Shadowing Practice: Where Did "Ba-Dum-Tss" Come From? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Ba -dum -tis.

Two snare hits and the strike of a hi -hat.

This rhythmic phrase has been used to punctuate bad jokes for a long time now, and in some way or another, we've all become familiar with it.

But where did it actually come from?

What is the origin of ba -dum -tis?

Well, we don't really know for sure.

But, but, but, but, we do have some idea as to where it could have come from.

Unfortunately, it seems like Bedumtis is just not well documented at all, and most of what I could find on its history is just hearsay.

This is in contrast to its much -belothed counterpart, the laugh track.

We know exactly who made it, why they made it, and when.

I guess in this case we're dealing with one of those things that's difficult to determine the exact origins of, like when we started using to build tension and excitement.

But the point of this video isn't to give a crystal clear answer.

I thought it would be interesting to explore two different origin points that people claim Bedumptus was born out of, talk about them a little, and explore how they could link back to this iconic sound.

Because sometimes when you go on a deep dive on a topic, you become more engrossed in the dive itself than what you were diving for.

Again, take all of this with as many grains of salt as you would like.

Before we actually, you know, dive deeper, there's gotta be a better name we can use than "Badumtis", right?

A lot of people refer to it as "The Rimshot", that is the term that it's called by in the entertainment industry.

However, as a person with a music degree, I am required to tell you that this term can be misleading.

In music terms, "rimshot" refers to a drumming technique where you hit the center

and the rim of the snare drum with your stick at the same time, producing a louder sound and a different timbre.

confusion to the point where some sites mistakenly cite acclaimed jazz drummer Gene Krupa, often credited as the pioneer of the rimshot snare technique,

as the inventor of the bedumtis drumline.

Wikipedia refers to the comedic punctuation as a sting, but this is also a generic term that could mean a number of things.

Since rimshot became the industry term for bedumtis, I'll just refer to it as that for the rest of the video.

So when I say it, I don't mean the snare technique.

You got that?

Don't make me go musicologist on your ass!

Let's take a look at the first of the proposed origin points for the rim shot: vaudeville performances.

These were entertainment shows often compared to burlesque or cabaret that were popular in North America from the 1890s till the 1930s,

and they featured a wide variety of unrelated acts performed back to back, including musical performances, magic shows,

various other displays of skill and talent, and comedy routines.

whose names you might recognize include Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and the Marx Brothers.

Now what interests me about vaudeville is the drummer's role in these live performances, and I found out more about it through this book called Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit,

written by musicologist Matt Brennan.

According to Brennan's research, during the vaudeville era, drummers were frequently hired to play sound effects for shows and events.

silent films, which people thought were unsettling without sound.

Drummers would invent and make use of various instruments and tools to produce different sounds.

And this is actually how we ended up with the wire brush sticks that drummers still use to this day.

Seeing as drummers were essentially tasked with "catching the falls" for the various acts at vaudeville shows, it's possible that this is what led to the invention of the rimshot.

And I know that this concept very likely did not originate from vaudeville entirely, but vaudeville is the name that popped up the most often often in my research.

If the rimshot really did originate from vaudeville, then it wouldn't be the only recognizable influence it left on comedy.

If you ever witnessed the trope of someone getting pulled off stage by a long hook, well, that's called the vaudeville hook,

a tool designed for closing curtains that showed its effectiveness in pulling unfunny comedians off the stage.

But that does it for vaudeville.

Now the second alleged origin point of the rimshot is borscht belt comedy.

The borscht belt is the name given to a region of New York State

that used to be a popular vacation destination nation for Jewish Americans, its popularity peaking in the 1950s and 60s.

And for that reason, it is named after the soup borscht, a dish that Jews brought over to America from Eastern Europe.

A lot of the resorts throughout the borscht belt would host these stand -up comedy shows, and thanks to these shows,

many comedians that would go on to lead successful careers ended up getting their start in the borscht belt.

