A drum roll (or roll for short) is a technique used by percussionists to produce a sustained sound for the duration of a written note .
106-632: All drum figures are based upon three fundamental beats, technically called roll , single stroke , and flam ...Sustentation is accomplished upon wind instruments by blowing into the instrument; it is accomplished upon the violin and the allied instruments by drawing the bow across the string; it is accomplished upon the drum and allied percussion instruments by the roll . THE SNARE DRUM ROLL. The roll consists of an even reiteration of beats sufficiently rapid to prohibit rhythmic analysis. To produce an impression of sustentation, these beats must be absolutely even both in power and in sequence. Uneven beats in
212-479: A battalion , with about 500 to 1,000 men, was the smallest unit forming a square. Its colours and commander were positioned in the centre, along with a reserve force to reinforce any side of the square that was weakened by attacks. A square of 500 men in four ranks, such as those formed by Wellington's army at the Battle of Waterloo , was a tight formation less than 20 m long on any side. Squares would be arranged in
318-532: A beat were known as a Ruff (or Rough) llR if played closed and a Half Drag llR when played open. Ruff can also refer to a single stroked set of grace notes preceding a regular note. In American playing the 3 Stroke Ruff has 2 single stroked grace notes before the primary or full note rlR and a 4 Stroke Ruff has 3 singles before the primary note lrlR . Other rudimental systems have differing sticking methods and names for similar notation figures. Though still used and taught by drummers and drum teachers in practice,
424-502: A checkerboard formation to minimise the risk of soldiers from one square accidentally shooting another. A tight checkerboard, with minimal gaps between the corners of adjacent squares, was effective in defence, minimising opposing cavalry's freedom of movement and allowing for some mutual support at the corners – the weakest points. But if redeployed in line to attack, the neighboring units would overlap and thus obstruct one another's line of advance and field of fire. Once formed in square,
530-430: A closed roll is to reproduce the effect of a sustained note on an instrument which inherently produces a short, staccato sound. Because a multiple bounce stroke on a drum head loses energy, and volume, with each successive bounce, it is necessary to use special tactics and techniques to mitigate the loss of sound and cause the repeated notes to sound even. This involves the arm, the wrist, and the fingers. One way to mitigate
636-410: A downbeat. A double stop consists of two single strokes played simultaneously, one on each hand. It differs from a flam or charge stroke in that there is no space between the notes and both hands fall exactly at the same time. This is not considered an American rudiment on any common list, but is a staple of several European systems. Alternative names include Flat Flam, Unison, or Both and the technique
742-511: A drum rudiment as an excerpt from a military call with a definite rhythm, definite sticking, definite dynamic structure (accents), and a defined nomenclature. Encyclopedia Rudimentia defines a rudiment as a short pattern of strokes, using John Pratt's logic that "the rudiments of drumming are strokes," in reference to the four basic drum strokes . The origin of snare drum rudiments can be traced back to Swiss mercenaries armed with long polearms . The use of pikes in close formation required
848-453: A form of percussion music , a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associated with various forms of field drumming , where the snare drum plays a prominent role. In this context "rudiment" means not only "basic", but also fundamental . This tradition of drumming originates in military drumming and it
954-475: A great deal of coordination. The sound of the tabor was used to set the tempo and communicate commands with distinct drumming patterns. These drumming patterns became the basis of the snare drum rudiments. The earliest instance of rudimental fife and drum is often cited as the Swiss military at the battle of Sempach in 1386. There is evidence, however, that the Swiss were already using drums in battle in 1315 at
1060-646: A list of 13 essential rudiments and second set of 13 additional rudiments to form the Standard NARD 26 in 1933. This was largely based on Strube's 25 rudiments from 1870, with a single addition, the single stroke roll. During World War II, the War Department used a manual from 1940, TM 20–250 Field Music Technical Manual , that clearly echoes Smith and Safranek. The Marine Corps had a competing manual, essentially mirroring Sousa but updated in 1942, Manual for Drummers, Trumpeters, and Fifers . Later in
1166-409: A louder primary stroke on the opposite hand. The two notes are played almost simultaneously, and are intended to sound like a single, broader note. The temporal distance between the grace note and the primary note can vary depending on the style and context of the piece being played. In the past, or in some European systems, open flams and closed flams were listed as separate rudiments. A charge stroke
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#17327759795491272-521: A manual in 1916 (based on Smith's 1897 work), while Carl E. Gardner released another in 1918. Sanford Moeller put a list in his 1925 book, which is one of the few books here intended for civilian drummers. The Moeller method advocated for a return to the "ancient" traditions of military drumming technique and rudiments. The National Association of Rudimental Drummers , an organization established to promote rudimental drumming that included George Lawrence Stone and William F. Ludwig, Sr. , organized
1378-426: A marimba will mask the silent gaps between strokes. For this reason, the rolls can be much slower and still effective. But for xylophone and orchestra bells a much swifter roll is required, especially for rubber or plastic mallets. A brass mallet used with orchestra bells will add extra vibration to aid in the smoothing of the sound. To get these faster rolls, percussionists (keyboard, snare and timpani) all often use
