My compilation of 25 useful rudiments

[MadJazz]

I think the official 40 rudiments aren't all useful to the average drummer. That doesn't mean that rudiments should be ignored altogether. But if you want to make them relevant, they should be more accessible. How often do you use a 13 stroke roll, a pataflafla or a triple ratamacue?? I'm not saying that there's no space for these, but they certainly aren't basic patterns that everyone should learn. At the same time, there are several sticking patterns missing on the list that are very useful and applicable.

Therefore I made my own list of rudiments that proved useful to me. I listed them in logical order. It's approximately the order I learned them and I'm still learning the last few on the list. I think if you can execute all these precisely and at different speeds, you'll get a long way.


1. Single stroke
RLRL RLRL
LRLR LRLR

2. Single stroke triplet
RLR LRL
LRL RLR

3. Single stroke quintuplet
RLRLR LRLRL
LRLRL RLRLR
___________________

4. Press roll
/

5. Double stroke roll
RRLL RRLL
LLRR LLRR

6. Double stroke sextuplet
RRLLRR LLRRLL
LLRRLL RRLLRR
___________________

7. Swiss triplet
RLL RLL
LRR LRR

8. Inverted Swiss triplet
RRL RRL
LLR LLR

9. Swing triplet
RLR RLR
LRL LRL

10. Six stroke roll
RLLRRL RLLRRL
LRRLLR LRRLLR

11. Inverted six stroke roll
RRLRLL RRLRLL
LLRLRR LLRLRR

12. Five stroke roll
RRLLR LLRRL
LLRRL RRLLR

13. Inverted five stroke roll
RLLRR LRRLL
LRRLL RLLRR
___________________

14. Paradiddle
RLRR LRLL
LRLL RLRR

15. Inverted paradiddle
RRLR LLRL
LLRL RRLR

16. Inward paradiddle
RLLR LRRL
LRRL RLLR

17. Outward paradiddle
RLRL LRLR
LRLR RLRL

18. Double paradiddle
RLRLRR LRLRLL
LRLRLL RLRLRR

19. Paradiddle-diddle
RLRRLL RLRRLL
LRLLRR LRLLRR
___________________

20. Flam
lR rL
rL lR

21. Flam accent
lRLR rLRL
rLRL lRLR

22. Flam tap
lRRrLL lRRrLL
lRRrLL lRRrLL

23. Inverted flam tap
lRLrLR lRLrLR
rLRlRL rLRlRL

24. Drag
llR rrL
llR rrL

25. Drag tap
llRLllRL llRLllRL
rrLRllRL rrLRllRL

[wy yung]

What, no ratamacue?????

I always teach that. Plus loads of other "useful" stuff. ;-)

How can I teach from the Wilcoxin book without a flamadiddle???

[MadJazz]

I'm sure they are :)

You can apply a flam to any sticking. I don't see why it deserves a separate entry. Of course there are many more possible stickings but are they all rudimentary to drummers? You have to draw the line somewhere.

[wy yung]

I'm sure they are :)

You can apply a flam to any sticking. I don't see why it deserves a separate entry. Of course there are many more possible stickings but are they all rudimentary to drummers? You have to draw the line somewhere.


We can never get enough mate. ;-) That's why I wasted 94,000 hours on a rubber pad.

I have no friends. But I do have a lovely rubber pad!

[MadJazz]

How much more time did you lose for actually counting the hours? :)

Time is life and my drum time is limited. I prefer to execute 20 patterns well and apply them regularly than split my time between 40 stickings that will not get beyond the rubber pad.

The inverted five stroke roll, the paradiddle, the inward paradiddle and double paradiddle are all useful to play between hats/ride/cowbel and snare because the way they're formulated, the left hand can play a back beat. Instant groove!

[wy yung]

How much more time did you lose for actually counting the hours? :)



It's a rough, conservative estimate.


I have no life.

[MadJazz]

It's a rough, conservative estimate.

I have no life.

Then do something about it. And don't be cynical. Everyone has a life, it doesn't need to be flashy and trendy to be interesting.

[Pollyanna]

MadJazz, Wy is an Aussie and that usually means having a wry sense of humour, served up extra dry. People often take what we say as being more serious than it is. Different MOs.

I've heard Wy's playing and you can really tell that all those hours weren't wasted. Having a life isn't all it's cracked up to be. In my observations over the years it usually involves a lot of cleaning, washing, taking kids to sport and watching TV. Hitting things with sticks seems as good an alternative as any.

