40 PAS rudiments · 30 interactive lessons

Drum Rudiments

The 40 PAS rudiments in one chart, plus 30 full lessons with notation, sticking and loopable audio you can slow right down. R = right hand, L = left; small raised letters are grace notes; > is an accent.

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Single Paradiddle

Start with these 30

Each of these has a full lesson: standard notation with the sticking written underneath, slow and full-speed playback, a tempo control and practice notes. Learn the single stroke roll first, then the single paradiddle and the double stroke roll — the FAQ below explains why.

14 rudiments

Rolls

Single strokes, doubles and the stroke rolls built from them.

4 rudiments

Diddles

Paradiddles: singles plus a double, so the lead hand switches.

9 rudiments

Flams

A soft grace note just before a full stroke, played by the other hand.

3 rudiments

Drags

Two quick grace notes (a diddle) before the main stroke.

The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) lists 40 international rudiments. These 30 have full sticking, notation and a player here; the chart below lists all 40 with their usual sticking.

Next moves

Start hereSingle paradiddleRLRR LRLL ThenFlamLR RL TimingMetronomeTempo ladders PrintRudiments chart PDFEvery rudiment with its sticking

What are drum rudiments?

Drum rudiments are short, fixed sticking patterns — set sequences of right- and left-hand strokes — that drummers practice to build speed, evenness and independence between the hands. They are drumming’s vocabulary: rolls, diddles, flams and drags combine into fills, grooves and solos the way scales and arpeggios combine into melodies.

The standard list is maintained by the Percussive Arts Society and contains 40 rudiments in four families. Rolls sustain sound by repeating strokes; diddles mix singles with doubles to move the leading hand around; flams thicken a note with one grace stroke; drags do it with two. Every one of them is practiced on a single snare drum before it goes anywhere near the kit.

The 40 essential rudiments

The full Percussive Arts Society list in official order. Capital letters are full strokes; small raised letters are the quiet grace notes of a flam (grace LR) or a drag (grace Lgrace LR). Every rudiment is also practiced leading with the other hand. The 10 without a lesson are listed for reference.

All 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments — number, family and sticking
#	Rudiment	Family	Sticking
1	Single Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RLRL RLRL
2	Single Stroke Four Roll	Roll	RLRL
3	Single Stroke Seven Roll	Roll	RLRLRLR
4	Multiple Bounce Roll Roll reference only	Roll	RLRL
5	Triple Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RRR LLL RRR LLL
6	Double Stroke Open Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL
7	Five Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL R
8	Six Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	R LL RR L
9	Seven Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR L
10	Nine Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL R
11	Ten Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL R L
12	Eleven Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL RR L
13	Thirteen Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL RR LL R
14	Fifteen Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL RR LL RR L
15	Seventeen Stroke Roll Roll	Roll	RR LL RR LL RR LL RR LL R
16	Single Paradiddle Diddle	Diddle	RLRR LRLL
17	Double Paradiddle Diddle	Diddle	RLRLRR LRLRLL
18	Triple Paradiddle Diddle	Diddle	RLRLRLRR LRLRLRLL
19	Single Paradiddle-Diddle Diddle	Diddle	RLRRLL LRLLRR
20	Flam Flam	Flam	grace LR grace RL
21	Flam Accent Flam	Flam	grace LR L R grace RL R L
22	Flam Tap Flam	Flam	grace LRR grace RLL
23	Flamacue Flam reference only	Flam	grace LR L R L grace LR
24	Flam Paradiddle Flam	Flam	grace LRLRR grace RLRLL
25	Single Flammed Mill Flam	Flam	grace LRRLR grace RLLRL
26	Flam Paradiddle-Diddle Flam	Flam	grace LRLRRLL grace RLRLLRR
27	Pataflafla Flam	Flam	grace LRLR grace RL
28	Swiss Army Triplet Flam	Flam	grace LRRL grace RLLR
29	Inverted Flam Tap Flam reference only	Flam	R grace LR L grace RL
30	Flam Drag Flam	Flam	grace LR grace Rgrace RL R grace RL grace Lgrace LR L
31	Drag Drag	Drag	grace Lgrace LR grace Rgrace RL
32	Single Drag Tap Drag	Drag	grace Lgrace LR L grace Rgrace RL R
33	Double Drag Tap Drag reference only	Drag	grace Lgrace LR grace Lgrace LR L grace Rgrace RL grace Rgrace RL R
34	Lesson 25 Drag reference only	Drag	grace Lgrace LR L R grace Rgrace RL R L
35	Single Dragadiddle Drag reference only	Drag	RRLR LLRL
36	Drag Paradiddle #1 Drag reference only	Drag	R grace Lgrace LRLRR L grace Rgrace RLRLL
37	Drag Paradiddle #2 Drag reference only	Drag	R R grace Lgrace LRLRR L L grace Rgrace RLRLL
38	Single Ratamacue Drag	Drag	grace Lgrace LR L R L
39	Double Ratamacue Drag reference only	Drag	grace Lgrace LR grace Rgrace RL R L R
40	Triple Ratamacue Drag reference only	Drag	grace Lgrace LR grace Rgrace RL grace Lgrace LR L R L

How many drum rudiments are there?

There are 40 official drum rudiments on the Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments list: 15 roll rudiments, 4 diddle rudiments, 11 flam rudiments and 10 drag rudiments.

Older sources sometimes say 26 — that is the earlier N.A.R.D. list, which PAS absorbed and extended in 1984 with drum-corps, orchestral and European rudiments. You will also meet hybrid rudiments: hundreds of unofficial combinations with names like the cheese inverta or the blackadiddle. They are real and widely played, but they are not part of the official 40, and none of them will teach you anything the standard list does not cover first.