1484-425: A new fulcrum at the drum stick's physical point of contact with the rim. This is one of the easier and more commonly used forms of a "one handed roll". When executed with precision, this doubling of contact means 16th notes can be played while the arm only strokes 8th notes, or 32nd notes can be played while stroking only 16th notes. The technique is also known amongst many drummers as the gravity blast , though gravity
1590-823: A noted instrument maker, would later publish an updated drum manual called Authorised Sergeant Drummers' Manual. In 1887, the War Office published Drum and Flute Duty for the Infantry Branch of the Army which is one of only a few pre-20th century publications to feature the 17 stroke roll. In modern times, every infantry battalion in the British military has a rudimental Corps of Drums except for Irish, Scottish, and Rifle Battalions which feature Pipe Bands and their associated style of Scottish drumming. Scottish drum and fife signals (those differing significantly from
1696-408: A relatively normal manner. Immediately subsequent, at the bottom or end of the down stroke motion, the rim is contacted approximately 1 inch in front of the thumb and forefinger. Contact with the rim rocks the front portion of the stick upwards from the point of contact with the rim. At this moment, the wrist is located just below the rim and the bead is a couple inches above the head. From the bottom of
1802-399: A roll destroy the impression of sustentation. Evenness is then the primary quality to strive for in roll; speed is the secondary quality to strive for. There are two possible ways of producing an absolutely even sequence: (1) hand alternation of single stroke and (2) hand alternation of double strokes ...The snare drum roll is produced by hand alternation of double strokes. The "open roll"
1908-475: A single paradiddle is often used to switch the "lead hand" in drumming music. A mill stroke is essentially a reversed paradiddle with the sticking RRLR or LLRL with an accent on the first note. The single flammed mill is the most common mill stroke variant in American playing. A drag is a double stroke played at twice the speed of the context in which it is placed. For example, if a sixteenth-note passage
2014-403: A single slash each, or four sixteenth notes RRLL or LLRR . A double slash eighth note would entail playing double strokes for four sixteenth notes RRLL or LLRR. A single slash sixteenth note would entail playing one pair of double stroke thirty-second notes RR or LL. In the case of a half note or whole note, it's common to play alternating double stroke sixteenth notes for the duration of
2120-484: A small scale in their home countries. There is also a distinct historic Spanish military rudimental culture, though this system is no longer widely used, as well as a similarly defunct Sicilian system. Recently, the International Association of Traditional Drummers (IATD) has been working to once again promote the 26 NARD rudiments of 1933 (1870 Strube list of 25 plus 1). One of the chief issues
2226-399: A square" by causing it to lose its cohesion, either by charging to induce poorly disciplined infantry to flee before contact was made or by causing casualties through close-range combat (see above). Cavalry charges were made in closely packed formations, and were often aimed at the corners of the square, the weakest points of the formation. Feints and false attacks would also be used to make
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#17327759795492332-456: A standard list of American snare drum rudiments have been made. The first publication to formally organize American drumming was by Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben at Valley Forge. He included camp duty signals in his general manual on military practices for George Washington’s troops, the “blue book” written in 1778–79, though the drum parts were listed in prose. The first America rudimental manual to have prescribed rudimental exercises in notation
2438-450: A term for a meeting of drum corps and a signal from the standard camp duty, derives from the Dutch "Taptoe" Tamboers. Manuals go back at least as far as 1809 with the publication of Over Het Tromslaan – Met Marschen En Andere Muziekstukken Voor Den Trom which indicates some basic rolls and a few military signals. Marsen en Signalen voor de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Armee by Jacob Rauscher
2544-452: A traditional infantry unit would generally form a line; but the line was vulnerable to more nimble cavalry, which could sweep around the end of the line, or burst through it, and then attack the undefended rear or simply sweep along the line attacking the individual footsoldiers successively . By arranging the unit so that there was no undefended rear or flank, an infantry commander could organise an effective defense against cavalry attack. With
2650-460: Is a central component of martial music . Rudimental drumming has something of a flexible definition, even within drumming societies devoted to that form of drumming. RudimentalDrumming.com defines it as "the study of coordination." The Percussive Arts Society defines it as a particular method for learning the drums—beginning with rudiments, and gradually building up speed and complexity through practicing those rudiments. Camp Duty Update defines
2756-416: Is a double stroke played at the current prevailing speed of the piece. For example, if a sixteenth-note passage is being played, then any diddles in that passage would consist of sixteenth notes. A paradiddle consists of two single strokes followed by a double stroke, i.e., RLRR or LRLL . When multiple paradiddles are played in succession, the first note always alternates between right and left. Therefore,
2862-478: Is a simple hybrid combining the traditional PAS rudiments #20 Flam and #31 Drag. A hybrid can also be created by adding a prefix before a rudiment or a suffix at the end of the rudiment in the form of extra notes or a rudimental pattern. Form a square An infantry square , also known as a hollow square , was a historic close order formation used in combat by infantry units, usually when threatened with cavalry attack. To deploy its weapons effectively,
