Drum Rudiments: the Paradiddle and 11 More to Hear
Drum rudiments are the basic sticking patterns of drumming. The best known is the single paradiddle, R L R R L R L L: two single strokes and a double, then the same starting with the left hand. The Percussive Arts Society lists 40 international drum rudiments in four families – rolls, diddles, flams and drags – and beginners start with single strokes, doubles and the paradiddle.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, crotchet, quaver, stave); the US version uses measure, quarter note, eighth note and staff. · US version of this page
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Key facts
- The 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments were published by the Percussive Arts Society in 1984.
- Four families: roll rudiments (15), diddle rudiments (4), flam rudiments (11) and drag rudiments (10).
- The older American list, from the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD), had 13 essential rudiments in 1933 and 26 by 1936.
- Single paradiddle: R L R R L R L L. Double paradiddle: R L R L R R L R L R L L.
- R = right hand, L = left hand, > = accent (play it louder).
- A flam is one quiet grace note just before a main note (lR); a drag is two (llR).
- Start slowly, around 60–70 beats a minute, and keep every stroke even before you go faster.
Try it: the rudiment player
Choose a rudiment and press Play. After a 4-beat count-in it plays on a snare drum, over and over, and lights up each stroke. Small letters are grace notes; > is an accent. Self-assessed Can you play along evenly for 30 seconds at 70 beats a minute?
Sounds are made in your browser. This page never uses the microphone, and nothing is recorded or sent.
What is a paradiddle?
A paradiddle is a drum rudiment with the sticking R L R R L R L L. The “para” is two single strokes (R L) and the “diddle” is a double stroke (R R); then it repeats starting on the left. Accent the first note of each half.
| Rudiment | PAS no. | Sticking | Usually played as | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single paradiddle | 16 | >R L R R >L R L L | Semiquavers | |
| Double paradiddle | 17 | >R L R L R R >L R L R L L | Triplets | |
| Triple paradiddle | 18 | >R L R L R L R R >L R L R L R L L | Semiquavers | |
| Single paradiddle-diddle | 19 | >R L R R L L >R L R R L L | Triplets |
Because the lead hand swaps every half, the paradiddle is the easiest way to start a pattern on either hand. Drummers use it around the kit too: right hand on the hi-hat, left on the snare, and the doubles become a quiet, rolling groove.
What are the 40 drum rudiments?
The 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments are 15 roll rudiments, 4 diddle rudiments, 11 flam rudiments and 10 drag rudiments, numbered 1 to 40. They were published by the Percussive Arts Society in 1984.
| No. | Rudiment | Family |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 2 | Single stroke four | Roll rudiments |
| 3 | Single stroke seven | Roll rudiments |
| 4 | Multiple bounce roll | Roll rudiments |
| 5 | Triple stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 6 | Double stroke open roll | Roll rudiments |
| 7 | Five stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 8 | Six stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 9 | Seven stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 10 | Nine stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 11 | Ten stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 12 | Eleven stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 13 | Thirteen stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 14 | Fifteen stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 15 | Seventeen stroke roll | Roll rudiments |
| 16 | Single paradiddle | Diddle rudiments |
| 17 | Double paradiddle | Diddle rudiments |
| 18 | Triple paradiddle | Diddle rudiments |
| 19 | Single paradiddle-diddle | Diddle rudiments |
| 20 | Flam | Flam rudiments |
| 21 | Flam accent | Flam rudiments |
| 22 | Flam tap | Flam rudiments |
| 23 | Flamacue | Flam rudiments |
| 24 | Flam paradiddle | Flam rudiments |
| 25 | Single flammed mill | Flam rudiments |
| 26 | Flam paradiddle-diddle | Flam rudiments |
| 27 | Pataflafla | Flam rudiments |
| 28 | Swiss army triplet | Flam rudiments |
| 29 | Inverted flam tap | Flam rudiments |
| 30 | Flam drag | Flam rudiments |
| 31 | Drag | Drag rudiments |
| 32 | Single drag tap | Drag rudiments |
| 33 | Double drag tap | Drag rudiments |
| 34 | Lesson 25 | Drag rudiments |
| 35 | Single dragadiddle | Drag rudiments |
| 36 | Drag paradiddle #1 | Drag rudiments |
| 37 | Drag paradiddle #2 | Drag rudiments |
| 38 | Single ratamacue | Drag rudiments |
| 39 | Double ratamacue | Drag rudiments |
| 40 | Triple ratamacue | Drag rudiments |
What are the basic drum rudiments for beginners?
