The 40 Essential Drum Rudiments - Tier List

[@EMCproductions]

Which rudiment is your favorite? (essential or non-essential) Mine is the herta. The single stroke roll is a close second.

[@dabbinrascal7975]

Pataflafla wins by the name alone

[@CoolKoKillzzz]

There all good aslong as you do them on a gong hi-hat

[@Brian-rj1un]

Flam 5

[@johnstrong283]

Double stroke roll is my favorite. We literally would do this for an hour at Northern Aurora. It helps immensely

[@emilymielke9712]

I was always a fan of the eggbeater.

[@Riley88990]

As a drum set player, I would argue that the six stroke roll is A tier since it is a life saver when playing triplet fills orchestrated around the drums

[@aidanschram9652]

Its the first rudiment that I started spamming the shit out of and using in every fill lmao

[@bartuce6806]

truuueee probably one of the most versitile rudiments ever and sound amazing .

[@Seafroggys]

Agreed, on drumset I play 6's just as much as 5's, usually in triplet form.

[@joshuaallgood7030]

Agreed. Also, double paradiddles are very useful on a drumkit as well.

[@paradiddlesjosh]

@@joshuaallgood7030 Seconded. The Purdy Shuffle is basically an orchestrated double paradiddle on loop

[@avocadomann]

Okay now write a cadence using all 40 rudiments 👀😩

[@mrnoname2353]

There is allready a Cadence named Drum Corps on Parade

[@derrickburwell7777]

I have written a cadence using all 40 Rudiments. The snares plays from 40 to 1, the tenors and basses 1-4 play from 1 to 40, Bass 5 lays down an ostinato funk rhythm to provide some groove. I wrote, and posted, it on Noteflight. 👍🏾

[@derrickburwell7777]

@@mrnoname2353 I love Drum Corps on Parade!

[@Ihitthings3]

Try the ‘Connecticut Halftime’. it’s got most of them

[@DanielHill115]

Sdjmalik did it

[@kevinjones5560]

Loved this. Education and humor. Seems like 45 years ago I was only taught 25 rudiments. Kind of like the periodic table. It just keeps growing.

[@derrickburwell7777]

I was accepted into the V Corps band as a percussionist because I knew all 40 International Rudiments, while the percussionists had only been taught the 25 American Standard. When I was asked to play the Swiss Army Triplet, I played them alternating the lead hand. The sergeant stopped me and asked if they were consecutive, I said yes, played them that way, and he was floored. That was in 1992. 😊

[@kevinjones5560]

@@derrickburwell7777 I was playing mid-late ‘70s. Don’t think there was a Swiss Army much less a Swiss Army triplet. 😉

[@ejtaylor73]

When I played there were 26 standard rudiments in N.A.R.D.

[@cameroncourt3410]

For drumset players like myself, the Double Paradidle is really good to play some nice Afro-Cuban 6/8 grooves. 6 stroke rolls are also really good in sextuplet form. The flam accent is probably my favourite though (after singles doubles and paradidles)

[@joemadisonstudios]

Also great for marching band snare solo (football game) going from single paradiddles to double paradiddles are nice

[@derekkalinosky3477]

Ratamacues were super common in 60's era drum corps. If you look up an old Reilly Raiders solo called "Grey Ghost," you will see how prevalent they were back then. (Heck, it may even be good content to play it, as it is so dramatically different.)

[@dinospumoni5611]

7:38 just wanna say in drum set drumming, especially in the rock and metal genres, the double paradiddle is used ALL the time, especially in grooves see as a generic example "Glasgow Kiss" by John Petrucci when the drums come in near the start

[@yakacm]

Glasgow kiss, is a local euphemism here in Glasgow for a head but, like when you smash someone in the nose with your head, during a Buckfast fuelled altercation.

[@fotero78]

Pantera, Slaughtered. Bridge.

[@michaelmeyer2725]

Ok. So I sat through this video. I'm a horn player. I played Horn and Mellophone in High School. I then went and enlisted in the Army for 3 years. In 2001 I found DCA Drum Corps. Played til 2005. Was a member of the 2003 DCA World Champions. Played Mellophone, Soprano, and Trumpet. So I know what Drum Corps Drummers have to do. That you're USMC D&BC gives you credibility and my utmost respect. That said....I watched Every. Single. One. Sorry for my hornline ignorance, but after about 5 minutes they all sound the same to me. I'm glad you understand them, because I sure don't. That said, I do love watching your stuff. Keep up the work!

