Drum rudiment

Inrudimentaldrumming, a form ofpercussion music, adrum rudimentis one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associated with various forms offield drumming, where thesnare drumplays a prominent role. In this context "rudiment"  means not only "basic", but alsofundamental. This tradition of drumming originates inmilitary drummingand it is a central component ofmartial music.
Rudimental drumming has something of a flexible definition, even within drumming societies devoted to that form of drumming. RudimentalDrumming.com defines it as "the study of coordination."ThePercussive Arts Societydefines it as a particular method for learning the drums—beginning with rudiments, and gradually building up speed and complexity through practicing those rudiments.Camp Duty Updatedefines a drum rudiment as an excerpt from a military call with a definite rhythm, definite sticking, definite dynamic structure (accents), and a defined nomenclature.Encyclopedia Rudimentiadefines a rudiment as a short pattern of strokes, using John Pratt's logic that "the rudiments of drumming are strokes," in reference to the four basicdrum strokes.
The origin ofsnare drumrudiments can be traced back toSwiss mercenariesarmed with longpolearms. The use ofpikesin close formation required a great deal of coordination. The sound of thetaborwas used to set thetempoand communicate commands with distinct drumming patterns. These drumming patterns became the basis of the snare drum rudiments.
The earliest instance of rudimental fife and drum is often cited as the Swiss military at the battle of Sempach in 1386.There is evidence, however, that the Swiss were already using drums in battle in 1315 at theBattle of Morgarten.Initially, Swiss rudiments were very influential to the French system, which in turn was the basis for many other rudimental systems. Switzerland produced two distinct rudimental cultures, the widerSwiss Ordonnanz Trommelpracticed inZurich,Valais, andGeneva, and the Basel version orBasler Trommeln.
The Basler Trommeln rudiments, in contrast to the Swiss Ordonnanz Trommel,  are much more widely known and practiced outside of Switzerland due toFritz Berger's publications,Das Basler Trommeln, Werden und WesenandInstructor for Basle Drumming,and travels to theUnited Statesin the 1930s. His studentAlfons Griedercontinued to promote Basel style drumming in North America for many years.The two Swiss systems differ in several ways, including that Basel drumming rudiments draw heavily from the French system while Swiss rudiments are indigenous, and that Basel drumming was notated in a set of symbols until the 20th century (Berger devised his own notation system for export that was much more legible) while Swiss rudiments were written in standard notation centuries earlier. Swiss Ordonnanz rudiments are nearly unknown outside of Switzerland, while Basel rudiments are featured (after the 1930s) in other systems around the world, such as the Scottish, American, and Hybrid. TheTop Secret Drum Corpsis a prominent organization from Basel Switzerland that utilizes traditional Basel rudimental drumming along with other rudimental influences.
French rudiments were influenced by the Swiss and then later contributed back to the specific Basel culture in a two-way exchange.Thoinot Arbeau'sOrchesographieof 1588 is commonly cited as one of the first "rudimental" texts, though its actual use of notation is limited.French professional drummers became part of the king's honor guard in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1754Joseph-Henri de BombellespublishedInstruction pour les Tambours,which was one of the earliest military drum manuals to codify a specific national duty in legible drum notation.The craft was improved during the reign ofNapoleon I. The French dance known asLe Rigodonis one of the cornerstones of modern rudimental drumming.Kastner'sManuel Général de Musique Militaire a L’Usage des Armées Françaisesfrom 1848details the rudimental signals starting as far back as the 17th century and works up through the variations to his contemporary mid-19th century usage, showing that the complexity of French drumming increased significantly over time.
At least 5 French military manuals appeared between 1870 and 1900, beginning with Félix Carnaud'sÉcole du Tambourfrom 1870 and N. Pita'sMethode de Tambourfrom 1885,followed closely and expanded upon by H. Broutin (1889), Théophile Dureau (1895), and E. Reveillé (1897).
In the 20th century,Henri Klingpublished hisMéthode de Tambourin 1901.Robert Tourte'sMéthode de Tambour et Caisse Claire d'Orchestrewas published in 1946 and combined a selection of 34 rudiments and the classic French military calls with studies of common orchestral excerpts such asNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade andMaurice Ravel's Bolero. The French system is complex and expansive, rivaled in scope only by the Swiss, American, and Scottish systems. Between 30 and 34 rudiments have normally been taught from the mid-20th century onward,from a historical catalog of over 70 rudiment variations.
