4 Basic Stroke Types

These motions are the basis for an enormous amount of drumming. Most basic Rudimental drumming can be broken into only these four motions, and they can be effective in problem-solving phrases in other areas of drumming as well. Most importantly, this area of study helps you calibrate your physical gesture with your musical goals, and produce consistent tone over time in many areas of percussion.

Download and print this worksheet to help guide your practice. I use this often in large group teaching to unify a group with a wide ability spread. I also use it as a quick overview in private teaching. Many real-world music examples seem more difficult than they are because of counting concerns, this helps to solve that with the varied spacings used on the page.

Download and print this worksheet to help guide your practice. These are the exercises I use to start people towards modern Rudimental drumming, because they isolate the stroke transitions needed for that style of playing. This kind of technique is used in many other areas of percussion, however, and the refined feel in the hands is very important for sensitive adjustments on all instruments.