[@TDDrummer2]

6:03 my high school Drumline 2018 be like… 😂

[@cornboy7424]

popcorn

[@yourbaconsburning9736]

Hello Tyler

[@bobisodd7247]

2:09 "darkness, enprisoning me, all that I see, absolute horror"

[@CoolKoKillzzz]

Video 42 of commenting till emc makes a gong hi-hat

[@drummerboi05]

Rip

[@haydenreidling559]

Video 42 of saying I know you to Frz Akus

[@jesselazenby912]

he already did, check his channel

[@recksroller2220]

42.0

[@FerretPercussion]

@@jesselazenby912 we wish, but it was an april fools thumbnail.

[@jasonpowell8832]

Agreed for the most part. That being said what if each one was a signaling something as a communication. Drums were ancestrally used to signal troops to action

[@lampoilropebombs0640]

New soldier: ooh this is a drum, let’s play something I’ve learned in high school. His fellow soldiers: WHO TF TOLD YOU THE COMMANDER IS DEAD?

[@Cekmore]

African talking drums. Whistlers of the canary.digiridoo of australia

[@thomashelm6931]

26 rudiments were the ones that were learned "back in the day." I agree, a lot of other ones are, in fact, redundant to others. The double stroke "open" roll is still the most important one, IMO. Great to get caught up on today's rudiments!

[@IanCannonPiano]

The quadruple ratamacue is my absolute favorite by a stick shot, er I mean a long shot

[@davidhand6049]

Id prefer it by a rim-shot

[@austinlincoln3414]

I prefer the quinseptuagintuple ramataque

[@drumlineenthusiast9217]

As someone who marched drum corps and has been teaching high school drumlines for several years, I've learned that if you can learn to play an accent, tap, buzz, diddle, and flam, you can play almost anything written for corps-style marching. Pretty much everything you will ever need to play is just a combination of one or more of those ideas lol

[@bsb1975]

There's a great double paradiddle part in the Dave Matthew's Band song "Drive In Drive Out". Not a drum corps thing, I know, but it's great to see how rudiments beyond single and double stroke rolls are applied to mainstream music.

[@judecrawford2351]

It’s just Carter Beaford working his magic.

[@dephatmanable]

That part took me 2 years to master!

[@J.Rod_Drums]

Well now you gotta rank all the hybrid rudiments 🙃

[@justinraynacomposer]

The flammed mill, too, is good for practicing the completely open sticking of the cheese rudiment!

[@Sasquash19]

Therapist: Eric without glasses isn’t real, he can’t hurt you Eric without glasses:

[@jwaj]

Welp I’m not sleeping tonight

[@alexanderdavlin]

as a drum set player, double strokes are awesome for very fast fills if you cant single stroke fast enough. Paradiddles and inverted paradiddles are fun for fills too

[@jazzpotato180]

Great video! Did not realise it was 20 minutes long until it finished. Agree with you for most of the rudiments. Especially for how cool it is to pronounce Pataflafla.

[@andrewhahn1227]

“You can’t just roll for ever, you gotta sleep and poop n stuff.....” you can never take the potty mouth out of a percussionist lol! In all seriousness this is an outstanding video!

[@killerr.miller]

Haha! I thought it was just me and my drumline who had potty mouths. The more percussionists I know the more I realize they all do.

[@woolyjeans5663]

really wish the PAS rudiments are changed, feels outdated for most modern percussion applications, agree with almost everything you said but flam drag is probably one the of the hardest if not the hardest one on the PAS 40 and it's an awesome chop builder. For me it deserves A or B.

[@austinguidry2511]

Man. I love your videos. Keep doing what you’re doing man. You’re making the whole drumming community happy. Thanks for putting so much hard work in the videos. 👌👌

[@MacioBrown00]

You have no know how much you just helped this non percussion playing music teacher 😂

[@emperorofgaming8146]

Personally I love the flow of flam paradiddles! Blue Devils used them in their opener for Metamorph (2017) and it works well, IMO. Then again, snare/percussion isn’t my primary instrument so my opinion doesn’t hold a ton of weight.

[@tetragem1887]

I wish this video existed when I was learning the rudiments. I was always wondering if I was playing it right or it sounding right. Great video still my guy

[@ouime60]

As an exclusive kit player (who has spent way too much time on the pad) I love a double paradiddle and use it all over the place..! You can stick it in a jazz groove, or a nice little halftime shuffle. And if you’re playing a 6/8 Latin thing - the right hand is (almost) replicating the 6/8 clavé pattern (enough to get by on at a push).

[@elipotts6676]

I just got in my high school drumline and I’m really excited

[@MrRezRising]

Go practice. 🙂

[@brycegetz5069]

Literally don’t stop practicing 😐

[@JSB1729]

Awesome! Have a good time.