2968-445: Is a special variation on an open flam in which one or both of the notes are accented to provide a driving feel that can create the illusion that the downbeat has moved earlier in time. The two major types are French Lr or Rl and Swiss LR or RL with the first note preceding the downbeat, which falls on the second note, in both types. Charge strokes can be combined with flams or drags to create complex grace note figures preceding
3074-461: Is being played then any drags in that passage would consist of thirty-second notes. Drags can also be notated as grace notes , in which case the spacing between the notes can be interpreted by the player. On timpani , drags are often played with alternating sticking ( lrL or rlR ). In Scottish pipe band snare drumming, a drag consists of a flam where the grace note is played as a "deadstick" (staccato note). Historically, 2 grace notes preceding
3180-424: Is between Metered and Unmetered rolls. Metered rolls require the players arms and wrists to play in time with the beat of the music and so a regular subdivision, such as 8th note triplets, 16th notes, or 16th note triplets must be chosen and maintained. The drawback of metered rolls is that the ideal rolling speed (for the player, the room, the sticks, and the instrument) may lie between exact subdivisions, depending on
3286-652: Is commonly referred to by the specific name "Drag," "Ruff," or "Half Drag." Typically, any roll with an odd number of strokes is played with a single accent and any roll with an even number of strokes is played with 2 accents. This patterns holds for the 5 Stroke, 6 Stroke, 7 Stroke, 9 Stroke, 10 Stroke, 11 Stroke, 13 Stroke, 15 Stroke, and 17 Stroke Rolls of the PAS 40 rudiments. Note that some numbers between 5 and 17 are missing. These additional rolls are possible and are taught in modern hybrid drumming and in older pre-NARD rudimental systems, as well as those from other countries, notably
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3392-518: Is equal in length and consists of two double strokes (RRLL) and two singles (R L). The strokes are most commonly taught as (RLLRRL). French and Dutch drumming include several variations on rolls with an uneven number of strokes between the hands. For example, the French Bâton Melée , or mixed stick, can be played in repeating combinations of 3: RRL , LLR , RLL , or LRR . Rolls on timpani are almost exclusively single-stroked. Due to
3498-417: Is no definite rule, most timpanists who employ this technique do so on a high "G", and above. In the end, it often comes down to the discretion of the timpanist. These are similar to the timpani rolls in that they are done nearly the same way and are both single-stroked. Yarn mallets usually can be rolled much more easily on a marimba than plastic ones can be on a xylophone, because the extra reverberation of
3604-411: Is not required as the technique can be performed inverted, sideways, or in a gravity free environment. A tremolo in percussion indicates a roll on any percussion instrument, whether tuned or untuned. A tremolo is notated using strokes, or slashes, through the stem of a note. In the case of whole notes, the strokes or slashes are drawn above or below the note, where the stem would be if there were one. For
3710-413: Is not to be confused with the testudo formation , which also resembled a square, but was used for protection against ranged weapons such as arrows and javelins . The Han dynasty 's mounted infantry forces used tactics effectively that involved highly mobile infantry square formations in conjunction with light cavalry in their many engagements against the primarily cavalry Xiongnu nomad armies in
3816-437: Is produced by [initially] slow hand alternation. Two strokes in each hand alternately are produced by wrist movement and each beat should follow its predecessor in clock-like precision. A common snare drum roll is the closed roll. The closed concert roll (orchestral roll, buzz roll, or press roll) is performed by creating 3 (or more) equal sounding bounces on each hand alternating right to left, repeatedly and quickly. The aim of
3922-613: Is used in modern corps style snare drumming as well as drum kit and classical percussion applications. Drum rolls are various techniques employed to produce a sustained, continuous sound. Rudiments according to the Percussive Arts Society . There are more than 850 rudiments worldwide, but these 40 are the current American standards, referred to as “international” because they mix rudiments traditionally used in Anglo-American drumming with several drawn from
4028-601: The American Civil War , including those by Elias Howe (1861), Keach, Burditt, and Cassidy (1861), Bruce and Emmett (1862), H.C. Hart (1862), Simpson and Canterbury (1862), William Nevins (1864). Adjutant-General Samuel Cooper 's general military manual of 1861 also contained a small section on rudimental drumming, but in a very simplified form, as did Brigadier General Silas Casey ’s tactics manual of 1862. Gardiner A. Strube published his influential distillation of Civil War practices in 1870. Between
4134-537: The Anglo-Persian War , Indian cavalry successfully attacked and broke a Persian square in the Battle of Khushab . Only 20 of the 500 soldiers in the square escaped. During the Anglo-Zulu War , after the Battle of Isandlwana in which Zulu warriors overwhelmed the British expeditionary force's poorly fortified linear formation positioning, infantry squares were used in most major battles such as
4240-471: The Battle of Gingindlovu and the climactic Battle of Ulundi to counter their enemy's massed charges. Rudyard Kipling 's poem " Fuzzy-Wuzzy " refers to two battles in the Mahdist War , Tamai in 1884 and Abu Klea in 1885, in which infantry squares were used by the British expeditionary force. In both battles the squares were partially broken, but British losses remained very low in comparison with
