Phat_Rolls
Senior Member
Here's a method I came up with to learn all of the rudiments. The idea here is to learn all of the rudiments quickly, efficiently and with some degree of focus. As we know there are 5 different types of rudiments. Single stroke, rolls, paradiddles, flams and drags. With this idea we practice rudiments from each group. I have what I call Rudiments of the hour, rudiment of the day and rudiment of the week. For ease of discussion, here are a few rudiments from each group.
Single Stroke
---------------
Single Stroke Roll
Single Stroke Four
Single Stroke Seven
Rolls
---------------
Double Stroke Roll
Triple Stroke Roll
Five Stroke Roll
Flams
---------------
Flam
Flam Accent
Flam Tap
Paradiddles
---------------
Single Paradiddle
Double Paradiddle
Triple Paradiddle
Drag
---------------
Ruff
Single Drag Tap
Double Drag Tap
Alright, it takes at least 45 mins to complete this here's what I do.
Rudiments Of the Hour
---------------------
Play 1 rudiment from each of the 5 groups every day for at least 5 minutes each, so this is a minimum of 25 mins. These change every day and you never repeat a rudiment until you've worked through all of them, for example on Day 1 you practice Single Stroke, Double Stroke, Flam, Single Paradiddle and Ruff. Day 2 you would practice Single Stroke 4, Triple Stroke Roll, Flam Accent, Double Paradiddle and Single Drag Tap. You move through all of the rudiments in each group every day.
The idea here isn't so much on focus, it's more to stay fresh with all of the rudiments. I've heard of people practicing 1 rudiment per week, well that means it takes 40 weeks to move through all of them and by the time you go back to the first rudiment you probably have lost some of your technique with that rudiment. With this you play through all of the rudiments relatively quickly.
Rudiment Of The Day
-------------------
This gives you daily focus on one of the rudiments. You practice this rudiment for a minimum of 10 minutes per day, but you change rudiment groups every single day and you never repeat the same rudiment until you've worked through all rudiments of that group. So for example:
Day 1: Single Stroke
Day 2: Double Stroke Roll
Day 3: Flam
Day 4: Single Paradiddle
Day 5: Ruff
Day 6: Single Stroke Four
Day 7: Triple Stroke Roll
...etc
This allows you to focus on a new rudiment every day without just skimming the surface too much
Rudiment of the Week
---------------------
This is exactly like rudiment of the day, except you switch rudiments every single week. So you practice the same rudiment every single day for a minimum of 10 minutes and a week later you change to a different rudiment in a different group, exactly like rudiment of the day. This gives you much more focus as on Day 1 you practice a single stroke roll every single day for a week before moving on to the double stroke roll.
You get 45 minutes of rudiment practice every day if you follow this routine. Rudiments of the hour allows you to stay fresh on all of the rudiements, rudiment of the day is a little more focused and rudiment of the week is heavier on the focus for maximizing technique. Don't confuse "Rudiment of the week" for practicing that rudiment once a week - you practice it every day, you just change rudiments once per week. I use a white-board to help keep track of all this.
What do you guys think of this idea? I'm open to suggestions, opinions...etc.
Single Stroke
---------------
Single Stroke Roll
Single Stroke Four
Single Stroke Seven
Rolls
---------------
Double Stroke Roll
Triple Stroke Roll
Five Stroke Roll
Flams
---------------
Flam
Flam Accent
Flam Tap
Paradiddles
---------------
Single Paradiddle
Double Paradiddle
Triple Paradiddle
Drag
---------------
Ruff
Single Drag Tap
Double Drag Tap
Alright, it takes at least 45 mins to complete this here's what I do.
Rudiments Of the Hour
---------------------
Play 1 rudiment from each of the 5 groups every day for at least 5 minutes each, so this is a minimum of 25 mins. These change every day and you never repeat a rudiment until you've worked through all of them, for example on Day 1 you practice Single Stroke, Double Stroke, Flam, Single Paradiddle and Ruff. Day 2 you would practice Single Stroke 4, Triple Stroke Roll, Flam Accent, Double Paradiddle and Single Drag Tap. You move through all of the rudiments in each group every day.
The idea here isn't so much on focus, it's more to stay fresh with all of the rudiments. I've heard of people practicing 1 rudiment per week, well that means it takes 40 weeks to move through all of them and by the time you go back to the first rudiment you probably have lost some of your technique with that rudiment. With this you play through all of the rudiments relatively quickly.
Rudiment Of The Day
-------------------
This gives you daily focus on one of the rudiments. You practice this rudiment for a minimum of 10 minutes per day, but you change rudiment groups every single day and you never repeat the same rudiment until you've worked through all rudiments of that group. So for example:
Day 1: Single Stroke
Day 2: Double Stroke Roll
Day 3: Flam
Day 4: Single Paradiddle
Day 5: Ruff
Day 6: Single Stroke Four
Day 7: Triple Stroke Roll
...etc
This allows you to focus on a new rudiment every day without just skimming the surface too much
Rudiment of the Week
---------------------
This is exactly like rudiment of the day, except you switch rudiments every single week. So you practice the same rudiment every single day for a minimum of 10 minutes and a week later you change to a different rudiment in a different group, exactly like rudiment of the day. This gives you much more focus as on Day 1 you practice a single stroke roll every single day for a week before moving on to the double stroke roll.
You get 45 minutes of rudiment practice every day if you follow this routine. Rudiments of the hour allows you to stay fresh on all of the rudiements, rudiment of the day is a little more focused and rudiment of the week is heavier on the focus for maximizing technique. Don't confuse "Rudiment of the week" for practicing that rudiment once a week - you practice it every day, you just change rudiments once per week. I use a white-board to help keep track of all this.
What do you guys think of this idea? I'm open to suggestions, opinions...etc.