[@japetrini]

Practice and learn your music!

[@meatstick3046]

I just want to say thank you for spending your time making funny and good videos for people like me I hope you get the amount of subs you deserve in the near future. Thank you

[@willbennett9533]

Being a trap set player in jazz ensemble, double paradiddles where a great way to cheat a bembe rhythm on the ride bell ;)

[@Negative_Positron]

Rather than interpreting drags as a diddled sixteenth, I like to think it as more of the last partial of a triplet, but diddled (when metrically applied, obviously in a concert setting you can have fluid interpretation)

[@charlesacaranci9039]

They were called essential because they were used by military to call army or navy personal to take specific actions during combat

[@LegendForsaken]

We need a hybrid rudiment tier list now!

[@craigshewchuk9018]

This is the best video I have seen to learn all of those rudiments. I agree also, I think of these as rhythms also and have hit most of them just playing through the years. I did learn all of them in band lessons too tho! Just play set more than big band so had to learn a lot of it myself n transfer the knowledge to the kit like they did in the 60s and 70s

[@nathanpope5394]

the one person who disliked just doesn't have the chops to play any of the rudiments

[@ClergetMusic]

The double paradiddle appears in Fife and Drum music from time to time, especially when passing off for higher ranks.

[@justinmartyr6454]

Thank you! I played marching snare in high-school but lost interest in college bc we had a terrible teacher. Now that I'm in my 30s, I fell back in love with it. You have helped me get my chops back. Thanks again!

[@drhall343]

6:02 Ok now you're just making popcorn.

[@tylerfoxwell8559]

You should do the hybrid rhythm tier list next for all of us corp style people

[@C.D.Percussion]

The drag rudiments variations makes a lot more sense if played like "ruffs" and closer to the main note. It's how you would usually play it in classical music to match/line up with the wind and brass parts. How tight they should be varies a LOT and it's something I have herd conductors comment on multiple actions. Also the drags strokes (and flams) in the "European style" uses more of a "3 stick height system" where the grace notes are noticeable softer then the taps (1"), instead of using the same height for both "drum core style". This makes them a beeeeatch to play and the level of control needed for the downward motion is even greater. So in those cases the drag rudiment is essential to practice and variations of them is in the standard orchestra excerpt for classical snare drums, just because they are so hard to get. And don't get me started on the "three stroke ruff" =P

[@sydhamelin1265]

My very first drum lesson, I was given the following rudiments: Single and Double stroke roll Paradiddle, double para, and triple para I think I'd put the double and triple paradiddle as A tier, for a kit drummer. The double paradiddle is great for mixing it up in a triplet form, and the triple is actually good for getting your off hand some time leading the roll.

[@c.or.yd.aniel.l9639]

The double paradiddle is cooler if you add an accent on the third note. You should play around with those - I am surprised you have never written them. But my favorite rudiment by far is the swiss army triplet. I could play those super fast before I even knew what they were (Basically I just played a bad roll....but it felt like I was doing something really cool.)

[@sl1pz369]

2:13 DARKNESS IMPRISONING ME

[@VoodooDewey69]

I like your scientific breakdown of the rudiments . I really like drum lines and their choreography.Its cool stuff.

[@benjamingmullins]

You literally put the best rudiment last, I can’t believe this. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined

[@natewilkerson6814]

Love your videos! I think I agree with the majority of your list. I’d possibly put the triple stroke role up into the “A” category but that’s really just splitting hairs. The one I think you placed in the “F” category I would place way higher (“A” or “B”) is the single stroke seven. In contrast to the basic single stroke roll, players have to re-attack the rhythm and release the rhythm. It can help teach consistent note spacing in single sticking rhythms all the way to a release, as well as force players to focus on second note volume/quality.

[@christinashelby6083]

I'm learning more about drumming than I ever thought I would. Or maybe even wanted to. And yet I'm still here!

[@BigBangDrums]

Great breakdown of these "standard" rudiments. I appreciate the tier ranking. Pretty accurate in my opinion.

[@broaverage9044]

Got auditions for drumline today! Going for snare this year. Wish me luck!

[@mackiejohnson8498]

Much respect for being a marine and being one hell of a drummer my dad was a marine 52 thru 55

[@proddbyjr2024]

Flam Paradiddles are frequent in show style percussion features, I believe

[@aperson22222]

I find Lesson 25 kind of fun (though it does make me wonder what the first 24 lessons are, and why none of them made the list, and why it's #34 on the rudiment sheet). I've always alternated right and left every time, I'm not even sure I knew that's not how it's supposed to go.

