Drums 7: Flams
The flam
How
The small letter is the grace note. It starts low, 3 cm above the head. The big letter starts high. Drop both hands at the same time. The low stick lands first: one fat sound, not two notes and not one flat click.
7.1Right flams
Left hand stays low, right hand plays the main stroke.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lR | lR | lR | lR |
BPM
Pass: every flam sounds the same.
7.2Left flams
Now the right hand stays low.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| rL | rL | rL | rL |
BPM
Pass: it sounds like 7.1.
7.3Alternating flams
After a right flam the right hand stays down. It is now the grace note for the left flam.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lR | rL | lR | rL |
BPM
Pass: no pause to reset the hands.
Drums 7: Flams
Flam rudiments
7.4Flam tap
A flam, then one more tap with the same hand.
| 1 | & | 2 | & | 3 | & | 4 | & |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lR | R | rL | L | lR | R | rL | L |
BPM
Pass: even eighth notes, clear flams.
7.5Flam accent
Triplets with a flam on every beat. The lead hand swaps every beat.
| 1 | & | a | 2 | & | a | 3 | & | a | 4 | & | a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lR | L | R | rL | R | L | lR | L | R | rL | R | L |
BPM
Pass: the triplets stay even.
7.6Flams in sixteenths
Single strokes with a flam on every number.
| 1 | e | & | a | 2 | e | & | a | 3 | e | & | a | 4 | e | & | a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lR | L | R | L | lR | L | R | L | lR | L | R | L | lR | L | R | L |
BPM
Pass: the flam does not slow down the next stroke.