How to Play Drum Rudiments
Get either a drum pad or drum, and be comfortable holding drum sticks (Check out "How to Hold Drumsticks"). , Learn Basic Rudiments: Flams, Flam Accents, Flamacues, Paradiddles, Flamadiddles, Ruffs, Lesson 25's, and Dragadiddles., Flam: Flams are...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get either a drum pad or drum
The sticks should strike the drum head at the same time and actually produce a sound that resembles "f-lam".
The high stick should use an arm motion, which gives it speed and power.
The low stick is a wrist motion, which helps to keep it low.
Beginners tend to loose focus of their "low" hand and allow it to steadily get higher.
This affects the sound of the flam as well as technique, since flams should be alternated.
If you're having problems getting good sound or transitioning, you could try this exercise: focus on one hand at a time, doing a high hit and then a low hit back and forth to teach your hands how to make smoother transitions.
Do the same on the other hand.
Music Notation: flams are a quarter note with a grace note- you can think of the big note as the high stick and the small grace note as the low stick. , These are also alternated: right handed flam left right; left handed flam right left.
It is important to play these steadily.
First play "1-2-3, 1-2-3" (right left right, left right left).
Only once this is a steady beat, without awkward pauses, add in the flams.
Usually beginners play "flam... left right... flam... right left" because they need to think about this sticking.
Thinking is fine, but work hard to get rid of those pauses. , The counting "flam-bam-a-cue-flam" does kind of get misleading when you try to speed it up.
Your beats should come out evenly, "1-2-3-4-5".
Music Notation: flamacues are typically sixteenth notes, they start and end with a flam.
The arrow over the second note indicates an accent. , You can think of the "para" as meaning either "right-left" or "left-right" and "diddle" means "right-right" or "left-left".
Make sure your paradiddles stay even "1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4".
There's a lot of temptation to rush the diddle because you can bounce your stick then.
Paradiddles can be made into double and triple paradiddles (played: "para-para-diddle" or "para-para-para-diddle").
They can also be made into paradiddle-diddles.
Music Notation: are often written as sixteenth notes and usually the sticking is marked to show that they are a paradiddle. , The "flama" indicates "flam-left" or "flam-right".
Being able to alternate your flams well are important for good flamadiddles. , The bounce will start just before the high stick reaches the drum head.
There shouldn't be a pause between the two strokes.
Music Notation: looks similar to a flam, but has two grace notes. , They are played "ruff-Left-Right"
with the "right" being accented.
While most rudiments are alternated, many drummers chose to play Lesson 25's only on their right hand (a right handed ruff).
Music Notation:
Is usually an eighth note-sixteenth note combination.
The ruff is the first note and the last note is accented (shown by the arrow). , No.1 is played "right-ruff-left-right-right, left-ruff-right-left-left" and no.2 is played "right-ruff-ruff-left-right-right, left-ruff-ruff-right-left-left".
For no.2, the "right-ruff" or "left-ruff" at the beginning is played at half the speed of the paradiddle portion.
If the dragadiddle is started with a right tap, the ruff is a right handed ruff (high stick = right). ,, If you're playing a right-handed flam, there should be a right-handed tap.
Practice these slowly for a long time, making sure to build up coordination and muscle memory before trying to speed them up.
Bounce the high stick in the flam into the following tap to get even fast. , A single drag is played "right-ruff left-ruff" and a double drag is played "right-ruff-ruff left-ruff-ruff"
with each tap being accented.
The rhythm is a little tricky because there is the smallest of pauses between the tap and the following ruff(s), but no pause between the ruff(s) and next tap. "right (pause) ruff ruff left (pause) ruff ruff". ,, They are played quickly, with the "1" and the "7" being the downbeats (when your foot hits the ground while keeping beat).
Some people find it helpful to think of them as 2 quick triplets "1-2-3 1-2-3 1"
this can give a slight accent on all of the "1"s played. , "4" should be accented.
The sticking is a bit weird: "right-left-right-left left-right-left-right".
Because of this, there should be a pause between two ratamacues, which allows the stick to raise back up and prepare to start again.
Ratamacues can be complicated by adding in ruffs.
A single ratamacue has a ruff at the beginning (ruff-left-right-left ruff-right-left-right).
A double ratamacue adds 2 ruffs and a triple ratamacue adds
3. , Check out "How to Play a Double Stroke Roll" to learn about these., They are:
Single Flammed Mill, Flam Paradiddle-diddle, Pataflafla, Swiss Army Triplet, Inverted Flam Tap, and Flam Drag -
Step 2: and be comfortable holding drum sticks (Check out "How to Hold Drumsticks").
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Step 3: Learn Basic Rudiments: Flams
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Step 4: Flam Accents
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Step 5: Flamacues
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Step 6: Paradiddles
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Step 7: Flamadiddles
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Step 8: Lesson 25's
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Step 9: and Dragadiddles.
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Step 10: Flam: Flams are played with one stick high above the drum (about 8-12 inches) and one stick low (about 3 inches).
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Step 11: Learn Flam Accents: Flam Accents are simply a flam followed by two taps.
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Step 12: Learn Flamacues: Flamacues can be counted "flam-bam-a-cue-flam" or "flam-left-right-left-flam"
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Step 13: but it's important to get a good
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Step 14: solid accent out of your left hand on that "bam" note.
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Step 15: Learn Paradiddles: Paradiddles are played "Right-Left-Right-Right Left-Right-Left-Left".
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Step 16: Learn Flamadiddles: flamadiddles are paradiddles that start with a flam.
