This study examines the existence of the Drum Etek in accompanying dangdut songs in North Sumatra. How is the technique of playing drums etek, and how is the rhythmic pattern of the Drum Etek on dangdut music the focus of this research. The theoretical foundation used is music theories. This research is located in the city of Pangkalan Brandan, North Sumatra. The research method is qualitative descriptive, in the collection of data taken as many as 5 people drummer Etek players with observation, interview, studio work, literature study and analyzing the data then describe the findings of the study. The results of this study describe about: 1) The production of sound in drums based on the color of the sound is tek, no, tang, tung, dam, duk, dak, ndut. 2) the pattern of playing drum etek 12 various rhythms, namely: senti mentil, 1/8 or medium, chalte, pure dangdut, dangdut balikan, rock-dut, pop-dut, santana, kuraca, keroncong, koplo, and campursari. 3) The etek drum acts as a counter (counter), as a tempo keeper, as the main accompaniment rhythm, as a guide to body movements, as well as identifying the sub-genre of dangdut songs.