Spain used its own rudimental system, documented as far back as 1761, withManuel de Espinosapublication ofToques de Guerra. Composed mostly of single strokes, the system is extremely simple with only around eight to ten named patterns.
The Italian peninsula was home to fife and drum traditions as far back as the 1400s. During the 19th century, at least 3 distinct styles of drumming were practiced: Austrian styledrumming in the northern regions adjacent to the Austrian Empire, a central Italian style in Sardinia, Piedmont, and the Papal States,and a southern style in Naples and Sicily.With the unification of the Kingdom of Italy in the 1870s, the central Italian style was adopted over the Austrian or Sicilian as the official pan-Italian rudimental system.
German speaking regions of Europe, often referred to historically as Prussian, had developed their own unique rudimental system by the late 18th century, as evidenced by Wittwe's 1777 publicationKurze Anweisung zum Trommel-SpielThe system was dominated by the right hand and featured only about 14 standard rudiments, such as the druckruf and doppelwirbel.The Prussian drumming style was distinct from the regional rudimental practices of Bavaria, despite Bavaria being a part of modern Germany.It also did not apply in Hannover – which was effectively part of the British Empire for a significant period and thus used British drumming idioms.
Sweden had drummers on military payrolls as early as 1528. The Swedish rudimental style has some unique features and rhythmic interpretations, however it draws significant influence from both French and Prussian sources. The first written manual dates from 1836 with little variation in style until the 20th century. After the 1960s the drum parts in standard military music became simplified compared to their earlier incarnations.
The military tradition of theNetherlandshas a distinct rudimental system. Drummers are known to have participated in military functions from possibly as far back as 1570. Military units paid the drummers from their own commanders' budget until 1688 when the military began paying musicians directly.The rudimental term "Tattoo," a term for a meeting of drum corps and a signal from the standard camp duty, derives from the Dutch "Taptoe" Tamboers. Manuals go back at least as far as 1809 with the publication ofOver Het Tromslaan – Met Marschen En Andere Muziekstukken Voor Den Tromwhich indicates some basic rolls and a few military signals.Marsen en Signalen voor de Koninklijke Nederlandsche ArmeebyJacob Rauscherwas published in 1815 and shows about nine basic rudiments. Several manuals are known from the late 1800s and early 1900s, such asVoorschrift voor den seargent of korporaaltamboerof 1893,Tamboers- and Hoornblazersschoolof 1896, andTamboers- and Hoornblazersschoolfrom 1901. The system was simplified and many embellishments removed in the 1930s.The system was again refined following WWII in 1945 and 1946. Now, only theDutch Marinescontinue the official military tradition actively, along with a few civilian groups. There are currently only about 14 Dutch rudiments.
Russian drumming was originally brought in from abroad specifically to emulate the drumming of other nations. Dutch drumming was used verbatim in the 17th century. This gave way to a more distinct Russian style in the 18th century under Peter I. Imperial Russian military units stopped using drummers around 1909 but the USSR reintroduced drumming to the military in the 1920s. Russia actually has no names or specific sticking for rudimental patternsbut a selection of rolls and ruffs of various lengths are present in military music. Youth Pioneer groups use simplified military signals, though the rudiments taught in these groups use American terms.
British rudimental manuals with decipherable rudiments date back as far as 1634 with the publication of Thomas Fisher'sWarlike Directions or the Soldiers Practicewhich shows at least 4 ruff-based rudiments.A more thorough manual appeared in 1760, Spencer'sThe Drummer's Instructor.British military drumming had already been exported to theAmerican Coloniesby the time of theAmerican Revolutionin the 1770s. The anonymously authoredYoung Drummers Assistantwas published around 1780 and was an influential book on both sides of the Atlantic. The British system was further refined for the 19th century bySamuel Potterin 1817 with his bookThe Art of Beating the Drum.In the 18th century, drummers uniforms were reverse color from the rest of their military unit, but after the War of 1812, and coincidentally during Samuel Potter's service, their uniforms were switched to the standard color scheme so as not to stand out in battle. Samuel's son, Henry Potter, a noted instrument maker,would later publish an updated drum manual calledAuthorised Sergeant Drummers' Manual.In 1887, the War Office publishedDrum and Flute Duty for the Infantry Branch of the Armywhich is one of only a few pre-20th century publications to feature the 17 stroke roll. In modern times, everyinfantry battalionin the British military has a rudimental Corps of Drums except for Irish, Scottish, and Rifle Battalions which featurePipe Bandsand their associated style of Scottish drumming.
