Rudiment 38 of 40 · Drag rudiments
Single Ratamacue
Also called: ratamacue
The single ratamacue is a drag starting a sixteenth-note triplet, then an accented eighth note: llR L R L. Its name is the sound: rat-a-ma-CUE. It alternates hands each group.
- Sticking
- llR L R L rrL R L R
- Accents
- The last note of each group.
- Family
- Drag rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 8 plus grace notes, alternating lead hands
- Original 26 rudiments
- Yes (1933)
- Starting tempo
- About 40 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-note triplets. 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 40 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 Single Ratamacue: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Single Ratamacue
- Read the sticking. The Single Ratamacue is llR L R L rrL R L R. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. The last note of each group. Start accents high and keep taps low, so the difference comes from stick height.
- 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.
- Play it slowly with a click. Start around 40 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: rrL R L R llR L R L.
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.
- The accent is at the end. Everything before it stays soft.
- Say it: rat-a-ma-CUE.
Single Ratamacue questions
What is the sticking for the Single Ratamacue?
llR L R L rrL R L R. 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 Single Ratamacue?
The last note of each group. With accents marked: llR L R >L | rrL R L >R.
How many notes are in the Single Ratamacue?
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 Single Ratamacue at?
Start slowly enough to play every sticking and accent correctly, around 40 BPM or below. Then practice open–close–open: speed up a few BPM at a time, and slow back down.
Is the Single Ratamacue one of the original 26 rudiments?
Yes. The Single Ratamacue is one of the 26 American rudiments standardized in 1933, and is rudiment #38 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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