Rudiment 31 of 40 · Drag rudiments

Drag

Also called: ruff

A drag (also called a ruff) is two soft grace notes played as a quick double by one hand, just before a louder main note with the other hand: llR, rrL. It's like a flam with a double instead of a single grace note. Every drag rudiment is built on it.

Sticking
llR rrL
Accents
No accent marks. The main note is loud, the two grace notes soft.
Family
Drag rudiments
Strokes before it repeats
2 plus grace notes, alternating lead hands
Original 26 rudiments
Yes (1933)
Starting tempo
About 60 BPM

Hear it, then play it

Note values as on the PAS chart. Sticking under each note: R right hand, L left; small letters are grace notes.

LR

Press Play to watch the sticks

Lead

Put it in RockBlocks

The practice version on a snare line at 60 BPM, accents and all, to build on or play with your other beats. RockBlocks has no grace notes or sticking, so flams and drags arrive as their main notes.

Play it on the drum kit

Four beats built on the Drag: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.

Open the 4 beats

How to play the Drag

  1. Read the sticking. The Drag is llR rrL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
  2. Find the accents. No accent marks. The main note is loud, the two grace notes soft. Start accents high and keep taps low, so the difference comes from stick height.
  3. Place the drags. The small lowercase letters are grace notes, played by the other hand just before the main note: soft, low and close to it.
  4. Play it slowly with a click. Start around 60 BPM, or slower, and play it until every stroke is on the right hand and every accent is in place.
  5. Open, close, open. Speed up a few BPM at a time to as fast as you can play it cleanly, then slow back down without stopping.
  6. Lead with the other hand. Play it starting with your left hand too: rrL llR.

Tips

  • Play the two grace notes as a soft, quick bounce close to the head. They should sound like a short rasp leading into the main note.
  • Keep the grace notes much quieter than the main note.
  • The grace notes come before the beat. The main note is on the beat.

Drag questions

What is the sticking for the Drag?

llR rrL. R is the right hand and L the left; lowercase letters are grace notes played by the other hand. It switches lead hands every group.

Where are the accents in the Drag?

No accent marks. The main note is loud, the two grace notes soft. With accents marked: llR | rrL.

How many notes are in the Drag?

The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 2 main strokes, not counting grace notes, then repeats.

What tempo should I practice the Drag at?

Start slowly enough to play every sticking and accent correctly, around 60 BPM or below. Then practice open–close–open: speed up a few BPM at a time, and slow back down.

Is the Drag one of the original 26 rudiments?

Yes. The Drag is one of the 26 American rudiments standardized in 1933, and is rudiment #31 of the 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments, in the drag rudiments.

Sticking, accents and note values follow the Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments (© 1984 PAS). The chart is RockBlocks' own drawing.

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