Start with five: the single stroke roll (R L R L), the double stroke roll (R R L L), the single paradiddle (R L R R L R L L), the flam and the drag. Nearly every other rudiment is built from these.
| Rudiment | PAS no. | Sticking | Usually played as | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single stroke roll | 1 | R L R L R L R L | Semiquavers | |
| Double stroke open roll | 6 | R R L L R R L L | Semiquavers | |
| Five stroke roll | 7 | R R L L >R – – – L L R R >L – – – | Semiquavers | |
| Single paradiddle | 16 | >R L R R >L R L L | Semiquavers | |
| Double paradiddle | 17 | >R L R L R R >L R L R L L | Triplets | |
| Triple paradiddle | 18 | >R L R L R L R R >L R L R L R L L | Semiquavers | |
| Single paradiddle-diddle | 19 | >R L R R L L >R L R R L L | Triplets | |
| Flam | 20 | lR rL lR rL | Crotchets | |
| Flam accent | 21 | >lR L R >rL R L | Triplets | |
| Flam tap | 22 | >lR R >rL L >lR R >rL L | Semiquavers | |
| Drag | 31 | llR rrL llR rrL | Crotchets | |
| Single drag tap | 32 | >llR L >rrL R | Quavers |
How do you read drum rudiment sticking?
Read R as right hand and L as left hand, from left to right. A > above a stroke is an accent, a small letter before a stroke is a grace note (one for a flam, two for a drag), and a dash is a rest.
- R L R L – single strokes, one per hand.
- R R L L – double strokes: two bounces from each hand.
- >R – accent: play it louder by lifting the stick higher.
- lR – flam: the left stick plays a quiet grace note from low down, the right a full stroke just after.
- llR – drag: two quick quiet grace notes before the main note.
In written music the same rudiments appear as notes on a single line or on the snare drum’s space of a drum stave, with the sticking printed above or below. See Classfern’s free drum sheet music for how drum notes are written.
How do you practise drum rudiments?
Practise each rudiment slowly with a metronome until every stroke is even, then raise the tempo a few beats at a time. Play it for a minute without stopping, and practise starting on the left hand as well as the right.
- Pick one rudiment and set the player to 60.
- Play along on a practice pad or a cushion, saying the sticking.
- Record the fastest tempo you can play cleanly for 30 seconds.
- Go up by 4–5 beats a minute when it feels easy.
- Move the rudiment around the kit: right hand on the hi-hat or a tom, left on the snare.
Flams and drags
A flam (no. 20) sounds like one fat note: the grace note comes from a low stick about a centimetre above the drum, the main note from high up, so they land a split second apart. A drag (no. 31) has two grace notes, bounced from one hand. The flam accent and flam tap put flams into a moving pattern; listen for the grace notes in the player and turn the tempo down to hear them clearly.
| Rudiment | PAS no. | Sticking | Usually played as | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flam | 20 | lR rL lR rL | Crotchets | |
| Flam accent | 21 | >lR L R >rL R L | Triplets | |
| Flam tap | 22 | >lR R >rL L >lR R >rL L | Semiquavers | |
| Drag | 31 | llR rrL llR rrL | Crotchets | |
| Single drag tap | 32 | >llR L >rrL R | Quavers |
Quick quiz: drum rudiments
Six questions on stickings and the rudiment families. Marked by Classfern Your score stays in this browser.
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