Sting (music): Difference between revisions

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Either a brief crescendo stab of music used to enhance the drama of the current situation just before an [[Act Break]] (called a "dramatic sting" when used this way), or a brief comical stab on music to enhance a punchline at the end of a scene (most famously, the so-called "[[Rimshot]]" -- ''ba-dum-bum-ching''). About 95% of TV shows use them.

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When used for a cheap shock, the sting becomes a [[Scare Chord]]. If it comes at the very end of the entire episode, then it's a [[The Stinger|Sting]]''[[The Stinger|er]]''.

A common version of [[Lampshade Hanging]] is when a character is shown to have [[Sorry I Left the BGM On|''heard'']] the sound effect, it often crops up in the form of something like "Who keeps ''doing'' that?'' or "Ok, seriously. Knock it off." An even better lampshade, or perhaps an outright subversion, is when the characters themselves provide the sound effects--"Dun dun DAH!".

A common version of [[Lampshade Hanging]] is when a character is shown to have [[Sorry I Left the BGM On|''heard'']] the sound effect, it often crops up in the form of something like "Who keeps ''doing'' that?'' or "Ok, seriously. Knock it off." An even better lampshade, or perhaps an outright subversion, is when the characters themselves provide the sound effects -- "Dun dun DAH!".

⚫

Compare [[Screamer Trailer]]. Do not confuse with [[The Stinger]]. Or with the ''musician'' [[The Police|Sting]], or the ''[[Professional Wrestling|wrestler]]'' [[Sting (wrestling)|Sting]] or the film ''[[The Sting]]''. Or that dagger used by [[Lord of the Rings|Frodo and his Uncle]], [[Overly Long Gag|or the police tactic of pretending to be a customer for drug salesmen or prostitutes, or the pain, action, or body part that occurs at the back of a bee or wasp.]]

⚫

Compare [[Screamer Trailer]]. Do not confuse with [[The Stinger]]. Or with the ''musician'' [[The Police|Sting]], or the ''[[Professional Wrestling|wrestler]]'' [[~~Wrestler/~~Sting|Sting]] or the film ''[[The Sting]]''. Or that dagger used by [[Lord of the Rings|Frodo and his Uncle]], [[Overly Long Gag|or the police tactic of pretending to be a customer for drug salesmen or prostitutes, or the pain, action, or body part that occurs at the back of a bee or wasp.]]

== Anime ==

* Parodied in ''[[Clannad]]'' where in episode 19, Sunohara plays around with a keyboard that has a sound-effect called 'Hair-raising.'

{{quote|"What was that, Nagisa-chan? Instead of Okazaki..." DUDUDAAAAAA! "YOU LIKE ME MORE?!"}}

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== Comic Books ==

* Before his ''[[Seven Soldiers]]'' reboot, Klarion the Witch-Boy demanded that people refer to him as "Klarion... bum bum BUM... the Witch-Boy". He even refused to help characters who did not insert the dramatic sting. (You should not be surprised that [[Peter David]] came up with this.)

== Film ==

* At one point in ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'', Igor supplies his own [http://www.instantrimshot.com rimshot] after making a "hunch" joke.

** In another scene in the same movie, Dr. Frankenstein stumbles upon the Awful Truth ("You don't mean?" "Yes!" "It couldn't be!" "Yes!"). Every time Frau Blucher (*WHINNY*) says "Yes!", she plays a dramatic chord on a violin she's holding.

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== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[CSI]]'' loves using this one, with a crescendo of ominous music at the end of an act being chopped off dramatically by a [[Hard Cut]] to black.

** Cue [[The Who]] (if it's an [[Cold Open|opening setpiece]].) '''''[[CSI: Miami|YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!]]'''''

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== Professional Wrestling ==

* [[WWE]]'s Elimination Chamber [[Gimmick Matches|gimmick match]] accompanies each new entrant being released into the cage with a big, dramatic music sting and flashing spotlights going across all the cages.

== Radio ==

* ''Extremely'' common in old-time radio shows, particularly of the mystery, horror and drama/suspense varieties.

* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'' had a few, including one that was noted in the script as "DRAMATIC CHORD ([[Monty Python and the Holy Grail|SHRUBBERY]])".

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''Accordian sting''

'''Dougal''': Count Cardula, the accordian player? }}

== Video Games ==

* The Victory Fanfare after a battle in ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games.

** [[Lampshaded]] in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]: Advent Children'', when it starts playing after Tifa has fended off a henchman. (It turns out to be [[Source Music|the ringtone of that henchman's cellphone]].)

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== Web Comics ==

* In ''[[8-Bit Theater]]'', one of Red Mage's greatest (and most annoying) obsessions is to sing out a Sting for dramatic effect any time something major occurs.

* Elan from ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' also did this a couple of times.

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== Web Original ==

* ''[[Potter Puppet Pals]]'': At the end of "Ron's Disease", {{spoiler|after Hagrid smacks Dumbledore with a cudgel with a [[Robotic Reveal|resounding clang]] and otherwise no apparent effect on Dumbledore, Harry exclaims (to a sting), "OHMYGOD, [[Ridiculously-Human Robots|he's an android]]!" Hagrid looks around in confusion, saying, "Wha-?" (to another sting). Dumbledore finally replies, "Yes, it's true, I am an android - a [[Word of Gay|gay]] android." What follows is a rather original [[Lampshade Hanging]] of your typical Dun Dun DAAAH! sting, with the DAAH! lasting about five or six seconds.}}

* ''[[Atop the Fourth Wall]]'': Parodied in the review of ''22 Brides''. As the comic pulls the "We have you surrounded!" twist no less than three times in succession, the soundtrack plays a dramatic sting that gets higher pitched with each [[Reveal]].

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== Western Animation ==

* Parodied in an episode of ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law]]''.

{{quote|'''Vulturo:''' More decent than ''baseball''? DUN DUN DAH!}}

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* Parodied in the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' episode [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Recap/S2 E7 May the Best Pet Win|"May The Best Pet Win!"]], when Rainbow Dash tells her potential pets that they have to race her "through Ghastly Gorge! DUN DUN DUUUUUN!"

* ''[[Birdz]]'' had a dissonant four-note synth riff that basically served as the equivalent of "Wah wah wah" horns.

== Other ==

* Older [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] computers sometimes play a Sting (the "Chimes of Death") when they fail a crucial hardware check on boot, with the notes of the ditty telling a savvy tech what's wrong even when video doesn't work.

** PCs are more boring, and use [[wikipedia:Power-on self-test|POST beep codes]]. In this case, if you hear anything other than a single beep, something ''very bad'' has happened.