Scottish drum and fife signals (those differing significantly from the English) date back to at least the 17th century, when the English referred to them as the "Scots Duty."The old Scottish calls used similar rudimental patterns and drumming idioms to the English, but featured slightly different drum arrangements and fife tunes, rather than the distinctively snappy dot-cut triplet shuffle sound that pipe band drumming would use later. The Scotch Reveille that would normally accompany The Mother and the Three Camps was adapted from, or at least inspired by, the Scotch Reveilly [sic] from this pre-pipe band era. Scottish pipe bands, in their modern form, were created by the British Army around 1830.British regiments made up of Scottish clansmen married rudimental drumming with theHighland bagpipesandkiltsin order to regain their independent culture. The drum rudiments were modified from British and European sources to fit with the piping idioms that had been in place for several hundred years prior. Pipe bands, and their stylistically unique drummers, saw their first widespread use during theCrimean War.They continued to be an active part of battle untilWorld War I, after which they assumed a ceremonial role. There are currently around 60–75 Scottish rudiments played in pipe bands around the commonwealth countries and former British colonies, taking influence from Swiss, French, and American Hybrid drumming as well as traditional Scottish rhythms.
Many attempts at formalizing a standard list of American snare drum rudiments have been made. The first publication to formally organize American drumming was byFriedrich Wilhelm von Steubenat Valley Forge. He included camp duty signals in his general manual on military practices for George Washington’s troops, the “blue book” written in 1778–79, though the drum parts were listed in prose.The first America rudimental manual to have prescribed rudimental exercises in notation wasA Revolutionary War Drummers Book, also from 1778, which displayed 20 exercises that can be taken as rudiments as well as "drum beatings" such as the pieceValley Forg[sic].This was followed by Ben Clark's manualon military drumming in 1797and David Hazeltine's bookInstructor in Martial Musicin 1810.Charles Stewart Ashworthwas the first person to actually label short drum exercises as "Rudiments" in 1812.
Several more manuals of note were printed between 1812 and 1860, including those by Charles Robbins (1812), Rumrille and Holton (1817),Alvan Robinson (1818),Levi Lovering(1819),and George Klinehanse (1853).
A number of manuals next appeared during theAmerican Civil War, including those byElias Howe(1861),Keach, Burditt, and Cassidy (1861),BruceandEmmett(1862),H.C. Hart(1862),Simpson and Canterbury (1862),William Nevins (1864).Adjutant-GeneralSamuel Cooper's general military manual of 1861 also contained a small section on rudimental drumming, but in a very simplified form,as did Brigadier GeneralSilas Casey’s tactics manual of 1862.
Gardiner A. Strubepublished his influential distillation of Civil War practices in 1870.Between the Civil War and the 20th century, Fifes and Drums were phased out in favor ofbuglesfor official signals, though military music continued to be taught and practiced for ceremonial purposes.John Philip Sousaproduced a manual in 1886 that would later be revised several times by the U.S. Army. Walter Smith also produced a manual in 1897for the Army and Navy, though he was a bandleader in theMarines. In 1912, just 42 years after Strube's Lessons, Harry Bower, in his bookThe Harry A. Bower System for Drums Bells Xylophone and Tympani,calls the military rudiments "ancient," "old fashioned," and "old style beats, rolls, and flourishes," to be played only when emulating a military sound.The Bower book offers several competing versions of many rudiments taken from multiple competing 19th century manuals.
During World War I,V.F. Safranekpublished a manual in 1916 (based on Smith's 1897 work),whileCarl E. Gardnerreleased another in 1918.Sanford Moellerput a list in his 1925 book, which is one of the few books here intended for civilian drummers. TheMoeller methodadvocated for a return to the "ancient" traditions of military drumming technique and rudiments.
TheNational Association of Rudimental Drummers, an organization established to promote rudimental drumming that includedGeorge Lawrence StoneandWilliam F. Ludwig, Sr., organized a list of 13 essential rudiments and second set of 13 additional rudiments to form the Standard NARD 26 in 1933. This was largely based on Strube's 25 rudiments from 1870, with a single addition, the single stroke roll.
During World War II, the War Department used a manual from 1940,TM 20–250 Field Music Technical Manual, that clearly echoes Smith and Safranek.The Marine Corps had a competing manual, essentially mirroring Sousa but updated in 1942,Manual for Drummers, Trumpeters, and Fifers.
