Rudiment Creativity Vol. 1: Rolls and Paradiddles

Rudiment Creativity Vol. 1 is about achieving your maximum potential as a player and performer. As a teacher, performer and clinician, I have been asked by many drum set students, “Why is it important to learn rudiments?” “What’s the point?” “How can we make music using rudiments?” Rudimental and orchestral snare drummers often ask me, “Now that I have learned these rudiments, HOW do I implement these rudiments on the drum set in a creative way?” Furthermore, most beginning drum students always ask, “Do I really have to learn these rudiments, and if so, why?” As these questions arose time after time, my thoughts turned towards finding a way to demystify and incorporate creative solutions to these questions. Through countless years of teaching, research, constant experimentation, a plethora of exercises in my private library and most notably, lots of trial and error, I have found a variety of ways to implement rudiments on and around the drum set. However, my main objective or goal was to find a way to implement rudiments around the drum set in a musical and practical way. While there is no “correct” or “incorrect” way of implementing the rudiments around the drum set, this book will serve as a guideline or suggestions on how to orchestrate rudiments around the drum set. More importantly, my goal for this book is to (hopefully) guide you out of a rut and inspire you to explore new methods and creative/practical applications of rudiments while spring-boarding the use of your own creativity.