I practice two rudiments - occasionally - double strokes and paradiddles. You can hear that in my playing too :) I don't count accented singles and ruffs because they aren't rudiments to me ... they're more like food ...

So I won't be doing those rudiments but good on you for being so generous with your approach. Your list of gig essentials in another thread was a classic :)

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

MadJazz, Wy is an Aussie and that usually means having a wry sense of humour, served up extra dry. People often take what we say as being more serious than it is. Different MOs.


Was just about to wade in here too Polly, but you've said it all.

MJ, "94,000 hours" has the ring of 'a tongue firmly planted in cheek'. That's how I read it anyway. I'll support Polly and Wy here, sarcasm and stretching the truth to prove a point is well ingrained into the Aussie psyche. We're often overtly expressive, but it gets the point across. I know I've been misunderstood in a post or two because of these very reasons.

Unfortunately, the written word is easily misconstrued. There's a good job at Microsoft for anyone who can come up with a 'sarcasm' or 'pulling the piss' button. It seems to me to be the sole reason for the emergence of the internet term 'lol'.

[Monica McCoy]

+1 for the flamadiddle. I love that rudiment!

The inverted variety has been growing on me lately too.

[wy yung]

MJ, "94,000 hours" has the ring of 'a tongue firmly planted in cheek'. That's how I read it anyway. I'll support Polly and Wy here, sarcasm and stretching the truth to prove a point is well ingrained into the Aussie psyche. .


I'm deadly serious.

Look at the mess I made of my life! Now I have a numb right hand. It's been numb for 1 month due to a serious problem with my spine and a trapped nerve. I can play, thanks to all those hours. But I'm very very worried about my future at this time.

16 hours on a pad a day is nothing to me.

[wy yung]

+1 for the flamadiddle. I love that rudiment!

The inverted variety has been growing on me lately too.


And the pata fla fla. Who could do without that???

MadJazz, Wy is an Aussie and that usually means having a wry sense of humour, served up extra dry.

I never take myself seriously. I'm too much of a joke for that! ;-)

[theindian]

Good list, I seem to use most of those in real life application.
Can anyone give me some practical drumset applications or examples of ratamacues? I can see a lot of use for most rudiments, but I have trouble with that one. I think some of the Steve Gadd fills in "Aja" are ratamacue based, but other than that I can't think of any others

[wy yung]

Good list, I seem to use most of those in real life application.
Can anyone give me some practical drumset applications or examples of ratamacues? I can see a lot of use for most rudiments, but I have trouble with that one. I think some of the Steve Gadd fills in "Aja" are ratamacue based, but other than that I can't think of any others

Play it between the hat and snare in a groove. Easy. Sounds great. Use it to begin a fill as well. If you start with your left on the snare you can then add the accent on an open hat.

[donv]

I'm sure they are :)

You can apply a flam to any sticking. I don't see why it deserves a separate entry. Of course there are many more possible stickings but are they all rudimentary to drummers? You have to draw the line somewhere.

You can also apply singles and doubles to any sticking, so why not really shorten the list?

[Monica McCoy]

Good list, I seem to use most of those in real life application.
Can anyone give me some practical drumset applications or examples of ratamacues? I can see a lot of use for most rudiments, but I have trouble with that one. I think some of the Steve Gadd fills in "Aja" are ratamacue based, but other than that I can't think of any others

Here's a cool ratamacue demo by a member here. He's got a youtube channel with lots of yummy stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JimmyKadesch#p/c/14DE95C0F928A5D5/7/zcf2cC9J32w

[SickRick]

Hmm... I couldn't live without the ratamacue, the flam tap, the inverted flam tap, the swiss army triplet, the pataflafla and especially the flam drag.

I actually always thaught the list of 40 rudiments was way too short, not too long. I'm glad that some extended lists exist (e.g. Alan Dawsons list contains something around 80 and there is a list of compound rudiments somewhere on the net that I've seen which has a ton of other stuff also).

Apart from the bigger vocabulary, I think longer lists are simply cooler because they don't get boring so fast.

[Boomka]

"There's only 2 rudiments on the drum, you know? There's either a tap or a roll. And all these embelishments come from either a tap or a roll."

--- Alex Duthart

[MadJazz]

You can also apply singles and doubles to any sticking, so why not really shorten the list?

I disagree. Adding a double or removing one changes the value of the lick. It also completely changes the flow of the hands. Take the four paradiddles for ex, I play them with different feel and different "mental image".

On the other hand, adding a flam to a quintuplet for ex won't make it a sextuplet.

