Rudiment 30 of 40 · Flam rudiments
Flam Drag
The flam drag is an accented flam, two sixteenths with the other hand, and a tap: lR LL R. It alternates hands each group and has a three-count feel, like a flam accent with the middle note doubled.
- Sticking
- lR L L R rL R R L
- Accents
- The flam, the first note of each group.
- Family
- Flam rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 8 plus grace notes, alternating lead hands
- Original 26 rudiments
- No, added by PAS in 1984
- Starting tempo
- About 60 BPM
Hear it, then play it
Practice version: every note is twice as long as on the PAS chart, so the fastest notes are eighth notes. Same sticking and accents, easier to read and count while you learn it. Sticking under each note: R right hand, L left; small letters are grace notes.
Press Play to watch the sticks
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 Flam Drag: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Flam Drag
- Read the sticking. The Flam Drag is lR L L R rL R R L. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. The flam, the first note of each group. Start accents high and keep taps low, so the difference comes from stick height.
- Place the flams. The small lowercase letters are grace notes, played by the other hand just before the main note: soft, low and close to it.
- 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.
- 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.
- Lead with the other hand. Play it starting with your left hand too: rL R R L lR L L R.
Tips
- Keep the grace note low, an inch or two off the head, and the main note high, so the pair sounds like one fat note, not two.
- The double after the flam is soft and close to the head.
- Count it FLAM-and-a-3, in groups of three eighth notes.
Flam Drag questions
What is the sticking for the Flam Drag?
lR L L R rL R R L. 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 Flam Drag?
The flam, the first note of each group. With accents marked: >lR L L R | >rL R R L.
How many notes are in the Flam Drag?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 8 main strokes, not counting grace notes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Flam 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 Flam Drag one of the original 26 rudiments?
No. The Flam Drag was added when the Percussive Arts Society expanded the list to 40 in 1984. It is rudiment #30, in the flam 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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