[mike baker]

So are all of the really good drummers excellent at rudiments? I've never been real good at rudiments at fast speeds. Some I can do better than others but there has always been room for improvement. I consider myself a decent drummer behind a kit, as I can keep things together and have a knack for keeping a steady, on time beat that compliments the music. I do lack the mind-blowing fills that only a drummer truly appreciates. However, in most music that appeals to the public, simple, steady fills are the norm. What do you think? Are there average drummers that make it big because they keep it simple or are they really good at rudiments thus making it sound simple?

[Church Drummer]

Sounds like we are in a similar category as far as drumming goes, I can keep a good steady beat and do simple fills that fit the music. I'm constantly working on my rudiments to get faster and better at them. I can say that there are some great drummers who are really proficient at rudiments, and use them often on the kit. Steve Gadd pops into my mind as a very technical drummer who uses rudiments extensively in his set drumming.

[Damo]

Quite simply, no they are not all good at rudiments.

Rudiments are like tools in the shed. They do not make or break the drummer, but merely serve as the tools for him/her expressing themselves freely on the drums.

Poor tools in your shed make the job a lot harder and more time consuming, but you can still build a very nice house with them!

[slingerland]

Rudiments= are good to do to keep your hands in condition, and to workout and very impressive behind the drums if done correctly.If you look at you tube you'll see top drummers doing rudiments that took years to develope if your not as good as them don't worry about it because it's going to take years to be that good. All you could do is improve at your own speed have a good time, and enjoy playing. SLINGERLAND

[Johnny Nobody]

Rudiments are good to use on seperate hat , kik, snare beats to shuffle not just fills.

[EMTDrummer]

Excellent question to pose....thanks for laying it out there... I have a hard time picking out the "rudiments" in playing thats embedded in a recording. I have looked at YouTube and listened to a number of drummers which I am told uses lots of paradiddles or other rudiments but I'll be damned if I can pick them out unless they are simple... It seems as though when you speed any of the rudiments up, they start to sound similar. I can reproduce the paradiddle (single/dbl/variations) sound in any number of ways so bridging to the use of that in any given set escapes me. I wish I had the experience of playing in a marching band or drum corps.... I think these guys and gals really learned some useful disciplines including rudiments. Also, I think it must be a good way to train your hands to do things that you want them too in spite of what your body wants some times. Probably helps your brain to pick up patterns faster also...

[guy with a hat]

"Drummers that are simple and compliment the music"- im pretty surre they call that being a "pocket drummer" , because you stay in the "pocket". Most musicians (other than drummers) appreciate this method because when you do know how to do those extraordinary fills they tend to drown out the music.. occassionally it can be good.

I, myself, have problems with staying in the pocket.. I put to many fills in.. but im getting there.

[butter]

this is an old thread, but a great topic for discussion.

of course you dont have to know the rudiments well or at all to make it big. becoming famous requires more luck than skill, usually.
look at drummers like phil rudd and ringo starr. those guys might now a few rudiments, but they never use them, and never need to. they arent known for being great drummers like simon phillips or others like him, but all three have earned great respect. the latter has because of his skill, as the formers have due to the bands they were in.

rudiments are great for practice and enhancing technical playing ability, but they arent necessary. i wish i knew mine better. im considering joining the school marching band again next year to get some good experience with that kind of thing. no matter what i decide, im going to kill all 40 this summer, as well as study things like polyrhythms and odd meters, ostinatos, and syncopation. hopefully ill have my new drumset by the end of the summer and ill be able to blow you all away with some kind of insane drumming video

[Christopher J]

I agree with Slingerland. You can do a lot with a good single, a double, 5 stroke and triplet. It it a matter of degree and who you are playing with whether or not you need a kit bag full of paras, radas and all the other rudiments. If you are trying out for the James Taylor tour, like Gadd just finished, you better have a good control and knowledge of the tools that are used to color, build and express. One the other hand if you enjoy playing at a lower, entry level, just do it. There are a lot of misconceptions about rudiments, mainly they were designed to get snare drummers all playing the same thing in the same way when drums were used for military purposes. I would say hand/foot independence is more important in the every day world of drumming. Try playing a rock and roll beat, RH in the 1/8 notes, RH playing the 2 and 4. Do that for 8 bars, then reverse the play without stopping. i.e LH takes the 8's while the RH assumes the 2, 4. Do that little exercise with all your beats. It's fun and you will improve in your control immensely. By the way, I played pro US and Can for over 20 yrs. and drumming not only provided a great income and pro fulfillment, but I met and worked with some excellent musicians. Play any time and with anyone you can. If you can't play along with the tunes in your head.

[Christopher J]

Hi again. I have some opinions about the groove and pocket playing. Very necessary for a particular type of music, however, a drummer can drive a band forward as well as slow the band down purposely. This "playing over"( slighty riding or pushing the beat) and "playing under" (slightly behind) can used with great effect to push the band forward or hold the band in a layback mode. Listen to some really good swing or shuffle stuff, Rich, Ella, latins, and good slow "lay back" blues to get the idea of what I mean. Playing on the beat is not the only way to play tempo. Lots of color, excitment, lots of force and push, lots of soul. A drummer's job is more that keeping time, it also to color the music. And good drummer can color a lot of music by understanding this least or misunderstood secret. Good players know it. Good players use it, good arrangers ask for it from time to time. PS - I wish I could spell as well as I think I play!