[@mcmastergi]

I like how serious and funny this video was ! Thanks for this great rudiments analysing work. Btw, final results are at 20:05 😉

[@raul.litoo2]

Four years of marching and I finally get a double paradiddle . Followed by 8th notes on the left . Because that makes sense

[@philipmateo3816]

I'm a non drummer hopeful composer and this is really helping me think outside the box for percussion writing

[@MadMan123654]

Am I the only person whose never played any percussion whatsoever and loves this channel?

[@amparosiegel7613]

Nope. Me too :)

[@ferretyluv]

Me three.

[@mattowens3330]

Dude can I just say, I have been playing drums for nearly 8 years now. I have never been as technically proficient as someone with my experience should be. This video is a big reason as to why I am right into my rudiments at the moment. You have inspired me to practice them all. PATAFLAFLA!

[@theyescapedtheweightofdarkness]

The six stroke roll is S or A, it's use a ton on the kit especially in metal bands like dream theater

[@MalikEmmanuel]

The problem is that when we play a “6 stroke roll” on the kit we are really doing something like an inverted paradiddlediddle with an extra accent and he already has that as A tier. Check the rhythm.

[@bluepenguin4345]

I’m early AF! I loved the tier list, and I love your content! Always gives me a good morning! I hope you have a great morning and good rest of your April!

[@svenzockt6491]

12:50 In Switzerland we call them „Ordonanz Triolen". Ordonanz is another word for Military. So in Switzerland it’s technically just called "Military Triplets"

[@ferretyluv]

So then Swiss Army triplets is appropriate. Because ordonanz is just Swiss German for army.

[@popeyesailor9571]

After 50 years of playing I always thought lesson 25 was useless too. Alternating makes it cool.

[@강예슬-r3g]

Hi! I saw your untilvalhalla video and came all the way to this channel! This is my warm-up today🔥

[@jc3drums916]

As a drumset guy, I look at how rudiments can be applied musically at least as much as how good they are for building chops. Double paradiddles complement paradiddle diddles - you can play similar things with both, but the double paradiddle allows you to switch lead hands, which is great if you're reaching to opposite ends of the kit to hit cymbals, for example. I use it less than the paradiddle diddle though. Same with flam accent vs. Swiss triplet - I find the latter more musically useful, and would rank it higher than the flam accent. Single ratamacue is also very useful. On the other side, rudiments like the flamacue and the inverted flam tap I find not to be very useful, and would rank them lower. Otherwise, I mostly agree with your rankings. For anyone who's ever wondered why the list includes a rudiment called the single flammed mill, but not a non-flammed mill, I wish PAS saw fit to at least mention the single paradiddle inversions. My favorite rudiment is probably the single paradiddle inversion with the diddle in the middle. Super useful, and it's a little bit easier to play than the "root position" single paradiddle.

[@Badlandbrawlgameplays]

I have the same feelings about the double paradiddle. I think of it as the paradiddle for triplets, because it changes the lead hand.

[@justinraynacomposer]

... also, the triple paradiddle is just a single stroke roll followed by a single paradiddle. So if you can do each of those, the triple paradiddle is just combining them in sequence which is essentially just playing music not a rudiment. Just like “CAT” is a word not another rudimental “letter”.

[@sybrenroorda3865]

Funny to see how you find the single stroke 4s and 7s useless while I've had to play them for years as a more military European style. It's amazing to get to know more styles like this.

[@dabbinrascal7975]

Is the bunny shirt also essential? Asking for a friend

[@EMCproductions]

Yes. S tier.

[@supskawt]

Double paradiddles are a nice way to toss off the lead to the other such as in runs going up and down the quads. Feels a little goofy at first, but it's fun to do with triplet doubles and paradiddlediddles

[@ClergetMusic]

I think it’s hilarious you don’t even TALK about the Triple Ratamacue. I laughed by backside off watching that last part!

[@brandonmcgovern5519]

As a pipe band drummer and also a military side drummer I feel like the main thing that comes up is double strokes singles single paradiddles and 5,7&13 stroke rolls and the 25 stoke roll or 3 pace roll

[@lmaoitsmee1812]

I always used the double paradiddle as a way to begin/write snare splits.

[@YouCrossedMyPath]

Eliud Ayala Jr. who usually writes (wgi) Impact Percussion's show music likes to use double paradiddles a lot

[@HansonProductions112]

I love how PAS doesn't notate the double drag tap in the traditional sense. I honestly think it sounds better when old snare drummers slur the hell out of it anyway.