[Toza]

"There's only 2 rudiments on the drum, you know? There's either a tap or a roll. And all these embelishments come from either a tap or a roll."

--- Alex Duthart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c87NtmW9BL0&feature=related

[Geoff_fry01]

i am prepared to be proven wrong but I think you have got a few of those rudiments wrong..

pretty sure inverted paradiddle is RLLR LRRL
reverse paradiddle is RRLR LLRL

RLL is a bounce triplet not a swiss triplet
RRL is a swiss triplet not inverted swiss triplet

never heard of a "swing triplet" before but I like that idea/description.


g

[MadJazz]

i am prepared to be proven wrong but I think you have got a few of those rudiments wrong..

pretty sure inverted paradiddle is RLLR LRRL
reverse paradiddle is RRLR LLRL

RLL is a bounce triplet not a swiss triplet
RRL is a swiss triplet not inverted swiss triplet

never heard of a "swing triplet" before but I like that idea/description.
g

Of course you haven't heard of it because it's not classified as a rudiment.

I appreciate your input. Other name suggestions?

[Drifter in the Dark]

+1 for the flamadiddle. I love that rudiment!

The inverted variety has been growing on me lately too.

By "inverted", do you mean a single flammed mill (or "windmill", as some marching percussionists call it)? : rRRLR lLLRL (smaller letters signify grace notes of flams). I like that pattern a lot more than the flamadiddle because it sounds the same but is much easier to play at fast tempos.
As for the single paradiddle, check out this video I found of Japanese great Akira Jimbo giving it a workout on the drum set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rylDUV4Wrs

[Boomka]

i am prepared to be proven wrong but I think you have got a few of those rudiments wrong..

pretty sure inverted paradiddle is RLLR LRRL
reverse paradiddle is RRLR LLRL

That's how I've always used the terms.

RRL is a swiss triplet not inverted swiss triplet

A Swiss Triplet has a flam on the front i.e. lRRL or rLLR. Effectively it's using interlaced double strokes to create a triplet.

[yesdog]

I like using flams and half paradiddiles. Flam taps are very effective for fills

[MadJazz]

pretty sure inverted paradiddle is RLLR LRRL
reverse paradiddle is RRLR LLRL

How do you call RLRL LRLR ?

RRL is a swiss triplet not inverted swiss triplet

Actually it's called Swiss army triplet.

[Random Name 123]

All I use is:

Single stroke
Double stroke
Paradiddle
Paradiddle-diddle
Inverted paradiddle
Standard flam
Swiss army triplets
Triple stroke roll
And triplets, RLL or LRR

I've only been playing for two years but it's all I plan on ever using, but I'm going to truly master them and everything within their range. I only play a three piece kit as well. But think of all the combinations there are once you add accents in different places, use them between different drums and implement the bass foot.

[MadJazz]

The most successful stickings I use are just single stroke 8th triplets, 16th triplets, 8th and 16th with accents and rests. Why aren't these grouped as rudiments?

It seems to me that the 40 rudiments have been written for marching play. In band play, they aren't all that useful.

[donv]

By "inverted", do you mean a single flammed mill (or "windmill", as some marching percussionists call it)? : rRRLR lLLRL (smaller letters signify grace notes of flams). I like that pattern a lot more than the flamadiddle because it sounds the same but is much easier to play at fast tempos.
As for the single paradiddle, check out this video I found of Japanese great Akira Jimbo giving it a workout on the drum set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rylDUV4Wrs

I can't get anyone to give me a answer to what an "inverted" rudiment is, what they're history is, or who makes the rules, and I've asked a lot of schools, teachers and manufacturers. For paradiddles I recently saw inverted 1, inverted 2 and inverted 3. There was a 100 years of backwards and upside down rudiments which had very specific meanings, yet now inverted seems to be up to individual intreptation. The only specific inverted rudiment is the inverted flam tap which is an alternate sticking from a flam tap rather then a displaced sticking which is all most inverted rudiments are today.

There is also no consistent rudiment sticking from place to place. I recently got a copy of the 5 levels of testing for the Canadian Drum and Bugle Corps and they show the triplet as a quarter note followed by an 8th note triplet. In the last couple of days someone has posted the Basel rudiments and the Pataflafla on that list is different from what I learned years ago--that can be found of the Vic Firth web site. And then there's Pasic renaming rudiments for who knows what reason. An example that has been discussed here is the 4 Stroke Ruff which Pasic renamed the 4 Stroke Single.

Bottem line, one drummers inverted may be anothers inverted drummer.