Later in the 20th century there were several notable variations and extensions of rudimental drumming from teachers likeCharles Wilcoxon, author ofAll-American DrummerandModern Rudimental Swing Solos, andAlan Dawson, whose "Rudimental Ritual" was popular atBerklee College of Musicin the 1970s.
Drum Corps Internationalwas founded in 1971 bringing together drum corps from around North America to compete, some of which had been in existence since the 1930s or 1940s (though many others were formed as late as the mid-1960s).From the outset, the drummers steadily expanded the rudimental vocabulary from the traditional American military and NARD repertoire to include Swiss rudiments as well as Hybrid rudiments that combined elements of multiple unrelated rudiments into new, more complex patterns.
In 1984, aPercussive Arts Societycommittee led by Jay Wanamaker reorganized, and reinterpreted, the NARD 26 and added another 14 to form the current 40 International Snare Drum Rudiments.
Beginning in the early 1990s, rudimental instruction began to focus heavily on hybrid rudiments. Edward Freytag's 1993Rudimental Cookbookand Dennis Delucia's 1995Percussion Discussionboth feature significant hybrid rudiment instruction. This trend continued into the 21st century withJohn Wooton's 2010Rudimental Remedies,Bill Bachman's 2010Rudimental Logic,andRyan Bloom's2019Encyclopedia Rudimentiasignificantly focusing on hybrid corps-style rudiments as well as older standards.
In the 21st century there are four principal rudimental drumming cultures: SwissBaslerTrommeln,Scottish pipe drumming, Anglo-Americanancient drumming, and American modern drumming (orDCIhybrid drumming).Other organized rudimental systems include the French, Dutch, German (Prussian),Swedish,Trommeslått, Bavarian, Austro-Hungarian, Italian,Belgian,Mexican,Russian, Swiss Ordonnanz Trommel (non-Basel, poorly understood outside of Switzerland), and Bajoaragonés systems, which are still studied and performed on a small scale in their home countries.There is also a distinct historic Spanish military rudimental culture, though this system is no longer widely used,as well as a similarly defunct Sicilian system.
Recently, the International Association of Traditional Drummers (IATD) has been working to once again promote the 26 NARD rudiments of 1933 (1870 Strube list of 25 plus 1). One of the chief issues the IATD has with the PAS 40 is the "Swiss influence,"though only eight of the extra 14 rudiments (that do not appear in the Standard 26) are foreign or not found in American military manuals prior to Strube. Only two of those eight non-traditional rudiments can be traced to a Swiss origin.
There is a movement in the German-speaking areas of Europe, led byClaus HesslerandPercussion Creativ,to revise rudimental practices and combine the French and Basel systems with some of the modern American rudiments into a single Rudimental Codexof 42 rudiments. The Rudimental Codex has been submitted toUNESCOas an intangible World Heritage Site.
A stroke performs a single percussivenote. There arefour basic single strokes.
A double stroke consists of two single strokes played by the same hand (eitherRRorLL).
A diddle is a double stroke played at the current prevailing speed of the piece. For example, if a sixteenth-note passage is being played, then any diddles in that passage would consist of sixteenth notes.
A paradiddle consists of two single strokes followed by a double stroke, i.e.,RLRRorLRLL.When multiple paradiddles are played in succession, the first note always alternates between right and left. Therefore, a single paradiddle is often used to switch the "lead hand" in drumming music.
A mill stroke is essentially a reversed paradiddle with the stickingRRLRorLLRLwith an accent on the first note.The single flammed mill is the most common mill stroke variant in American playing.
A drag is a double stroke played at twice the speed of the context in which it is placed. For example, if a sixteenth-note passage is being played then any drags in that passage would consist of thirty-second notes. Drags can also be notated asgrace notes, in which case the spacing between the notes can be interpreted by the player. Ontimpani, drags are often played with alternating sticking(lrLorrlR).
In Scottish pipe band snare drumming, a drag consists of a flam where the grace note is played as a "deadstick" (staccato note).
Historically, 2 grace notes preceding a beat were known as a Ruff (or Rough)llRif played closed and a Half DragllRwhen played open.Ruff can also refer to a single stroked set of grace notes preceding a regular note. In American playing the 3 Stroke Ruff has 2 single stroked grace notes before the primary or full noterlRand a 4 Stroke Ruff has 3 singles before the primary notelrlR. Other rudimental systems have differing sticking methods and names for similar notation figures.  Though still used and taught by drummers and drum teachers in practice, the 3 Stroke Ruff and 4 Stroke Ruff are not officially listed on the NARD or PAS rudiment sheets and the term Drag has eclipsed Ruff (or Rough) for the double stroked rudiments, in both open or closed execution, according to the current PAS standard terminology.