4346-477: The Battle of Jena-Auerstedt (1806), the Battle of Pultusk (1806), the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro (1811) and the First Battle of Krasnoi (August 14, 1812). If a square was broken, as happened at the Battle of Medina de Rioseco (1808), the infantry could suffer many casualties although brave and well-disciplined infantry could recover even from such a disaster. Attacking cavalry would attempt to "break
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4452-852: The Battle of Morgarten . Initially, Swiss rudiments were very influential to the French system, which in turn was the basis for many other rudimental systems. Switzerland produced two distinct rudimental cultures, the wider Swiss Ordonnanz Trommel practiced in Zurich , Valais , and Geneva , and the Basel version or Basler Trommeln . The Basler Trommeln rudiments, in contrast to the Swiss Ordonnanz Trommel, are much more widely known and practiced outside of Switzerland due to Fritz Berger 's publications, Das Basler Trommeln, Werden und Wesen and Instructor for Basle Drumming , and travels to
4558-591: The Battle of Valverde on February 21, 1862. On other occasions, such as at Gettysburg and the Battle of Chickamauga , cavalry units feinted as if they were preparing to charge to force the advancing infantry to halt their advance and form a square. In 1867, one of the first battles of the 10th Cavalry was the Battle of the Saline River , 25 miles northwest of Fort Hays , Kansas , in late August 1867. Captain George Armes, Company F, 10th Cavalry,
4664-536: The Dutch Marines continue the official military tradition actively, along with a few civilian groups. There are currently only about 14 Dutch rudiments. Russian drumming was originally brought in from abroad specifically to emulate the drumming of other nations. Dutch drumming was used verbatim in the 17th century. This gave way to a more distinct Russian style in the 18th century under Peter I. Imperial Russian military units stopped using drummers around 1909 but
4770-529: The Marines . In 1912, just 42 years after Strube's Lessons, Harry Bower, in his book The Harry A. Bower System for Drums Bells Xylophone and Tympani, calls the military rudiments "ancient," "old fashioned," and "old style beats, rolls, and flourishes," to be played only when emulating a military sound. The Bower book offers several competing versions of many rudiments taken from multiple competing 19th century manuals. During World War I, V.F. Safranek published
4876-724: The Paraguayan War in South America , the Paraguayan defenders formed a square towards the end of the Battle of Acosta Ñu . The square was formed too late and so was broken by the Brazilian cavalry. At the Battle of Nahrin in 1863, several thousand Afghan troops led by 'Abd al-Rahman Khan annihilated a 40,000 strong Qataghani army through the use of the infantry square, which they adopted from Britain . 10,000 Qataghani troops were killed or wounded, while only
4982-558: The United States in the 1930s. His student Alfons Grieder continued to promote Basel style drumming in North America for many years. The two Swiss systems differ in several ways, including that Basel drumming rudiments draw heavily from the French system while Swiss rudiments are indigenous, and that Basel drumming was notated in a set of symbols until the 20th century (Berger devised his own notation system for export that
5088-466: The 17th century and works up through the variations to his contemporary mid-19th century usage, showing that the complexity of French drumming increased significantly over time. At least 5 French military manuals appeared between 1870 and 1900, beginning with Félix Carnaud's École du Tambour from 1870 and N. Pita's Methode de Tambour from 1885, followed closely and expanded upon by H. Broutin (1889), Théophile Dureau (1895), and E. Reveillé (1897). In
5194-456: The 1930s or 1940s (though many others were formed as late as the mid-1960s). From the outset, the drummers steadily expanded the rudimental vocabulary from the traditional American military and NARD repertoire to include Swiss rudiments as well as Hybrid rudiments that combined elements of multiple unrelated rudiments into new, more complex patterns. In 1984, a Percussive Arts Society committee led by Jay Wanamaker reorganized, and reinterpreted,
5300-497: The 1st century AD. Infantry squares were used in the siege of the nomads' mountain settlements near the Gobi region, where Han forces repelled nomad lancer attacks. The Byzantine Empire in the 9th to the 11th centuries used highly sophisticated combined arms tactics, based around hollow infantry square formation. The infantry square, consisting of pikemen and archers, acted as a base of operations and refuge for cavalry by forming what
5406-462: The 20th century there were several notable variations and extensions of rudimental drumming from teachers like Charles Wilcoxon , author of All-American Drummer and Modern Rudimental Swing Solos , and Alan Dawson , whose "Rudimental Ritual" was popular at Berklee College of Music in the 1970s. Drum Corps International was founded in 1971 bringing together drum corps from around North America to compete, some of which had been in existence since
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#17327759795495512-437: The 20th century, Henri Kling published his Méthode de Tambour in 1901. Robert Tourte's Méthode de Tambour et Caisse Claire d'Orchestre was published in 1946 and combined a selection of 34 rudiments and the classic French military calls with studies of common orchestral excerpts such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 's Scheherezade and Maurice Ravel 's Bolero. The French system is complex and expansive, rivaled in scope only by
5618-530: The 20th century. After the 1960s the drum parts in standard military music became simplified compared to their earlier incarnations. The military tradition of the Netherlands has a distinct rudimental system. Drummers are known to have participated in military functions from possibly as far back as 1570. Military units paid the drummers from their own commanders' budget until 1688 when the military began paying musicians directly. The rudimental term "Tattoo,"
