Learn to Play Drum Rudiments

(Scroll down to see the full list of lessons in this section)

You can have the world’s largest kit filled with every cymbal known to man, but if you can only perform a single stroke, sooner or later even you will become bored of your playing.

Basic stroke patterns; they may seem, well, basic, but you would be surprised how many drummers never took the time to learn their drum rudiments.

What are they?

Drum rudiments are the basic patterns of stick work. Since all drummers know what a single stroke is, they all have a basic understanding of drum rudiments whether they are aware of it or not. If your understanding stops there, that’s okay; we’re here to help you learn these basic little things called drum rudiments.

For starters, let’s establish the second most basic stroke; the double stroke. A double stroke is exactly what it sound like, being two consecutive strokes with a single hand. To perform a double stroke, take your stick, your practice pad, and your metronome, and sit down. Starting with your main hand, strike the pad twice. Viola, there you have it, a double stroke.

But there is more; if your notes sounded uneven, then you haven’t performed a double stroke, only a double strike. Turn your metronome to a comfortable speed and practice striking twice simultaneously whilst keeping the note lengths even and maintaining an even power. Once you are able to keep even strikes, you have gone from double strikes to double strokes.

The next drum rudiment is a diddle. This strange word simply means a double stroke performed at the tempo of the piece. If you are playing a piece that consists of eighth notes at 120bmp, then your double stroke, as long as it is also an eighth note double stroke, becomes known as a diddle. This may seem simple, but it will take a lot of practice to be able to perform faster double strokes when they become necessary.

As if one zany word wasn’t enough, we have a paradiddle. A paradiddle is when you strike two notes, left then right or right then left, and follow it up with a double stroke. This drum rudiment required a lot of concentration to learn, so take your time with it.

Next up is a flam. A flam is two single strokes, but there’s a catch (isn’t there always?).

The first stroke, whether with your left hand or right hand, is a grace note. This means the note is struck very lightly. Immediately following the grace note is a single stroke from your opposite hand, yet this stroke is an ordinarily struck note.

Take your time with this drumming technique, as it is one of the harder ones to learn. At first, you may find yourself accidentally striking both notes with the same strength. Don’t get upset. Regroup, and start out a bit more slowly if this happens, as you may be going just a tad bit too fast.  

The last drum rudiment is a roll. The roll, as you may be familiar with, is a pattern struck with alternating hands. Each note must maintain the same value. Practicing this drum rudiment involves a full utilization of the metronome, as it will help you maintain a steady, consistent pattern.

Now that you understand how to play these drum rudiments, the next step is to practice them. Set aside a block of time everyday to practice these rudiments until you can play each technique soundly. Once you feel you have them mastered, try adding them into your playing. You never know what might come of it.

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Drum Rudiments Lessons:

1. Learn Single Stroke Rolling on Drumsets
   
   The drum roll: one of the most basic principles of drumming, and yet one of the hardest techniques for beginners to become fluent with. It requires control, accuracy, and above all, tons and tons of practice.
2. Double Stroke Open Roll on Drums
   
   The double stroke is one of the most feared rudiments by beginner drummers. Most drummers are simply intimidated by the expectation that their single hand can act as two separate hands while maintaining tempo and fluency.
3. Basic Flam Tap Drums Rudiment
   
   Drum rudiments are the foundation of drumming; plain, simple. Not only do they allow us different combinations of strokes so that we can add texture to our piece, but some of them are dynamic enough to stand alone.
4. Swiss Army Triplet Drums Rudiment
   
   The snare drum is one of the most used instruments. Not only is it part of every drummer’s kit, bit it is also used as a sole instrument by marching bands, military bands, and school bands.
5. Single Paradiddle Drums Roll
   
   The single paradiddle is one of the most basic drumming concepts. It is one of the most common rudiments used in music, and it is also a great tool to make your playing stand out from the pack of single stroke drummers who dominate today’s music.
6. 16th Single Stroke Roll for Drumming
   
   This roll can readily fit on any song beat, so it would be a very good idea to master it. In addition, the 16th single stroke roll can heighten be introduced with hi-hats to make a rock and roll show.
7. Single Drag Tap Drums Rudiment
   
   In this article, we will talk about single drag tap drums rudiment. Basically, you will be playing this technique using both of your hands. A single drag tap is played with two alternating notes by which the first note has drag grace notes and the second is accented.
8. Inverted Flam Tap Drums Playing
   
   Today we will be discussing the inverted flam tap. Before I can teach you how to play an inverted flam tap though, you first have to learn what a diddle is.
9. Rudiments, Tips, And Advanced Fills
   
   We will discuss a couple drumming categories, namely rudiments and advanced fills. We will also give some tips that will help you continue developing your unique style in an intelligent and coherent manner.
10. Mastering The Triple Paradiddle
    
    The paradiddle is one of the most effective rudiments that any drummer can learn. The triple paradiddle may be difficult, but if mastered properly can be very effective indeed.
11. How To Master The Single Ratamacue
    
    Some drummer don't see the point in learning such techniques as they never think they will use them, however learning all 40 rudiments will increase your overall skills drastically.
12. Mastering The Double Ratamacue
    
    The double ratamacue is the next rudiment you should learn after the single ratamacue. Is is one of the 40 standard rudiments that all drummers should learn, and is a member of the drag family.
13. Five Stroke Roll Drum Lesson
    
    Five stroke rolls can work great if you are looking for a new and interesting fill, or if you want something new to add to a drum solo.

Snare Drum Rudiments Chart | Drumming Rudiments