All great drummers know their rudiments. Drum rudiments are basically a collection of basic beats and patterns. They are of set of standards so to speak.

The most common are probably the roll, flam and paradiddle, and in fact most rudiments are variation of these three. There are about forty drum rudiments and every good drummer knows them, or at least most of them.

Why are drum rudiments important and which ones do you need to know?

Drum rudiments are like the foundation of a house, and to build any good house you need a secure foundation. The drum rudiments are your foundation to becoming a great drummer.

All drumming is a combination of the rudiments whether those who play know it or not. Every drumbeat is a rudiment of some sort, or a combination thereof. Learn and practice them to become a more effective drummer.

The top three

The roll

The roll is the probably the most recognizable, and there are many variations of the basic roll. It's used mostly as a double or triple beat which most of the time happens so fast the average person wouldn't be able to identify it even if they tried.

The roll can be open or closed and a good drummer will mix it all up in a musical piece with smoothness and ease. Everybody loves a good roll but have a nice crisp tight roll, you need to practice.

The flam

The flam is precise movement that involves both sticks striking the drum split seconds apart, actually to be more accurate its done in hundredths of a second. One stick accents one beat while the does not. But this can also change because the flam has it's variations as well. It's a subtle stick maneuver but when done properly sounds pretty cool.

The paradiddle

A great sticking technique to learn coordination, speed and control is the paradiddle. I consider it to be the bread and butter of drum practice, a true essential. The best drummers learn to master the paradiddle and all of it's variations.

The paradiddle is fantastic for learning hand independence and helping with dexterity. All beginners, and even advanced players, should continuously work to improve their paradiddle and the variations of it.

These are the basic rudiments and in fact most all rudiments are a variation of the roll, flam and paradiddle. Don't overlook the importance of drum rudiments because they are the cornerstone of any good drummer. You have to have the basics under your belt before you move on to more advanced drumming.

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