# Drum Rudiment Coach: Learn 16 Essential Rudiments by Playing Them

> Drum Rudiment Coach is a free web app that teaches 16 essential drum rudiments, from the single stroke roll to the ratamacue, checking every stroke for timing and for the hand that played it. Tap the left and right pads or clap into the mic. On-device only, no account, not a teacher.

*Interactive tool: enter your values at https://toollantern.win/learn-drum-rudiments/ and results update instantly in your browser.*

## Frequently asked questions
### What is a drum rudiment?

A drum rudiment is a short, named sticking pattern: a fixed sequence of left and right hand strokes with a fixed rhythm. Rudiments are the vocabulary of drumming. The Percussive Arts Society standardised 40 of them in 1984, organised into roll, diddle, flam and drag families. This app teaches 16 of the most useful ones.

### What does R and L mean in a sticking?

R means your right hand and L means your left hand. Small letters are soft grace notes played just before the loud main note, and underlined letters are accents: play them louder. For example, a flam written lR means a soft left grace note just before a loud right stroke.

### Do I need a drum kit to practise?

No. Tap on a table, your knees, or a practice pad. The app checks the timing and the hand of each tap, not the sound of a drum. A practice pad helps if you want realistic rebound, but it is not required.

### How does the app check my sticking?

In tap mode you play with two pads: the left pad (F key) and the right pad (J key). Each tap carries the hand that tapped it, and the app compares it with the hand the pattern asks for. A stroke on time but from the wrong hand is reported as a wrong-hand mistake with the named hint.

### Why does mic mode not check sticking?

A microphone hears a hit but cannot tell which hand made it. Mic mode therefore grades timing only and skips the hand check. If you want sticking checked, use the tap pads. The home page states this plainly so nobody is misled.

### What is a flam, in plain language?

A flam is two notes that sound almost as one: a soft grace note just before a loud main note, played by the opposite hand. In this app the grace note sits 0.15 beats before the main note, which still lands exactly on the beat. If you skip the grace note, the app tells you to add it.

### What is a drag, and how is it different from a flam?

A drag (once called a ruff) is a flam with two grace notes instead of one: two soft notes at 0.3 and 0.15 beats before a loud accent, both from the hand opposite the accent. Flams have one grace note, drags have two. The ratamacue is a drag followed by a paradiddle.

### What score do I need to pass a rudiment?

A take passes at 75% of strokes on the beat, with extra hits counted against you. A perfect take, every stroke on the beat with the right hands and no extra hits, earns bonus points and a badge. Passing any rudiment in a level unlocks the next level.

### What is quiz mode?

Quiz mode scores 5 rudiments you have never practised, including left-lead versions and combinations such as a paradiddle into a five stroke roll. It tests whether you can read and play a new sticking on first sight. Wrong answers show the named hint and do not advance the quiz.

### Is my drumming recorded or uploaded?

No. In mic mode the audio is measured in your browser and discarded block by block; only hit times are kept for the current take. The microphone turns off when you leave the practice screen, press Turn off, switch to tap mode, or switch tabs. The Offline proof button shows every network request the page makes, and there are none beyond this site.

### Which rudiments are not in the app yet?

The app teaches 16 of the 40 International Drum Rudiments. Missing for now are the single stroke four and seven, the multiple bounce roll, the triple stroke roll, the six, ten, eleven, fifteen and seventeen stroke rolls, the flam accent, the flamacue, the Swiss Army triplet, the double drag tap, Lesson 25, the drag paradiddles, and the remaining ratamacues.

### Is this app a substitute for a drum teacher?

No. This is a home practice tool, not a teacher, therapist or safety device. Feedback is automatic and can be wrong. A teacher can watch your grip, rebound and posture in a way no app can, so find a local drum teacher or community music school for real instruction.

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Interactive version: https://toollantern.win/learn-drum-rudiments/