Rudiment Question

[Whiskey1]

I started playing the drums approximately one year ago. I have been taking lessons for the entire year.

When I initially spoke to my teacher I told him I didn't want to become a good drummer, I wanted to be able to keep cool double bass beats with the snare landing on 2 & 4 or 3. At the time, I couldn't picture myself doing that, but I was able to achieve that goal in a couple of months. Afterwards, I told him that I did want to become a real drummer. We've worked on several things since and I've experienced major growth. However, I never did learn any of the rudiments. I've learned a couple of triplet patterns and can play them with some speed, but that's about it.

This is probably a basic question, but...

Why do I need to learn the rudiments?
Which rudiments should I learn and in what order?

Thank you

[inthpktplayer]

What does your teacher suggest?

[Aviator42009]

Typical for beginner drummers just to want to be able to play cool double bass beats, glad you decided to get serious about it.

The rudiments are EVERYTHING you need to know, but they important patterns that pretty much make up everything you'll ever play, so its good to be able to play them all proficiently.

Although, I do admit I find some of the 40 rudiments to be unnecessary, such as the flam paradiddle, and some of the double and triple versions of rudiments. They are pretty much combinations of the more relevant rudiments. The ones you should practice are single stroke and double stroke rolls, all the paradiddles, flams, drags, and the Multiple Bounce Roll. I wouldn't completely limit myself to just those though, become proficient in all 40, but especially good in those ones and you should be on your way.

[wolvie56]

Your teacher didn't start you on any rudiments yet???? If you break down any song ever made, you will see a rudiment in that song. They are the building blocks of all drum beats. There are 40 rudiments. Beginning with the simple ones and progressing up to the hard ones. I would think that you should be at least practicing the first ten of them by now. I still can't believe your teacher hasn't started you on ANY of them, unless you told him that you didn't want to learn them. Their pretty important. Can you play the drums with just a natural talent for drumming without knowing any rudiments? Sure. But things will come easier if you have a knowledge of at least the easy ones. Good luck.

[Aviator42009]

Your teacher didn't start you on any rudiments yet???? If you break down any song ever made, you will see a rudiment in that song. They are the building blocks of all drum beats. There are 40 rudiments. Beginning with the simple ones and progressing up to the hard ones. I would think that you should be at least practicing the first ten of them by now. I still can't believe your teacher hasn't started you on ANY of them, unless you told him that you didn't want to learn them. Their pretty important. Can you play the drums with just a natural talent for drumming without knowing any rudiments? Sure. But things will come easier if you have a knowledge of at least the easy ones. Good luck.

It was actually about a year and a half into my lessons that I even remember hearing the word rudiment, and even then it was just an assignment to practice a page of about 6 of them for a week.

My teacher is pretty unorthodox, I've done alot in the 1 3/4 years I've been taught by him, but there's still a boatload of ground to cover.

[dropdtune]

If you did triplets in a few months I'd say thats pretty good. I'm self taught for 9 years and learned by playing mostly to all kinds of music, eventually playing in a hobby band. But I've found now I've hit a wall in technique, and in imagination in making my own innovative drum patterns. Not that I want to get stuck in technique, but there are just some things I cannot attain by simple imitation, or even by watching drum instruction DVD's (which I do also). I finally decided to try the rudiments and find them very helpful in speed, and finesse. The basic 6 or 10 are very useful. You've likely been playing some of them all along on your kit. In my opinion, do them, but don't get stuck in them I also find they are very portable, and can be done anywhere/anytime you're sitting! Watch what they did for this guy:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaRY40SlUQ"]Ian Paice Rudiments - YouTube[/ame]

[trickg]

When I was a bugler in the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps I learned Ancient style rudimental drumming from the guys there - essentially Fife and Drum drumming. Rudiments are crucial to do that because all of the drum parts are built out of rudimental blocks. Some of the more common in that music:

Long Roll (many people call this a "double stroke" roll - basically two hits per stick - LL RR LL RR)
Many of the variations of the roll (5 stroke, 7 stroke, 9 stroke, 11 stroke, 13 stroke, 15 stroke, etc)
Paradiddle
Flams
Flamacue
Lesson 25
Ruffs
Drags
Flam Paradiddle (most rudimental blocks can be modified by adding a flam at the beginning)
Flam Accents
etc.

I find in my kit drumming I don't use them that much - occasionally I'll play a tune that requires kind of a military march-style kind of sound so I can throw in some of that Ancient style rudimental drumming, but for the most part the only rudiments I use in my kit drumming are:

single strokes and single stroke rolls (basically L R L R L R L R...etc)
Paradiddles
Regular rolls
flams
Flam Accents

For the drumming I do, most of the rest of what I know about rudimental snare playing just isn't required.

Not sure if that helps - everyone is going to have a bit of a different take on it, but that's what I do.

[NewTricks]

I played drums for a decade without anything but a single stroke.

I knew of the rudiments from band in school but I didn't have time for that. I wanted to play the damn drums now!

I got by somehow. I must have really sucked.


I knew what a paradiddle was but didn't take the time to learn it. In retrospect, when I was younger, it probably would have only taken a few weeks of every day work. This time around, starting from zero, I am probably 25% there on the paradiddle and expect to be at full speed in a couple months.

The double stroke came fairly easy to me and, in a matter of a week, I'm probably 60% there.

I'd start with the double stroke and the paradiddle. The double stroke will give you some speed and the paradiddle will help train that part of your brain that lets your limbs work independently.


I recently started playing again and the rudiments are really very helpful. No...more than that, they are extremely helpful and make your tasks much easier. They train your brain to allow both hands and feet to work independently.

One tip I have learned in the past week is to use your double bass while practicing the rudiments. Don't waste time on just the hands. You might as well get it all done at the same time.

Another tip I figured out.

On rudiments that you struggle with, mix them in with ones you find easier.

It's brutally painful to play slow, awkward paradiddles over and over but if you do one, then some easier double strokes, it feels like you've made some progress.

Just a few days ago my paradiddles were painful. Beginner painful. Then I started doing just one, then some double strokes. Then I'd slip in two in a row and easily slip back into the double strokes. In just a few days, I can string together three and four at a decent pace before retreating to the doubles.





And....I saw Deep Purple (drummer in the video above) at the AZ state fair for 50 cents in 1968....maybe 69.

[Whiskey1]

Thank you for the responses. They've been very helpful.

When you say pracice the bass drum at the same time. Do you mean do the same rudiment/paradiddle with my feet as I'm doing with my hands?

Thanks

[Aviator42009]

Thank you for the responses. They've been very helpful.

When you say pracice the bass drum at the same time. Do you mean do the same rudiment/paradiddle with my feet as I'm doing with my hands?

Thanks

Yes, but you can also try playing them between the hands and feet, you can get some interesting combinations.

[NewTricks]

Thank you for the responses. They've been very helpful.

When you say pracice the bass drum at the same time. Do you mean do the same rudiment/paradiddle with my feet as I'm doing with my hands?

Thanks

Just as long as you do something wth it/them. I'm at the beginning of the learning curve and generally just alternate my kicks. Maybe you will find double kicks easy, I don't know. Just start somewhere and progress to whatever feels good. That the joy of learning to play. The combinations are almost endless.

When I can do a fast paradiddle with my hands and an opposite paradiddle with my feet, at the same time, I will officialy rock and all other will bow down before me!



You will probably find a few things that come easier than others. When you develop and work on those beats, you will feel like you are making progress.