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Step 17: Learn Ruffs: ruffs are similar to flams
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Step 18: except the "low" stick makes two strokes or bounces.
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Step 19: Learn Lesson 25's: Lesson 25's are similar to a flam accent
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Step 20: but for ruffs.
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Step 21: Learn Dragadiddles: there are two kinds of dragadiddles
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Step 22: no.1 and no.2
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Step 23: but are both a type of paradiddle with ruffs.
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Step 24: Learn Advanced Rudiments: flam taps
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Step 25: sextuplets
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Step 26: and ratamacues.
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Step 27: Learn Flam Taps: flam taps are played "flam-right flam-left".
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Step 28: Learn Drags: drags are a form of ruff rudiment and can be single or double.
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Step 29: Learn Sextuplets: Sextuplets are simply counted "1-2-3-4-5-6-7".
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Step 30: Ratamacues: Ratamacues are similar to sextuplets but are only "1-2-3-4".
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Step 31: Learn Double Stroke Rolls: these are also considered rudiments and there are several different kinds of them: 5's
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Step 32: and 17's.
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Step 33: There are also several Swiss Rudiments
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Step 34: which aren't considered essential but can help improve your style and skills.
Detailed Guide
The sticks should strike the drum head at the same time and actually produce a sound that resembles "f-lam".
The high stick should use an arm motion, which gives it speed and power.
The low stick is a wrist motion, which helps to keep it low.
Beginners tend to loose focus of their "low" hand and allow it to steadily get higher.
This affects the sound of the flam as well as technique, since flams should be alternated.
If you're having problems getting good sound or transitioning, you could try this exercise: focus on one hand at a time, doing a high hit and then a low hit back and forth to teach your hands how to make smoother transitions.
Do the same on the other hand.
Music Notation: flams are a quarter note with a grace note- you can think of the big note as the high stick and the small grace note as the low stick. , These are also alternated: right handed flam left right; left handed flam right left.
It is important to play these steadily.
First play "1-2-3, 1-2-3" (right left right, left right left).
Only once this is a steady beat, without awkward pauses, add in the flams.
Usually beginners play "flam... left right... flam... right left" because they need to think about this sticking.
Thinking is fine, but work hard to get rid of those pauses. , The counting "flam-bam-a-cue-flam" does kind of get misleading when you try to speed it up.
Your beats should come out evenly, "1-2-3-4-5".
Music Notation: flamacues are typically sixteenth notes, they start and end with a flam.
The arrow over the second note indicates an accent. , You can think of the "para" as meaning either "right-left" or "left-right" and "diddle" means "right-right" or "left-left".
Make sure your paradiddles stay even "1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4".
There's a lot of temptation to rush the diddle because you can bounce your stick then.
Paradiddles can be made into double and triple paradiddles (played: "para-para-diddle" or "para-para-para-diddle").
They can also be made into paradiddle-diddles.
Music Notation: are often written as sixteenth notes and usually the sticking is marked to show that they are a paradiddle. , The "flama" indicates "flam-left" or "flam-right".
Being able to alternate your flams well are important for good flamadiddles. , The bounce will start just before the high stick reaches the drum head.
There shouldn't be a pause between the two strokes.
Music Notation: looks similar to a flam, but has two grace notes. , They are played "ruff-Left-Right"
with the "right" being accented.
While most rudiments are alternated, many drummers chose to play Lesson 25's only on their right hand (a right handed ruff).
Music Notation:
Is usually an eighth note-sixteenth note combination.
The ruff is the first note and the last note is accented (shown by the arrow). , No.1 is played "right-ruff-left-right-right, left-ruff-right-left-left" and no.2 is played "right-ruff-ruff-left-right-right, left-ruff-ruff-right-left-left".
For no.2, the "right-ruff" or "left-ruff" at the beginning is played at half the speed of the paradiddle portion.
If the dragadiddle is started with a right tap, the ruff is a right handed ruff (high stick = right). ,, If you're playing a right-handed flam, there should be a right-handed tap.
Practice these slowly for a long time, making sure to build up coordination and muscle memory before trying to speed them up.
Bounce the high stick in the flam into the following tap to get even fast. , A single drag is played "right-ruff left-ruff" and a double drag is played "right-ruff-ruff left-ruff-ruff"
with each tap being accented.
The rhythm is a little tricky because there is the smallest of pauses between the tap and the following ruff(s), but no pause between the ruff(s) and next tap. "right (pause) ruff ruff left (pause) ruff ruff". ,, They are played quickly, with the "1" and the "7" being the downbeats (when your foot hits the ground while keeping beat).
Some people find it helpful to think of them as 2 quick triplets "1-2-3 1-2-3 1"
this can give a slight accent on all of the "1"s played. , "4" should be accented.
The sticking is a bit weird: "right-left-right-left left-right-left-right".
Because of this, there should be a pause between two ratamacues, which allows the stick to raise back up and prepare to start again.
Ratamacues can be complicated by adding in ruffs.
A single ratamacue has a ruff at the beginning (ruff-left-right-left ruff-right-left-right).
A double ratamacue adds 2 ruffs and a triple ratamacue adds
3. , Check out "How to Play a Double Stroke Roll" to learn about these., They are:
Single Flammed Mill, Flam Paradiddle-diddle, Pataflafla, Swiss Army Triplet, Inverted Flam Tap, and Flam Drag
About the Author
Robert Sanders
Robert Sanders is an experienced writer with over 2 years of expertise in non profit. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Robert creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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