A drummer is someone who plays the drums, creating rhythms that form the backbone of most music. While a melody is what you hum, the drummer provides the steady pulse that makes your foot tap and tells the other musicians when to play. In a rock band, jazz ensemble, or marching band, the drummer sits (or stands) behind a set of drums and cymbals, using wooden sticks or brushes to strike different surfaces and create varying sounds.

Good drummers keep time and also add energy, excitement, and feeling to music. A drummer might play softly during a gentle song, then explode into powerful beats during an exciting chorus. Some drummers become famous for their skill and creativity: think of Ringo Starr from the Beatles, or the drummers in your school's band who anchor the whole group's performance.

The word can also describe certain kinds of fish that make drumming sounds, or a person in a historical regiment who played drums to communicate orders on the battlefield. But today, when someone says “I'm a drummer,” they almost always mean they play drums in a band or orchestra.