These include Rodney Dangerfield, Buddy Hackett, supposedly Jerry Seinfeld is among these names as well, and also Mel Brooks, the director of the Borscht Belt, and also Mel Brooks, the director of the Borscht Belt,

and the director of the Borscht Belt of movies like Spaceballs, and Young Frankenstein.

"Call it." "A ham -ch -broom -chip !" Oh, and sort of off -topic here, but do you remember that old -ass meme of the prairie dog with the dramatic music?

Well, turns out that music is from Young Frankenstein, and that revelation just completely blindsided me as I was watching the film for the first time recently.

But yeah, the man said it himself.

No Borschtbelt, no Mel Brooks.

"I just got back from Venice, and boy are my arms tired !" didn't age well, because of course they didn't,

this is 1950s and 60s America we're talking about.

The humor of the Borscht Belt proved to be appealing to the rest of the country as well, as evident by the success of the comedians that it nurtured.

Borscht Belt comedy is typically described as being self -deprecating, but also fast -paced.

"Well, when I was born, the doctor told my mother I did all I could, but he pulled through anyway, you know?" And this is what gives me reason to believe that the rim shot could have originated from it,

because the fast pace really lends itself to be coupled with some sort of musical sense sting.

Not just the rimshot, but really anything that can help punctuate a joke.

"This guy walks in the doctor and says, 'Doctor, I have a ring in my ear, what'll I do is you don't answer?'" This is Henny Youngman,

another borscht belt comedian that I've seen associated heavily with the rimshot.

His rapid -fire style of comedy, relying on short, bite -sized jokes instead of telling stories, earned him the title of "The King of One -Liners".

He also made an appearance in the movie Goodfellas

"I take my wife everywhere but she finds her way home." It's an interesting

but unsurprising coincidence that a lot of successful figures in comedy are also drummers.

And you know, this is the point where I'd say something about the importance of timing and rhythm in comedy, but I think I've yapped enough.

And even after all that talking, I haven't even given you guys the true answer to the question at hand: where does Badumtis come from?

Well...

Obviously, it comes from the drum kit that it's played on, Eh?

It comes from the...

Are you gonna -

Sorry, sorry guys.

It wasn't all that good actually.

Can you just play the thing?

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65 sentences

What You'll Learn

This video helps you build two key speaking skills: first, understanding contextual vocabulary (like "vaudeville" or "borscht belt") through real-world storytelling, and second, practicing natural pacing when explaining complex ideas. You’ll also learn to follow conversational asides, which are common in casual English speech—perfect for improving your ability to keep up in discussions.

Listen For These Sounds

The speaker uses lots of connected speech and reductions. Notice how "ba-dum-tss" is linked smoothly, with no pauses between syllables. Phrases like "don’t make me go musicologist on your ass" have relaxed pronunciation: "don’t" becomes "dohn’t" and "me" is reduced to "mih". Also, listen for the linking in "a lot of" ("uh lotta") and "kinda" ("kinda")—these are everyday shortcuts native speakers use. Practicing these will make your speech sound more natural when using the shadowing technique.

Say It Like a Native

To mirror the speaker’s rhythm, focus on stress in longer words: "entertainment" (en-ter-TAIN-ment), "misleading" (mis-LEAD-ing), and "acclaimed" (uh-KLAYMED). The speaker also uses pauses for effect, like before "but, but, but"—copying these pauses will help you emphasize key points. For pronunciation, mimic the sharp "t" in "tss" and the soft "d" in "dum" to nail the iconic "ba-dum-tss" sound. Use a shadowing site to replay short clips and practice matching the speaker’s tone and speed—this is how you’ll truly improve English pronunciation and sound like a pro. Whether you’re learning English with YouTube or other tools, shadowing helps you internalize the flow of real conversation.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has been · I've seen associated · I've yapped
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was born · is named · be coupled

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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What You'll Learn

Listen For These Sounds

Say It Like a Native

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?