Earl Sturtze, a famous Connecticut drum teacher who trained many National Champions, wrote, “The three basic rudiments of drumming are the Single Stroke Roll, the Long Roll, and the Flams. All other rudiments are derived from different combinations of these three.”
He also said, “Some experts claim that, since the ‘flam’ is a derivative of the ‘single stroke roll,’ there should only be TWO basic rudiments.”1
Sturtze’s case for distinguishing the flam as independent from the single stroke roll is strong because flamming requires coordinated and coactive actions between hands to combine a high primary stroke with a low grace note. Furthermore, each hand’s stroke can be a high-to-low or a low-to-high motion, whereas single roll strokes are equal heights. With that in mind, the control of two-height accent-to-tap and tap-to-accent strokes is an essential skill for successful flam execution.
Four widely-known exercises form the core of a successful warm-up and practice routine because they engage the “three basic rudiments” as identified by Sturtze:
1. eight-on-a-hand (one-height);
2. bucks (two-heights);
3. Sanford double beat (one-height);
4. Sanford triple beat (one-height.)
These four foundational exercises are designed to be practiced one hand at a time. The advantage of working on each hand in isolation is to allow focused attention on specific motions, grip, and playing positions until all actions are consistent.
Once each hand has the proper motions programmed into muscle memory, the drummer can bring both hands together to coordinate specific sticking sequences with a much better chance of achieving an even balance in hand-to-hand motions and sound.
Practice Tip: Another way of using one-handed exercises to build balance and fluidity is to practice them as simultaneous double-stops; this is an excellent strategy for matching stroke motions, heights, and volume dynamics.
