Drum Set Rudiments Part I - A Musical Foundation

I occasionally see references to 'drum set rudiments' (vs. 'rudiments on the drum set') and I'm always curious as to what that could mean. You see, there are no established drum set rudiments, at least not in the sense of an organized list as is the case with the traditional or ‘standard’ rudiments as found on PAS and N.A.R.D.

Getting Back to Basics
The word rudiment simply means the fundamentals, and there are certain drum set fundamentals that we all ought to master. And, because the drum set is a completely different instrument from the rudimentalist's field drum, a collection of basics for the drum set should look completely different in almost every way. 

We Play Music
With a drum set, the goal is to play music, not marches, calls and cadences. The drum set’s very existence was driven by music. So, drum set rudiments ought to exploit the drum set's various voices and capabilities while addressing each of the following:

1. Music Theory
At minimum, a drummer needs to know about tempo, time signatures, note values, compound time, phrasing, dynamics, forms, and structure. Reading drum notation is a great skill and not that difficult to learn. Even a bit of reading skill will make learning music theory a lot easier.

2. Technique
We all seem to understand the importance of hand technique, but we also need to concentrate on exercises that call for using and moving around the entire drum set ... and perhaps de-emphasize the snare drum and pad work.

3. Accompaniment
Your job is to support the band while solidifying the foundation. That means working with the other musicians as a team pursuing a single goal. Whether you play only your own style of music or you play a few styles with various bands, you need to know the required beats and a suitable number of variations. Frequent listening to music and playing to tracks can help here.

4. Beginnings & Endings
I’ve heard it said that as long as the beginning and ending are good, what happens in between doesn’t matter. To a degree, that’s true: An audience will remember a bad ending longer than they’ll remember a terrific guitar solo. Become familiar with as many beginning and ending options as you can (there aren't’ that many).

5. Transitions & Fills
Music benefits from these rhythmic and dynamic elements, and drum students should learn how to do simple musical fills and transitions as early as possible.

6. Soloing
I used to think that this was an optional skill, but some situations will require it. Make sure you're able to deliver a decent solo if needed. In a jazz context, be able to ‘trade 4s and 8s. For the record, it’s fine to memorize a solo, if that’s what works for you.

Conclusion
Looking over this list, what I see is a prescription for lots of study and lots of listening. Yes, we need to work on our chops, but musical skills are what will move us forward most effectively.

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