How to practice a rudiment

Start absurdly slowly. Slow enough that you can see each stroke land. Every lesson page here has a Slow button set to 60% of the working tempo for exactly this.
Match your hands before you add speed. Record ten seconds and listen: if one hand is quieter or later, speed will only entrench it.
Lead with the other hand too. Every rudiment on this list should be playable starting left. Most drummers skip this and end up with one usable hand.
Use a click, always. Rudiments are timing exercises as much as hand exercises. The rhythm trainer gives you a metronome with a visual pulse.
Move it to the kit. Once a rudiment is even, split it between snare and toms, or put the right hand on the hi-hat — that is how a rudiment becomes a fill.

Printable rudiments chart (PDF)

All 40 rudiments on one page with names, families and sticking, generated from the same data as the table above. Letter and A4, no email address required — tape it above your practice pad.

Frequently asked questions

What are drum rudiments?

Drum rudiments are short, fixed sticking patterns — set sequences of right- and left-hand strokes — that drummers practice to build speed, evenness and independence between the hands. They are the vocabulary of drumming: rolls, diddles, flams and drags combine to make fills, grooves and solos, in the same way scales and arpeggios combine into melodies. The Percussive Arts Society maintains the standard list of 40.

How many drum rudiments are there?

There are 40 official rudiments on the Percussive Arts Society's International Drum Rudiments list, grouped into roll rudiments (15), diddle rudiments (4), flam rudiments (11) and drag rudiments (10). Beyond those, hundreds of unofficial hybrid rudiments exist — cheese invertas, blackadiddles and the like — built by combining the standard 40, but they are not part of the official list.

Which rudiment should I learn first?

The single stroke roll, then the single paradiddle. The single stroke roll teaches your hands to alternate evenly, which everything else depends on, and the paradiddle teaches them to swap leading hand without a gap — which is what lets you start a fill with either hand. Add the double stroke roll third, because the five, seven and nine stroke rolls are all built from it.

What is a paradiddle?

A paradiddle is a four-stroke rudiment with the sticking RLRR (or LRLL): two alternating single strokes followed by a double stroke. The name imitates the sound — "pa-ra-did-dle". Because it ends with a double, the leading hand swaps every four notes, so playing it continuously alternates R and L leads. It is the most-used rudiment in kit playing, turning up in fills, hi-hat patterns and linear grooves.

Single Paradiddle drum notation — Single Paradiddle in standard drum notation — sticking RLRR LRLL, notated on the snare line.

Flam drum notation — Flam in standard drum notation — sticking lR rL, notated on the snare line.

Single Stroke Roll drum notation — Single Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RLRL RLRL, notated on the snare line.

Double Stroke Open Roll drum notation — Double Stroke Open Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL, notated on the snare line.

Five Stroke Roll drum notation — Five Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL R, notated on the snare line.

Nine Stroke Roll drum notation — Nine Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL R, notated on the snare line.

Double Paradiddle drum notation — Double Paradiddle in standard drum notation — sticking RLRLRR LRLRLL, notated on the snare line.

Single Paradiddle-Diddle drum notation — Single Paradiddle-Diddle in standard drum notation — sticking RLRRLL LRLLRR, notated on the snare line.

Flam Tap drum notation — Flam Tap in standard drum notation — sticking lRR rLL, notated on the snare line.

Flam Accent drum notation — Flam Accent in standard drum notation — sticking lR L R rL R L, notated on the snare line.

Drag drum notation — Drag in standard drum notation — sticking llR rrL, notated on the snare line.

Single Drag Tap drum notation — Single Drag Tap in standard drum notation — sticking llR L rrL R, notated on the snare line.

Single Stroke Four drum notation — Single Stroke Four in standard drum notation — sticking RLRL, notated on the snare line.

Single Stroke Seven drum notation — Single Stroke Seven in standard drum notation — sticking RLRLRLR, notated on the snare line.

Triple Stroke Roll drum notation — Triple Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RRR LLL RRR LLL, notated on the snare line.

Six Stroke Roll drum notation — Six Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking R LL RR L, notated on the snare line.

Seven Stroke Roll drum notation — Seven Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR L, notated on the snare line.

Ten Stroke Roll drum notation — Ten Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL R L, notated on the snare line.

Eleven Stroke Roll drum notation — Eleven Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL RR L, notated on the snare line.

Thirteen Stroke Roll drum notation — Thirteen Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL RR LL R, notated on the snare line.

Fifteen Stroke Roll drum notation — Fifteen Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL RR LL RR L, notated on the snare line.

Seventeen Stroke Roll drum notation — Seventeen Stroke Roll in standard drum notation — sticking RR LL RR LL RR LL RR LL R, notated on the snare line.

Triple Paradiddle drum notation — Triple Paradiddle in standard drum notation — sticking RLRLRLRR LRLRLRLL, notated on the snare line.

Flam Paradiddle drum notation — Flam Paradiddle in standard drum notation — sticking lRLRR rLRLL, notated on the snare line.

Single Flammed Mill drum notation — Single Flammed Mill in standard drum notation — sticking lRRLR rLLRL, notated on the snare line.

Flam Paradiddle-Diddle drum notation — Flam Paradiddle-Diddle in standard drum notation — sticking lRLRRLL rLRLLRR, notated on the snare line.

Pataflafla drum notation — Pataflafla in standard drum notation — sticking lRLR rL, notated on the snare line.

Swiss Army Triplet drum notation — Swiss Army Triplet in standard drum notation — sticking lRRL rLLR, notated on the snare line.

Flam Drag drum notation — Flam Drag in standard drum notation — sticking lR rrL R rL llR L, notated on the snare line.

Single Ratamacue drum notation — Single Ratamacue in standard drum notation — sticking llR L R L, notated on the snare line.

Rudiment data last updated 22 October 2026. Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.