Skip to main content

How to Read Drum Rudiments

Drum rudiments provide essential practice for aspiring and professional drummers alike. These basic exercises help develop technique, ensure precision playing and teach you to play the most commonly used rhythms in rhythmic notation. Once learned, the drummer may take these rudiments and combine them in original ways to create interesting new rhythms. Reading drum rudiments becomes less overwhelming once you know what each symbol stands for. Four symbols exist in addition to note values to indicate how to play drum rudiment.

Step 1

Learn about the first symbols of basic note values used in drum rudiments: whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth notes. Whole notes look like a hollow circle and held for four beats. Half notes look like whole notes but have a stem and are worth two beats. Quarter notes look like filled in half notes and are worth one beat. Eighth notes have a flag on the stem and are worth half a beat each and 16th notes have two flags on the stem and are worth one-quarter of a beat.
Step 2

Begin with the "Singe Stroke Roll" drum rudiment. This rudiment alternates between hitting the right stick against the drum and the left stick against the drum. The "R" and "L" symbol above each note indicates which hand to use and constitutes the second set of symbols. The R and L above standard note values are the most commonly illustrated drum rudiment symbols. They appear in most rudiments to help clarify the proper hand to use.

Step 3

Learn to play the "Double Stroke Open Roll" drum rudiment. This roll alternates between two double right strokes and two double left strokes. Allow the drumstick to relax and use the momentum achieved from the initial strike to create a bounce for each stroke. Gradually increase the tempo until you can play four double strokes per second. Again, this rudiment will consist of regular 16th notes and have an L for left stick and R for right stick above the notes.

Step 4

Practice the "Flam (Single)" next. This is the third symbol and looks like a miniature note referred to as a grace note. Grace notes are very tiny notes that come right before the main, regularly sized note head. The small grace note indicates a flam that plays as close as possible to the regular stroke. Start by bringing the left stick down to the pad and almost simultaneously hit the right stick. Then alternate the strokes to use right followed immediately by left.

Step 5

Master the "Paradiddle" next in the series. The paradiddle uses a pattern of left and right strokes to create steady 16th-note patterns. The first set of 16th notes is R - L - R - R followed by L - R - L - L. Use a steady rhythm and start slowly before gradually increasing the speed. This rudiment has the drum strokes written above the regular notation.

Step 6

Learn how to play the "Roll." The roll is the fourth symbol and looks like a series of three slashes that strike through the stem of the note. To play a roll, alternate quickly between left and right strokes.

Step 7

Continue to learn all 40 drum rudiments. By learning to play the initial four rudiments listed above, you will have the ability to read and understand any drum rudiment you come across.

Tips


Read all drum rudiments with a metronome set at a moderate pace. Choose a pace that allows you to play each note without getting behind. It is OK to set the metronome at a low speed. A good recommended beginning tempo is 52 to 60 beats per minute.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...