and kick drum, a flam, or a rimshot.

In broadcasting, the term sting refers to any short musical sequence used for punctuation, for example to introduce a commercial break during a television news program.

[3] Such stings commonly use a full orchestra rather than just percussion, and in television may be backed by a short video sequence.