5724-542: The 21st century there are four principal rudimental drumming cultures: Swiss Basler Trommeln, Scottish pipe drumming , Anglo-American ancient drumming , and American modern drumming (or DCI hybrid drumming). Other organized rudimental systems include the French, Dutch, German (Prussian), Swedish , Trommeslått , Bavarian, Austro-Hungarian, Italian, Belgian , Mexican , Russian , Swiss Ordonnanz Trommel (non-Basel, poorly understood outside of Switzerland), and Bajoaragonés systems, which are still studied and performed on
5830-451: The 3 Stroke Ruff and 4 Stroke Ruff are not officially listed on the NARD or PAS rudiment sheets and the term Drag has eclipsed Ruff (or Rough) for the double stroked rudiments, in both open or closed execution, according to the current PAS standard terminology. A flam consists of two single strokes played by alternating hands ( rL or lR ). The first stroke is a quieter grace note followed by
5936-543: The Basel and Scotch cultures. For example, the 8 Stroke Roll is present in the Moeller Book from 1925 but is lost in later publications. The 4 Stroke, 8 Stroke, 12 Stroke, 14 Stroke, and 16 Stroke are rare but all exist in official published sources. The Scotch Pipe Band style has a rudimental roll up to 25 strokes. This provides the drummer with a consistent set of rolls from 3 to 17 plus the 25, with any other number being an extrapolation from this system. The snare drum
6042-476: The Cheyenne disengaged and withdrew. Company F, without reinforcements, concluded 113 miles of movement during the 30-hour patrol and rode the final 10 miles back to Fort Hays with only one trooper killed in action. Armes later commented, "It is the greatest wonder in the world that my command escaped being massacred." Armes credited his officers for a "devotion to duty and coolness under fire." In 1869, during
6148-456: The Civil War and the 20th century, Fifes and Drums were phased out in favor of bugles for official signals, though military music continued to be taught and practiced for ceremonial purposes. John Philip Sousa produced a manual in 1886 that would later be revised several times by the U.S. Army. Walter Smith also produced a manual in 1897 for the Army and Navy, though he was a bandleader in
6254-549: The English) date back to at least the 17th century, when the English referred to them as the "Scots Duty." The old Scottish calls used similar rudimental patterns and drumming idioms to the English, but featured slightly different drum arrangements and fife tunes, rather than the distinctively snappy dot-cut triplet shuffle sound that pipe band drumming would use later. The Scotch Reveille that would normally accompany The Mother and
6360-405: The French and Basel systems with some of the modern American rudiments into a single Rudimental Codex of 42 rudiments. The Rudimental Codex has been submitted to UNESCO as an intangible World Heritage Site. A stroke performs a single percussive note . There are four basic single strokes . A double stroke consists of two single strokes played by the same hand (either RR or LL ). A diddle
6466-621: The IATD has with the PAS 40 is the "Swiss influence," though only eight of the extra 14 rudiments (that do not appear in the Standard 26) are foreign or not found in American military manuals prior to Strube. Only two of those eight non-traditional rudiments can be traced to a Swiss origin. There is a movement in the German-speaking areas of Europe, led by Claus Hessler and Percussion Creativ , to revise rudimental practices and combine
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#17327759795496572-618: The NARD 26 and added another 14 to form the current 40 International Snare Drum Rudiments. Beginning in the early 1990s, rudimental instruction began to focus heavily on hybrid rudiments. Edward Freytag's 1993 Rudimental Cookbook and Dennis Delucia's 1995 Percussion Discussion both feature significant hybrid rudiment instruction. This trend continued into the 21st century with John Wooton 's 2010 Rudimental Remedies , Bill Bachman 's 2010 Rudimental Logic , and Ryan Bloom's 2019 Encyclopedia Rudimentia significantly focusing on hybrid corps-style rudiments as well as older standards. In
6678-569: The Ottomans at the Battle of Mount Tabor (1799). At the Battle of Waterloo (1815) the four-rank squares of the Allied forces withstood eleven cavalry charges. At Waterloo the attacking cavalry were not supported, whether by horse artillery or infantry, but at the Battle of Lützen (1813) , even with infantry and light artillery support, Allied cavalry charges failed to break green French troops. Similarly, impressive infantry efforts were seen at
6784-794: The Swiss Basel drumming tradition. They were compiled by a committee led by Jay Wanamaker in 1984 that also happened to include William F. Ludwig Jr., son of the founder of NARD in 1933. In contrast, there are 26 rudiments between the NARD 13 Essential and 13 Rudiments to Complete sheets, 46 rudiments on the Scottish Drumming Rudiments sheet, and 42 rudiments on the French/Swiss Rudimental Codex sheet. The single-stroke roll consists of alternating sticking (i.e., RLRL , etc.) of indeterminate speed and length. There are 10 official variants of
6890-428: The Swiss and then later contributed back to the specific Basel culture in a two-way exchange. Thoinot Arbeau 's Orchesographie of 1588 is commonly cited as one of the first "rudimental" texts, though its actual use of notation is limited. French professional drummers became part of the king's honor guard in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1754 Joseph-Henri de Bombelles published Instruction pour les Tambours, which
6996-461: The Swiss, American, and Scottish systems. Between 30 and 34 rudiments have normally been taught from the mid-20th century onward, from a historical catalog of over 70 rudiment variations. Spain used its own rudimental system, documented as far back as 1761, with Manuel de Espinosa publication of Toques de Guerra . Composed mostly of single strokes, the system is extremely simple with only around eight to ten named patterns. The Italian peninsula
