Good morning, and thanks for visiting Midnightdrummer.com today!
You were lucky and found this guide about the Basic Drum Rudiments for Beginners, where we explore the fundamental building blocks of drumming.
If you found this blog post by accident, you may ask yourself the question:
What are drum rudiments, and why should I even bother reading more about this topic?
Here’s why:
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your drumming skills, understanding and practicing these essential drum rudiments is a must.
Picture drum rudiments as the ABCs of drumming, providing a solid foundation for rhythms, drum fills and technique in general.
By mastering these easy drum rudiments and sticking combinations, you’ll unlock a world of creative possibilities and improve your overall ability on the drumset.
So grab your drumsticks, get ready to groove, and let’s dive into the exciting world of basic drum rudiments!
7+ Basic drum rudiments for beginners
There are several drum rudiments, which beginners need to know and practice right from the start. This will help to build a good foundation for the more advanced drum rudiments which will follow later on.
Which drum rudiments to learn first? Here’s your Free PDF Download
If you wonder, which drum rudiments to learn first, please download the free PDF here so that you can practice the following exercises:
Here are 7 standard drum rudiments we will start with:
- Single Stroke Roll
- Double Stroke Roll
- Single Stroke Four
- Single Stroke Seven
- Five Stroke Roll
- Six Stroke Roll
- Single Paradiddle
- Flam
#1 Single Stroke Roll
The single stroke roll is the most common and natural sticking.
Anybody playing on a drum kit for the 1st time will apply a single stroke roll intuitively without knowing it. It is a simple (still not easy to play) combination of alternating strokes between the right and the left hand.
Here’s how it looks like on a drum sheet:
#2 Double Stroke Roll
The double stroke roll is another basic drum rudiment which you should practice right from the beginning.
This is how it looks like:
#3 Single Stroke Four
The single stroke four is a drum rudiment that involves playing four alternating strokes – starting with 3 triplet notes.
Here’s how it looks like on a drum sheet:
To play the single stroke four, start with your right hand and play four consecutive strokes:
- right-left-right-left
Also, start the exercise with your left hand and play four consecutive strokes like these:
- left-right-left-right
Keep practicing these patterns very slowly and only gradually increase your speed. Precision and relaxed playing should always be the most important thing to strive for.
Later on you can create new patterns from this like:
- right-left-right-left — left-right-left-right
- right-left-right-left — right-left-right-left — left-right-left-right — left-right-left-right
- etc..
#4 Single Stroke Seven
As the name implies, the single stroke seven drum rudiment contains 7 single strokes.
It starts with 6 16th triplets followed by 1 stroke on the following quarter note.
This is the 7 stroke roll:
When practicing the single stroke 7 you should start at a low tempo to master it.
Start with your strong hand and also try this exercise starting with your weak hand to acquire the ideal balance between your hands.
#5 Five Stroke Roll
The five stroke roll starts with 2 double strokes and ends with an accent on the 5th stroke.
When practicing the 5 stroke roll, you should also start with your weak hand.
Later on you can increase the tempo and create new combinations using this basic drum rudiment like:
- rrllR rrllR
- llrrL llrrL
- rrllR llrrL
#6 Six Stroke Roll
The six stroke roll is another great drum rudiment including 2 accents on the 1st and on the 6th stroke.
This is what it looks like:
Again, so this exercise should be started with the right and with the left hand to gain balance between your hands.
#7 Single Paradiddle
The single paradiddle is probably the most popular drum rudiment ever invented and this is what it looks like:
As you can see, the single paradiddle is made of single and double strokes, whereas the 1st stroke is accented.
This basic drum rudiment can be used in drum fills and grooves the like.
#8 Flam
The flam rudiment consists of a grace note and full stroke and looks like this:
This drum rudiment should also be practiced at a very low tempo first. Aim for absolute precision and most exact execution possible, when practicing the basic flam.
Which snare drum rudiments for beginners do you like the most?
Of course, there are more snare drum rudiments for beginners which are worth trying out, but which ones do you like the most and are you making progress practicing them?
Please let me know what you think and how it is working out.
Enjoy and talk soon!
Keno
