Rudiment Application & Technique Builder – Drum Practice Routine (Part 30)

Written By David Montoya
Student playing rudiments across the drum kit during in-home drum lesson in Redondo Beach

Welcome to the final entry in our Drum Practice Routine Series — and the beginning of a deeper dive into rudiments and technique.

In Part 11, we explored what rudiments are and how to start learning them. Now in Part 30, we’re expanding that foundation and learning how to apply rudiments creatively on the full kit — while improving tone, control, and musicality.

This routine blends elements from:

🕛 30-Minute Rudiment & Technique Builder

1. Foundational Rudiment Flow (5 min)
Rotate between singles, doubles, paradiddles, and flams at 60–80 BPM.

  • Play 1 min each

  • Add accents on every 3rd or 4th note

  • Use full wrist strokes and rebound control

2. Moving Rudiments Across the Kit (10 min)
Practice fluid movement between drums:

  • Paradiddles on snare → tom 1 → tom 2 → floor tom

  • Doubles between snare and hi-hat

  • Flams: Snare + Floor tom accents

Challenge: Try combining Part 10 hand speed drills with this section.

3. Groove Integration (5 min)
Play a simple rock beat, then replace snare notes with:

  • R-L-RR (Paradiddle style)

  • Doubles (R-R or L-L)

  • Flam on 2 & 4 for a punchy backbeat

Use ideas from Part 27 to experiment with ghost notes.

4. Rudiment-Based Fills (5 min)
Choose one rudiment and turn it into a fill. Example:

  • Paradiddle fill: R L R R (snare), L R L L (tom 1)

  • Flam fill: Flams around the kit leading into crash

  • Double strokes: Use one hand for toms, other for snare

Blend in ideas from Part 22 to build longer phrases.

5. Solo Flow (5 min)
Improvise a short solo using only the rudiments practiced. Focus on:

  • Pacing

  • Dynamics

  • Creativity

This wraps up the Practice Routine Series — but marks the beginning of our new Rudiments & Technique Blog Series, where we’ll explore hybrid rudiments, hand-foot combinations, and advanced phrasing.

📍 In-Home Drum Lessons Available In:

  • Redondo Beach

  • Torrance

  • Gardena

  • Manhattan Beach

  • Palos Verdes

Contact me to build your own rudiment-based practice plan.

📞 Contact Info:

IN-HOME DRUM LESSONS BY DAVID MONTOYA
📞 310-502-4413
🌐 WWW.DRUMLESSONSINHOME.COM

David Montoya
Next

How to Learn Songs on Drums More Effectively – Drum Practice Routine (Part 29)