The 40 Drum Rudiments
Learning how to play The 40 Drum Rudiments will be the most powerful building blocks to your success on the drum set. Why are they so important? Simply put, drum rudiments come from a marching tradition, and many of the first drum set players were rudimental snare drummers. Because of this, Drum Rudiments became the basis for playing the drum set.
These patterns will give your hands better independence, speed, and ideas to use around the set. Learning and ultimately mastering them will open up a world of ease, and creativity in your drumming. Just as scales are the foundation of playing melodic instruments such as piano, drum rudiments are the foundation to playing a rhythmic instrument such as the drum set.
There are 4 main areas to Drum Rudiments:
When learning these Drum Rudiments, look at the notation to learn the sticking, then watch the videos to hear them in rhythm. Remember, it's always better to play slow and relaxed, speed will come as a result of being comfortable! Don't play anything sloppy and fast, this type of practicing will give you poor results long term.
Each rudiment will be played on a snare drum (at home you can use a practice pad) at a variety of speeds, then demonstrated on the drum set. When practicing Rudiments on a snare drum or practice pad, repeat them over and over to build strength and fludity. When using Rudiments on the drum set, think about them like small flavors you can add into your playing, and not something you'll continually repeat.
Remember, learning slow and relaxed will yield you the greatest results. Speed comes with centering your focus, and feeling comfortable. Over anything else, aim for accuracy over speed.