7102-685: The Three Camps was adapted from, or at least inspired by, the Scotch Reveilly [sic] from this pre-pipe band era. Scottish pipe bands, in their modern form, were created by the British Army around 1830. British regiments made up of Scottish clansmen married rudimental drumming with the Highland bagpipes and kilts in order to regain their independent culture. The drum rudiments were modified from British and European sources to fit with
7208-477: The USSR reintroduced drumming to the military in the 1920s. Russia actually has no names or specific sticking for rudimental patterns but a selection of rolls and ruffs of various lengths are present in military music. Youth Pioneer groups use simplified military signals, though the rudiments taught in these groups use American terms. British rudimental manuals with decipherable rudiments date back as far as 1634 with
7314-415: The case of a snare drum and some other percussion instruments, rolls may be indicated by individual notes or with the use of tremolos, depending on the sheet music's notation. In percussion, three types of tremolos may be seen in sheet music; a tremolo with a single, double, or triple slash going through the stem: A single slash indicates a diddle, or two double strokes from a single hand, that subdivides
7420-411: The cavalry. The presence of the cavalry would cause the infantry to form square, but the closely packed infantrymen would then become targets for the artillery since the cohesion of the square would break under their fire, making it much easier for the cavalry to press home the attack. Combined attacks by infantry and cavalry would also have the same effect; the defending infantry unit would be placed in
7526-532: The development of modern firearms and the demise of cavalry, the square formation is now considered obsolete. The formation was described by Plutarch and used by the Ancient Romans ; it was developed from an earlier circular formation. In particular, a large infantry square was used by the Roman legions at the Battle of Carrhae against Parthia , whose armies contained a large proportion of cavalry. That
7632-420: The difficult position of either forming square and being shot to pieces by the attacking infantry, which would usually be in line formation , or being ridden down by the cavalry if it decided to remain in line and trade volleys with the attacking infantry. In addition, if the cavalry could catch an infantry unit before it formed square properly, the horsemen could usually inflict severe casualties or even destroy
7738-477: The double-stroke roll. (NARD Standard 26 American Drum Rudiments of 1933) In 1984, the Percussive Arts Society added 14 more rudiments to extend the list to the current 40 International Snare Drum Rudiments. The ordering was completely changed during this last re-organization. A hybrid drum rudiment is when two rudiments are combined into one rudiment. For example, the PAS #30 Flam Drag
7844-417: The down-stroke, the hand is then raised for the upstroke. While the hand raises, the bead of the stick is returning toward the head after its bounce off the rim. As the raising hand and falling bead reach the same height, the head is struck for the second time. This creates two beats contacting the drum head out of a single stroke motion of the arm. The precise moment of contact with the rim momentarily creates
7950-743: The druckruf and doppelwirbel. The Prussian drumming style was distinct from the regional rudimental practices of Bavaria, despite Bavaria being a part of modern Germany. It also did not apply in Hannover – which was effectively part of the British Empire for a significant period and thus used British drumming idioms. Sweden had drummers on military payrolls as early as 1528. The Swedish rudimental style has some unique features and rhythmic interpretations, however it draws significant influence from both French and Prussian sources. The first written manual dates from 1836 with little variation in style until
8056-507: The following day when their supplies ran low. During the American Civil War , the infantry square was used on only a few occasions, the most notable of which was the Thirty-Second Indiana Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Rowlett's Station , December 17, 1861 against Terry's Texas Rangers . A Colorado Volunteer company formed square when it was charged by lancers of the 5th Texas Mounted Rifles at
8162-468: The infantry "throw away their fire" by causing them to fire too early. However, if the infantrymen were well-disciplined and held their ground, the cavalryman's dream to "ride a square into red ruin" would not be realized, but such an event was the exception, rather than the rule, in the history of warfare. The most effective way to break a square was not direct cavalry attack but the use of artillery , particularly firing canister shot , which could massacre
8268-410: The infantry would volley fire at approaching cavalry, either by file or by rank . In successful actions, the infantry would often withhold the volley until the charging horses and men were about 30 m from the square; the resulting casualties to the attackers would eventually form piles of dead and wounded horses and their riders, which would obstruct further attacks. Undisciplined or early fire by
8374-422: The infantry would be ineffective against the attacking cavalry and leave the foot soldiers with empty muskets. The cavalrymen could then approach to very short range while the infantry was reloading, where they could fire at the infantry with their pistols , slash at them with sabres or stab them with lances , if they were so equipped. Firing too late, with cavalry within 20 m, although more effective in hitting
8480-411: The instruments' resonance, a fairly open roll is usually used, although the exact rate at which a roll is played depends greatly on the acoustic conditions, the size of the drum, the pitch to which is it tuned and the sticks being used. Higher pitches on timpani require a faster roll to maintain a sustained sound; some timpanists choose to use a buzz roll on higher notes at lower volumes; although there
