along to their fellow percussionists from time immemorial . Pinpointing the actual start of rudiments is impossible . However , evidence of notated drum rudiments appears around the late sixteenth century .
Over time , collections of rudiments were presented in various drumming manuals , but two significant events in the evolution of rudiments happened within the last one hundred years .
The National Association of Rudimental Drummers ( NARD ) was formed in 1933 by a group of thirteen prominent American percussionists . The members collaborated to assemble a grouping of rudiments that were termed The Thirteen Essential Rudiments .
1 . Long Roll 2 . Five Stroke Roll 3 . Seven Stroke Roll 4 . Flam 5 . Flam Accent 6 . Flam Paradiddle 7 . Flamacue 8 . Ruff 9 . Single Drag 10 . Double Drag 11 . Double Paradiddle 12 . Single Ratamacue 13 . Triple Ratamacue
Fast forward about a half-century when the Percussive Arts Society ( PAS ) adopted a new listing of rudiments . The 1984 collection of Forty International Drum Rudiments drew from marching , orchestral , and international influences .
GET STARTED Begin learning common basic rudiments by downloading a free copy of the Percussive Arts Society ’ s Forty International Drum Rudiments at www . pas . org . Go to Menu and click on Resources and find Rudiments . Along with the notation , you can listen to recordings of all forty rudiments .
Private lessons from a qualified teacher will aid in learning the fundamentals and tutorial videos are available online .
A range of method books devoted to rudiments are available . Here are a couple of suggestions :
Haskell W . Harr Drum Method Book 2 by Haskell Harr
Written by PAS Hall of Fame member Haskell Harr , this manual contains instruction on twenty-six rudiments along with exercises . Several rudimental solos are included along with access to audio files . While writing this article , I dug out my copy of Mr . Harr ’ s venerable book and knocked out the classic solo “ Downfall of Paris ” on a practice pad . Good stuff .
Rudimental Logic 3.0 by Bill Bachman
Drummers of all levels will find learning strategies and wisdom in this book from rudimental authority Bill Bachman . Topics include standard rudiments , grips , stroke techniques , and hybrid rudiments along with over 150 exercises .
OLD-SCHOOL OPEN-CLOSE-OPEN One of the time-honored methods for developing control of a rudiment is called playing open to close to open . The term simply means slow to fast to slow . Begin the process by playing a rudiment at a very slow , deliberate tempo , paying careful attention to each note . Gradually increase the speed until you are at your maximum and still have control . Hold that speed for a moment before beginning to gradually decrease the tempo , eventually returning to your original tempo . The exercise should take about 60 to 90 seconds to complete . At the aforementioned PAS website , the rudiment recordings are presented in openclose-open format .
Running a rudiment through this process will advance your ability to play a rudiment at a wide variety of tempos . The exercise is especially useful for the development of rolls .
Be sure to check back next month for the second installment of this two-part series . Various methods for improving and deepening your rudimental skills will be presented along with ideas for using rudiments to boost your creativity .
Special thanks to Jim Catalano for the poster photo and Ludwig Drums for research assistance regarding the poster .
© 2023 Mark Shelton Productions / Percussion For Worship
Mark Shelton Mark is a freelance musician , educational consultant , and content creator based in Dallas / Fort Worth . Performance credits include North Carolina Symphony , Tin Roof Tango , Daystar Singers & Band , Gateway Worship , Stonebriar Church , Wichita Falls Orchestra , Strata Big Band , TALEA , and Dallas Wind Symphony . www . marksheltonmusic . com percussionforworship . blogspot . com
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