The Drum Rudiments Compared to Drumming Patterns

The origin of the drum rudiments can be traced back five centuries to the Swiss mercenaries who used these particular patterns to communicate military commands. Today, the drum rudiments represent an assemblage of these and other common military drumming patterns, some, but not all, of which represent basic techniques that are still widely used in contemporary music. Consequently, the contemporary veneration of the drum rudiments is partly based on their value, and partly based on the valuation of tradition itself.

Unsurprisingly, the musical and technical value of each separate drum rudiment varies enormously. While some represent essential and timeless drumming techniques, many do not; moreover, more patterns essential to drum technique are missing from the drum rudiments than are found in them, with the result that the drum rudiments themselves don't form an integrated system.

In relation to the drum rudiments, one can think of the Drumming Patterns system as identifying the particular drum rudiments that are timeless and universal, eliminating the drum rudiments that are not, adding in the many fundamental patterns that the drum rudiments leaves out, and then relating, organizing and embellishing the resulting patterns into a logical, integrated, comprehensive system. But Drumming Patterns doesn't simply stop there: it then proceeds to translate these technical patterns into rhythmic patterns that are then applied to contemporary musical styles on the drum set, thereby providing a completely integrated system of rhythm and drum technique.

In this way, one can think of Drumming Patterns as the true rudiments of drumming, in that they are fundamental, universal, all-inclusive, and timeless.