8586-409: The left and right hands. Using a forearm stroke for the first and the fingers for the second stroke, the 2 strokes can be made to sound identical. This produces a near-continuous sound when the technique is mastered. In rudimental drumming, open rolls, consisting of double strokes, are often measured out to a specific number of strokes. A 3 stroke roll is the shortest possible open double stroke roll, but
8692-510: The loss of sound is to overlap the 3rd bounce from one hand with the first bounce of the next in the manner of a Flam Tap, only much faster and smaller. The loud first bounce occurring closer to the quiet 3rd bounce from the preceding hand give the illusion that the bounces have a more even volume. There are many interpretations of concert rolls and while the variations result in a similar rolling sound, there are subtle audible differences. One major point of differentiation between rolling techniques
8798-716: The losses of the attacking Mahdists, who were largely armed with spears and swords. In 1936, during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War , the advancing Italians formed an infantry square to defend against a possible Ethiopian counterattack in the Battle of Shire , although no counterattack was ever launched. On March 19, 1836, while on the retreat from Goliad after the fall of the Alamo , Texan Colonel James Fannin and his command of 300 men were intercepted by over 1,200 Mexican troops. The Texans formed square and repulsed three successive Mexican charges but surrendered
8904-413: The muscles of their fingers instead of those of the wrists. The fingers have a shorter rotation length and can move faster with less effort than the wrist. The fulcrum roll, or freehand roll, is a roll in which the rim of the drum momentarily replaces the original finger-created fulcrum. Thus is qualifies as a dual-fulcrum or multiple-fulcrum stroke. The initial stroke creates contact with the drum head in
9010-429: The note in two. RR or LL A double slash indicates two diddles, or two double strokes from each hand, that subdivides the note in four. RRLL or LLRR A triple slash indicates four diddles, playing two double strokes twice from each hand, that subdivides the note into eight. RRLLRRLL or LLRRLLRR In a 4/4 time signature, a triple slash quarter note would entail playing double strokes for two eighth notes with
9116-421: The note. Depending on the sheet music, individual notes with labeled sticking patterns can also be rolls. These rolls can be single stroke rolls, double stroke rolls, triple stroke rolls, or any multiple bounce roll variation. Rolls that don't use tremolos typically incorporate different articulations and dynamics, although this is not always the case . Single-stroke roll In rudimental drumming ,
9222-453: The open roll, there are many other rolls and rudiments that sound like rolls when they are played fast enough (like the freehand technique or single paradiddle ). In the table below, lower-case letters represent grace notes ( drags , flams etc.) and hyphens represent rests. Also, the six-stroke roll is often used in snare solo and marching percussion situations and is a favorite for jazz and rock drummers. It has four variations; each note
9328-630: The piping idioms that had been in place for several hundred years prior. Pipe bands, and their stylistically unique drummers, saw their first widespread use during the Crimean War . They continued to be an active part of battle until World War I , after which they assumed a ceremonial role. There are currently around 60–75 Scottish rudiments played in pipe bands around the commonwealth countries and former British colonies, taking influence from Swiss, French, and American Hybrid drumming as well as traditional Scottish rhythms. Many attempts at formalizing
9434-629: The publication of Thomas Fisher's Warlike Directions or the Soldiers Practice which shows at least 4 ruff-based rudiments. A more thorough manual appeared in 1760, Spencer's The Drummer's Instructor . British military drumming had already been exported to the American Colonies by the time of the American Revolution in the 1770s. The anonymously authored Young Drummers Assistant was published around 1780 and
9540-432: The speed of the roll and the corresponding arm motion. The benefit is that the roll sounds optimal and smooth at any tempo. The metered closed roll should not be confused with the open or measured roll, as described below. Examples of Drum rudiments that are similar to, or precisely like, a concert closed roll include: The open roll ("double- stroke roll" or "long roll") is played with double strokes alternating between
9646-678: The square, opening a gap that could be exploited, as happened at the Battle of Garcia Hernandez , shortly after the Battle of Salamanca (1812). The square continued in use into the late 19th century by European armies against irregular warriors in colonial actions, but it was different in form from the Napoleonic formation: At the Battle of Custoza (1866) , during the Third Italian War of Independence , Italian bersaglieri formed squares at Villafranca to defend themselves from charging Austrian uhlans . On 7 February 1857, during
9752-865: The square. The square was revived in the 14th century as the schiltron . It later appeared as the pike square or tercio during the Thirty Years War , the Eighty Years War and was widely used as well in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars . As used in the Napoleonic Wars, the formation was constituted as a hollow square or sometimes a rectangle , with each side composed of two or more ranks of soldiers armed with single-shot muskets or rifles with fixed bayonets . Generally,
9858-424: The targets, could result in a fatally wounded horse tumbling into the infantry ranks and creating a gap, thus permitting the surviving horsemen to enter the square and break it up from within. It was vital for squares to stand firm in the face of a charge, but they were not static formations. In suitable terrain astute commanders could manoeuvre squares to mass fire and even trap cavalry, as the French managed against
