Rudiment 28 of 40 · Flam rudiments
Swiss Army Triplet
The Swiss Army triplet is a flam, a tap with the same hand, and a tap with the other: lR R L. It sounds like a flam accent, but the sticking doesn't alternate, so it's much easier to play fast. It comes from Swiss (Basel) drumming.
- Sticking
- lR R L lR R L
- Accents
- The flam, the first note of each triplet.
- Family
- Flam rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 6 plus grace notes, same lead hand each group
- Original 26 rudiments
- No, added by PAS in 1984
- 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 Swiss Army Triplet: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Swiss Army Triplet
- Read the sticking. The Swiss Army Triplet is lR R L lR R L. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. The flam, the first note of each triplet. 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 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: rL L R rL 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 right hand plays the flam and the next note: a down stroke, then a bounce.
- Compare it with the flam accent: same sound, different sticking.
Swiss Army Triplet questions
What is the sticking for the Swiss Army Triplet?
lR R L lR R L. R is the right hand and L the left; lowercase letters are grace notes played by the other hand. Every group starts on the same hand; to lead with the other hand, swap every R and L.
Where are the accents in the Swiss Army Triplet?
The flam, the first note of each triplet. With accents marked: >lR R L | >lR R L.
How many notes are in the Swiss Army Triplet?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 6 main strokes, not counting grace notes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Swiss Army Triplet 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 Swiss Army Triplet one of the original 26 rudiments?
No. The Swiss Army Triplet was added when the Percussive Arts Society expanded the list to 40 in 1984. It is rudiment #28, 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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