[@ironmatic1]

Single stroke seven is used in ancient rudimental/fife and drum to double flamacues, and flam-paradiddles are probably the most common rudiment there. You’ve never played Downfall of Paris? lol

[@cam0227]

4:07 Five stroke rolls are the most common and most important rudiment besides paradiddles in show style bands.

[@Logan0123]

Pataflalas, Swiss Army triplets, flam taps, and flam accents are all fun to apply around the drum set

[@spencercrawford197]

PATAFLAFLA!!! Great rudiment! My favorites are flam accents, paradiddles, and paradiddle-diddles.

[@mkhazard]

18:21 i hear some melody 😆

[@CakebDrums]

my heart sank, I didn't see the date and thought he shaved

[@comp.lex4]

My high school drumline never wrote or played flams. Our techs saw them as basically controlled dirt and never even tried to teach us how to play clean grace notes, focusing on clean diddles instead

[@MrRezRising]

Do 16ths Swiss trips over a steady 4 on the floor. Put first flam on the "e" of 1. 2nd flam on 2, etc. Close your hihats on every other "and". Have fun!

[@ClergetMusic]

The pataflafla appears in higher level Fife and Drum music frequently. “Crazy Army” has a few.

[@ultra9349]

My personal favorite rudiment is the swiss army triplet as it helps me get into faster playing as i’m trying to build up my snare chops In jazz drumming i tend to use triplet fills so i’m also starting to use swiss army’s for more diversity on the drum set and to build up my snare skills whilst playing set

[@GeekyGarden]

My high school band was 6 to 5 so we always had a march as our second song so we could float a diamond. Invariably we would have something with a million Swiss Army Triplets.

[@rorshack23]

Just the video I needed :) 20:04 for the final tier-list

[@Badlandbrawlgameplays]

I personally really like the single flammed mill and the swiss army triplet and feel they should be higher on the list because they teach you how to layer together an inverted double with one hand and a regular double with the other.

[@ROCKNROLLFAN]

Guess that I'll have to learn snare drumming ALL OVER again especially since my high school music teacher didn't teach me anything in his percussion class and was just very short with me and went back into his office and abandoned me when I asked questions.

[@KirksDrumRoom]

Brilliant! I completely agree with your list. And the video was entertaining. Good stuff!

[@djfrankfrancis]

pataflafla was my fave from drumline, and the swiss triplets...

[@SeanLaMontagne]

I see the 7 stroke roll written functionally as a 1 beat, 6th note tap roll. An accent on "1", diddle on "e & a"

[@ejtaylor73]

LONG ago when I played there were only 26 standard/essential rudiments from N.A.R.D. I enjoyed ratamacues. The most difficult thing for me learning was the right hand, being a lefty, I wanted to do everything left handed. I would try to focus and just do the rudiments right handed, but as I sped up I would switch to doing them left handed without even realizing I had. Made for fun and annoying times for the drum instructor, he wrote things right hand dominant and I would end up switching to left hand dominant without noticing I did. 🤣

[@sklermbot]

Double Paradiddle is actually great, but not really 'as written' which I know is your criteria. Put it in 12/8, put right hand on bell of ride, left on snare. Add hi hats on dotted quarter note and kick on downbeat. Naningo is what I first heard this called a billion years ago, but now I just think of it as 12/8 clave style

[@luisn642]

9:28 careful Eric, cowbell might be watching!

[@loudmusic530]

To be fair, I'd agree, 100% with your list. Just as a pause for thought, at what point do anything below the S Tier just become variants of the S Tier? That's just something that I've always wondered!

[@stevestrom4411]

I think Steve Gadd uses the double paradiddle, between the snare and hat, at the end of the live version of 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, and it kills.

[@TheAnderschristian]

Every paradiiddle combination with six in them = gold for jazz playing.

[@chaseozment5596]

Now we need "40 ACTUALLY ESSENTIAL rudiments" from you - pls and thank you

[@williammoses5939]

Thinking of flams/pataflafla as MOLLER technique = 🤯 never thought of it like that been playing > 20 years. I 100% agree with your rankings accept I think practicing 7's helps your timing/understanding of 6/8 & 12/8 time signatures but that's just IMO.. AWESOME video literally should be required reading for any drummer. Subed and 🔔 Cheers \m/ !!!

[@officialpanda3149]

2:47 yes. I will play that on my schools marimba. Epic

[@fatchanceb1823]

“does nothing for me”, says the multiple Guinness world record holder. Should petition the society to add that quote to the rudiment sheet there legend.

[@mphase7575]

Double ratamacue: I'm the most redundant rudiment ever. Triple ratamacue: hold my beer