9964-437: The tempo, and the sound quality may vary by tempo. The benefit is that it makes all the rolls fit neatly into the music in time and is easier to count. Unmetered rolls require the player to perform the best possible sounding roll they can, whether or not the arm movements correspond to the musical tempo. The drawback to this approach is that the player must count the beats of the music independently to, and in complete disregard of,
10070-430: The tightly packed infantry of the square. To be truly effective, such artillery fire had to be delivered at close range. A 20 m wide infantry square was a small and difficult target for field artillery firing from within or just in front of its own army's lines, typically at least 600 m away, a range at which most rounds could then be expected to miss. Thus, attackers would usually try to deploy horse artillery accompanying
10176-424: The unit completely. The Battle of Quatre Bras (1815) saw several examples, with several British units being surprised at close range by French cavalry hidden by the terrain . Other circumstances that could lead to a successful cavalry attack included sudden rainstorms soaking the infantry's gunpowder , effectively reducing their weapons to very short pikes , or a mortally wounded horse in full gallop crashing into
10282-758: Was A Revolutionary War Drummers Book , also from 1778, which displayed 20 exercises that can be taken as rudiments as well as "drum beatings" such as the piece Valley Forg [sic]. This was followed by Ben Clark's manual on military drumming in 1797 and David Hazeltine's book Instructor in Martial Music in 1810. Charles Stewart Ashworth was the first person to actually label short drum exercises as "Rudiments" in 1812. Several more manuals of note were printed between 1812 and 1860, including those by Charles Robbins (1812), Rumrille and Holton (1817), Alvan Robinson (1818), Levi Lovering (1819), and George Klinehanse (1853). A number of manuals next appeared during
10388-477: Was adopted over the Austrian or Sicilian as the official pan-Italian rudimental system. German speaking regions of Europe, often referred to historically as Prussian, had developed their own unique rudimental system by the late 18th century, as evidenced by Wittwe's 1777 publication Kurze Anweisung zum Trommel-Spiel The system was dominated by the right hand and featured only about 14 standard rudiments, such as
10494-637: Was an influential book on both sides of the Atlantic. The British system was further refined for the 19th century by Samuel Potter in 1817 with his book The Art of Beating the Drum . In the 18th century, drummers uniforms were reverse color from the rest of their military unit, but after the War of 1812, and coincidentally during Samuel Potter's service, their uniforms were switched to the standard color scheme so as not to stand out in battle. Samuel's son, Henry Potter,
10600-424: Was essentially a mobile fortified camp. Cavalry would ride out of the square through gaps in lines to exploit opportunities for attack and retreat the same way if the situation turned against it. The infantry square described by Nikephoros Phokas consisted of 12,000 men, who were deployed in 1000-man taxiarchies, which were separated by intervals wide enough to admit a dozen cavalrymen riding abreast to enter or leave
10706-540: Was following an the trail of a party of Cheyenne who had killed a group of Union Pacific Railway surveyors. Tracking along the Saline River , he was surrounded by about 400 horse-mounted Cheyenne warriors. Armes formed a defensive "hollow square" with the cavalry mounts in the middle. Seeking a better defensive position, Armes walked his command while he maintained the defensive square. After 8 hours of combat, 2,000 rounds of defensive fire, and 15 miles of movement,
10812-714: Was home to fife and drum traditions as far back as the 1400s. During the 19th century, at least 3 distinct styles of drumming were practiced: Austrian style drumming in the northern regions adjacent to the Austrian Empire, a central Italian style in Sardinia, Piedmont, and the Papal States, and a southern style in Naples and Sicily. With the unification of the Kingdom of Italy in the 1870s, the central Italian style
10918-563: Was much more legible) while Swiss rudiments were written in standard notation centuries earlier. Swiss Ordonnanz rudiments are nearly unknown outside of Switzerland, while Basel rudiments are featured (after the 1930s) in other systems around the world, such as the Scottish, American, and Hybrid. The Top Secret Drum Corps is a prominent organization from Basel Switzerland that utilizes traditional Basel rudimental drumming along with other rudimental influences. French rudiments were influenced by
11024-411: Was one of the earliest military drum manuals to codify a specific national duty in legible drum notation. The craft was improved during the reign of Napoleon I . The French dance known as Le Rigodon is one of the cornerstones of modern rudimental drumming. Kastner 's Manuel Général de Musique Militaire a L’Usage des Armées Françaises from 1848 details the rudimental signals starting as far back as
11130-430: Was published in 1815 and shows about nine basic rudiments. Several manuals are known from the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as Voorschrift voor den seargent of korporaaltamboer of 1893, Tamboers- and Hoornblazersschool of 1896, and Tamboers- and Hoornblazersschool from 1901. The system was simplified and many embellishments removed in the 1930s. The system was again refined following WWII in 1945 and 1946. Now, only
11236-419: Was the standard for military communication from about 1700 to the 1860s, and a list of British army drum calls from 1800 included the long roll as a call to form a square . During the American Civil War the long roll called the troops to assemble and signaled an attack. Again the long roll of the drummers, Again the attacking cannon, mortars, Again to my listening ears the cannon responsive. Other than
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