When you're just getting started on the drums, everything feels new—and honestly, a little overwhelming. There’s gear to learn, grooves to try, and so many different techniques flying at you from YouTube and Instagram. One thing that really helps early on is focusing your practice around beginner drum rudiments.
These patterns are like the alphabet of drumming. They're short, repetitive, and made up of specific stickings that help you build control, timing, and coordination. Once you have a few of them under your hands, everything else gets easier—grooves, fills, solos, you name it.
In this post, we’re digging into five beginner drum rudiments that every new drummer should learn. They’re not complicated, and you don’t need any fancy gear to practice them—just sticks, a pad, and a bit of patience.
If you stay consistent with these, you’ll start to notice real progress in your playing. And the best part? These same rudiments will keep showing up as you grow, even when you're years into your drumming journey.
🥁 1. Single Stroke Roll
R L R L R L R L (repeat) L R L R L R L R (repeat)
The single stroke roll is the most basic rudiment out there—and probably the one you'll use the most. It’s just alternating strokes: right, left, right, left… nothing fancy. But getting it to feel smooth and even? That’s the real challenge.
Start slow and focus on keeping the strokes even in volume and spacing. Don’t rush to go fast. It's better to build clean technique early on than to try to fix bad habits later. If one hand is noticeably louder or faster, slow it down and try to match them up.
I like to start my warm-ups with singles almost every day. They're great for building hand coordination, wrist strength, and just getting locked in with the click. Try setting a metronome and gradually bumping up the tempo after a few minutes.
Once you’re comfortable with single strokes, start applying them around the kit. Play four on the snare, then move around toms. You’ll quickly see how many fills are just single strokes with some movement added in.
🥁 2. Double Stroke Roll
R R L L R R L L (repeat)
Next up is the double stroke roll, which is just two hits per hand: right right, left left, and so on. It sounds simple, but it takes some work to get those doubles smooth and consistent.
At slower speeds, you'll probably need to use your wrists for each stroke. As you speed up, you’ll start to use the natural rebound of the stick to play the second stroke. That bounce is key. If you try to muscle both hits with your wrist, it’ll wear you out fast.
One thing to watch for is uneven strokes—where the first hit is loud and the second one is weak. Practicing on a pad with a metronome helps a lot here. I usually set a timer for five minutes and just focus on getting the doubles as even as I can.
Once you’ve got the hang of doubles, they open up a ton of possibilities. Rolls, snare patterns, jazzy fills—they’re everywhere. They also help with your endurance and control, which you’ll definitely need as you start playing more complex stuff.
🥁 3. Paradiddle
R L R R L R L L (repeat) L R L L R L R R (repeat)
The paradiddle is a mix of single and double strokes: right, left, right, right — then left, right, left, left. It’s one of those patterns that feels awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s super useful.
What makes the paradiddle special is how it shifts the leading hand naturally. You get to work both sides of your body evenly, which is great for building coordination. And since it's part singles and part doubles, it’s like two practice routines in one.
Start slow, count out loud if it helps, and pay attention to where your accents fall. A lot of drummers like to hit the first note of each four-stroke group a little harder to give the pattern more groove. You’ll start to hear how musical it can be.
Once you’re feeling good with paradiddles on a pad or snare, try moving them around the kit. You can play the single strokes on toms and the doubles on the snare, or add a kick drum underneath the accented notes. There are tons of ways to experiment.
I still use paradiddles in fills all the time. They help create smooth, flowing ideas that don’t feel robotic. And they’re great for mixing things up when you want to break out of straight singles or doubles.
🥁 4. Flam
lR rL lR rL (repeat)
Flams are all about timing. It’s one soft stroke followed almost immediately by a louder one. You don’t want them to sound like two separate hits—just one fat, full-sounding note. It’s a small detail, but it adds a ton of flavor.
A clean flam has a tight space between the grace note and the main note. If the notes are too far apart, it sounds sloppy. If they’re too close, it becomes a regular hit. It takes some practice to find that sweet spot, especially with a metronome.
Start by playing slow flams on a practice pad. Pay close attention to stick height—your lead hand should be higher, and the grace note hand lower. That height difference helps you control the dynamics without having to overthink it.
Once you’re comfortable, try flam accents or flam taps. Those are just variations with flams placed in different spots in a pattern. You’ll start hearing these everywhere—in drumlines, rock fills, and even ghost note grooves.
Flams are kind of like seasoning for your drumming. You don’t always need them, but when you use them right, they make your playing feel more expressive and dynamic.
🥁 5. Single Paradiddle-diddle
R L R R L L R L R R L L (repeat)
This one’s a mouthful, but don’t let that scare you off. The single paradiddle-diddle goes: right, left, right, right, left, left. It’s got a nice flow and sits well in triplet time or swung grooves.
The cool thing about this rudiment is that the double strokes land in different places each time you loop it. That gives it a rolling feel and makes it easy to turn into fast, smooth fills. It’s fun to play once you get the motion down.
Start by breaking it into two groups of three. Play right-left-right, then right-left-left. Take it slow and work on keeping the strokes even. Once it feels natural, loop it continuously and get comfortable with the hand switching.
You can also move this rudiment around the kit to create really fluid-sounding fills. I like to play the singles across toms and keep the doubles on the snare. It’s a great way to add movement without losing control.
It might take a little longer to click than the others, but it’s worth the effort. Once you have it, the paradiddle-diddle becomes a go-to tool for building flow and adding variety to your drumming.
These five beginner drum rudiments—single strokes, double strokes, paradiddles, flams, and the paradiddle-diddle—are the kind of patterns that never stop being useful. They're simple enough to learn early on, but they’ll keep challenging you as your technique improves.
Rudiments like these give your hands the foundation they need to handle pretty much anything on the kit. Whether you're jamming with friends or just running through exercises with a metronome, you'll find yourself coming back to these over and over again.
If you're serious about locking in your timing and keeping your practice focused, the free online metronome can help you stay on track. And when you're ready to take things further, there’s always the option to build and save custom practice routines with the premium version.
The journey with beginner drum rudiments isn’t about rushing—it's about showing up regularly and playing with intention. Keep it relaxed, stay curious, and have fun with it. You’re building something solid.