BTW, thanks for the Jimbo video. I'd never seen it and it's a good one.

[MadJazz]

I reworked my list, using only existing rudiments and slimmed it down to ten. I think it's best learnt in this order.


Flam
lR rL

Drag
llR rrL

Flam tap
lRR rLL
lRL rLR

Flam accent
lRLR rLRL
__________________

Long roll
RRLL RRLL

Five stroke roll
RLLRR LRRLL

Six stroke roll
RLLRRL
__________________

Paradiddle-diddle
RLRRLL

Double paradiddle
RLRLRR LRLRLL
RLRRLR LRLLRL
RLRLLR LRLRRL
RLLRLR LRRLRL

Paradiddle
RLRR LRLL
RLLR LRRL
RRLR LLRL
RLRL LRLR

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

I reworked my list, using only existing rudiments. I think it's best learnt in this order.

...........................
Five stroke roll
RLLRR LRRLL
...........................


I like this MJ.....just to add fuel to the fire though, I'd add 6, 7 and even 9 stroke rolls in too. I've certainly found good use for them in my time, especially 6's and 7's.

[MadJazz]

For 6 strokes, I like using the paradiddle-diddle, especially the one where you accent the first and last notes: RLLRRL RLLRRL

I've never felt I needed 7 or 9 strokes, it's just too fast. In that case, I resort to eight stroke roll RRLL RRLL
I invite you to enlighten me on 6, 7, 9 stroke rolls.

I like a 5 stroke for when I need to speed up from 16th notes but when the tempo is too high to execute sextuplets comfortably. I especially like the fact that the hands are switching. That makes the 5 stroke feel like a faster triplet. Also nice is RRLRR LLRLL, sort of playing bounce triplets and alternating hands. I'll add it to the list above.

[Boomka]

For 6 strokes, I like using the paradiddle-diddle, especially the one where you accent the first and last notes: RLLRRL RLLRRL

That is a 6-Stroke Roll (http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/08sixstrokeroll.html) phrased in triplets or sextuplets. A Paradiddle-diddle (http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/19paradiddlediddle.html), strictly speaking, is RLRRLL or LRLLRR - diddles are two strokes in a row, hence the name and the sound. That said, these two combinations use the same strokes in a different order. This is one of the reasons I'm of the "there are only two rudiments" school.

I've never felt I needed 7 or 9 strokes, it's just too fast. In that case, I resort to eight stroke roll RRLL RRLL
I invite you to enlighten me on 6, 7, 9 stroke rolls.

A 9-stroke Roll (http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/10ninestrokeroll.html) is simply what you're calling an "8-stroke Roll" finished with a single tap: i.e. rrllrrllR. If you're playing your doubles as 32nd notes (two strokes per 16th note) it's a 1 beat roll. A 7-Stroke Roll (http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments/09sevenstrokeroll.html) is rrllrrL or llrrllR.

For more information, see Vic Firth: Rudiments (http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.html) and/or download this PDF:

[Pocket-full-of-gold]

For 6 strokes, I like using the paradiddle-diddle, especially the one where you accent the first and last notes: RLLRRL RLLRRL

I've never felt I needed 7 or 9 strokes, it's just too fast. In that case, I resort to eight stroke roll RRLL RRLL
I invite you to enlighten me on 6, 7, 9 stroke rolls.

I like a 5 stroke for when I need to speed up from 16th notes but when the tempo is too high to execute sextuplets comfortably. I especially like the fact that the hands are switching. That makes the 5 stroke feel like a faster triplet. Also nice is RRLRR LLRLL, sort of playing bounce triplets and alternating hands. I'll add it to the list above.

Boomka has nailed it. A six stroke roll is just your accented paradiddle-diddle. Comes in great played once as a snare fill or in a repeated pattern with accented strokes on the toms. Seven's can sound really cool thrown into a hi hat groove too, start with the right hand and your single left makes up the back beat etc (assuming you're a righty).

[MadJazz]

Thanks for the input. I edited the list above, added a 6 stroke and removed the displaced PDDs.

[Casper "DrPowerStroke" Paludan]

Now there's no single stroke roll? Come on :-)
Casper

[bjparadiddle]

"I wanted to invent my own rudiments, man." --Roy Haynes

[Boomka]

"I wanted to invent my own rudiments, man." --Roy Haynes

Love it.



2020202020202020

[bonhamdrummer123]

It's a rough, conservative estimate.


I have no life.

heh my friends tell me that because all I ever do is jam on my kit and practice drums....they just don't understand....