Drum Set Rudiments Part 2: Technique

{See Drum Set Rudiments Part 1 for 'soft skills')

Some drummers seem to have an obsession with technique. Others eschew the whole idea. A certain amount of technical skill is necessary to play well. Beyond that, it’s personal taste, values, etc. I prefer to think in terms of capability. What am I capable of as a drummer? Then I can focus on technique that makes me a more competent player. I also find it intrinsically rewarding to advance my skills and knowledge. To that end I recommend you become familiar with the following.

Natural Sticking
Given the option, we’re inclined to start things with our dominant hand. In Natural Sticking, all notes are played hand-to-hand, i.e. alternate strokes, except for diddles. This forces you to lead with each hand and it will help with independence, body awareness, and open-handed playing.

Single Strokes
Your number one work-horse sticking should need no explanation. This is where most drummers gain their speed. Remember to lead with each hand.

Double Strokes
While the traditional Long Roll isn’t called for very often in modern music, the movements are vital to many other techniques ...  diddles, drags etc.

Paradiddles
The Single Paradiddle is probably the most useful sticking available, second only to alternate strokes. There is an entire extended family of paradiddles (single, double, triple, paradiddle-diddle, and all their permutations) and all are worth studying as they help build speed, finger control and efficiency.

Paradiddle-diddle
This simple sticking takes advantage of diddles and can outperform single strokes for speed while providing a variety of rhythmic textures. The permutations are rich in possibilities.

RLRRLL    LRLLRR
RLLRRL    LRRLLR
RRLRLL    LLRLRR
RRLLRL    LLRRLR
RLRLLR    LRLRRL

Triplets
Triplets underlie swing and shuffles, and are important to the inner feel of funk. Be comfortable with 8th, 16th and quarter-note triplets. A good triplet feel contributes to flow and balance. My preferred way of counting triplets is 1-trip-let 2-trip-let etc.

RLL & Variations
A favourite component of many drum solos, this sticking provides speed and flexibility, with the diddles giving the opposite hand extra time to move around, yielding better speed and efficiency.

RLL RLL LRR LRR
RRL RRL LLR LLR

Flam/Ruff
Usually thrown in as an accent, these simple stickings are effective attention-getters. They also help with developing height control, dynamics, ghost notes, and even Moeller.

I consider familiarity with these concepts to be just a starting point and, hopefully, inspiration to further your drum knowledge.

Photo credit: University Of Washington Libraries Digital Collection