A flam consists of two single strokes played by alternating hands (rLorlR). The first stroke is a quieter grace note followed by a louder primary stroke on the opposite hand. The two notes are played almost simultaneously, and are intended to sound like a single, broader note.The temporal distance between the grace note and the primary note can vary depending on the style and context of the piece being played. In the past, or in some European systems, open flams and closed flams were listed as separate rudiments.
A charge stroke is a special variation on an open flam in which one or both of the notes are accented to provide a driving feel that can create the illusion that the downbeat has moved earlier in time. The two major types are FrenchLrorRland SwissLRorRLwith the first note preceding the downbeat, which falls on the second note, in both types. Charge strokes can be combined with flams or drags to create complex grace note figures preceding a downbeat.
A double stop consists of two single strokes played simultaneously, one on each hand. It differs from a flam or charge stroke in that there is no space between the notes and both hands fall exactly at the same time. This is not considered an American rudiment on any common list, but is a staple of several European systems.Alternative names include Flat Flam, Unison, or Both and the technique is used in modern corps style snare drumming as well as drum kit and classical percussion applications.
Drum rollsare various techniques employed to produce a sustained, continuous sound.
Rudiments according to thePercussive Arts Society.There are more than 850 rudiments worldwide, but these 40 are the current American standards, referred to as “international” because they mix rudiments traditionally used in Anglo-American drumming with several drawn from the Swiss Basel drumming tradition.They were compiled by a committee led byJay Wanamakerin 1984 that also happened to include William F. Ludwig Jr., son of the founder of NARD in 1933. In contrast, there are 26 rudiments between the NARD13 Essentialand13 Rudiments to Completesheets,46 rudiments on theScottish Drumming Rudimentssheet,and 42 rudiments on the French/SwissRudimental Codexsheet.
The single-stroke roll consists of alternating sticking (i.e.,RLRL, etc.) of indeterminate speed and length.
There are 10 official variants of the double-stroke roll.
(NARD Standard 26 American Drum Rudiments of 1933)
In 1984, the Percussive Arts Society added 14 more rudiments to extend the list to the current 40 International Snare Drum Rudiments. The ordering was completely changed during this last re-organization.
A hybrid drum rudiment is when two rudiments are combined into one rudiment.For example, the PAS #30 Flam Drag is a simple hybrid combining the traditional PAS rudiments #20 Flam and #31 Drag.A hybrid can also be created by adding a prefix before a rudiment or a suffix at the end of the rudiment in the form of extra notes or a rudimental pattern.
There are certain characteristics that make a reasonable hybrid rudiment;
A few examples are the "Herta" which is a drag played with alternating sticking; the "cheese", a diddle with a grace note; and the "eggbeater", a five-tuplet with the sticking "rrrll." These hybrids have themselves given way to further hybrids; the "cheese invert" (an inverted flam tap with cheeses instead of flams) and the "diddle-egg-five" (a paradiddle-diddle followed by an eggbeater and two diddles, one on each hand). Other hybrid rudiments include: "book reports", "ninjas", and "flam dragons" (formerly known as "double flam drags").
Hybrid rudiments have been historically associated with modern marching band repertoire, especiallyDrum Corps International. The number of hybrid rudiments expanded rapidly starting in the 1990s.Today there are an indeterminate number, with more than 500 published and documented hybrid rudiments or unique variations.
The latest innovation in hybrid rudiments has been "The Grid", which is a method for producing variations on a simple rudimental pattern by moving the individual elements of the rudiment (for example flams, accents, or diddles) through the notes of basic rhythm of the rudiment.One example of a Grid technique would be to play the PAS Flam Accent (a grace note and accent on the first of 3 single strokes) with the accent on the first note, then the second note, then the third note, producing 3 variations of the pattern and exhausting the placement options for the accent within the rhythm. The same could then be done with the grace note for the flam, producing 3 more patterns. The resulting 6 patterns could then be combined in a sequential way, producing further variations until all combinations of elements are exhausted. Not all of the resulting combinations are named or officially listed as rudiments, but are useful in developing a player's skills.