CADENCE WEEK, DAY #5
Here is the fifth and final cadence as promised!
Click “Read More” to listen and download!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #5
Today is the fifth and final day of Cadence Week! Enjoy!
Difficulty: 4.0 – This cadence has a laid-back funk groove spiced up with a lot of rolls and other rudiments. It will require some decent chops, but if you’ve got ’em, audiences will enjoy watching you strut!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #4
The fourth day of Cadence Week!
Click “Read More” to listen and download!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #4
Today is the fourth day of Cadence Week! Enjoy!
Difficulty: 1.5 – This is a fairly simple and catchy cadence that utilizes 16th note rhythms, single strokes, double strokes, and paradiddles. It can serve a younger ensemble by incorporating basic rudiments into their playing, or it can serve as an easy drum line cadence for a more experienced group.
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #3
The third day of Cadence Week!
Click “Read More” to listen and download!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #3
Today is the third day of Cadence Week! Enjoy!
Difficulty: 3.5 – “Nebula” is a driving, upbeat cadence with a lot of energy. The fast tempo provides a challenge, but it should be quite attainable for an intermediate level group. Instrumentation: snare drums, multi-tenor drums (quint-toms), bass drums (4 or 5), cymbals.
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #2
The second day of Cadence Week!
Click “Read More” to listen and download!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #2
Today is the second day of Cadence Week! Enjoy!
Difficulty: 1.5 – The cadence’s title “B.O.A.T.S.” stands for Based On A True Story. (You’ll have to guess what the story is!) It’s a fairly simple groove, and it focuses on ensemble interplay. This would be great for a young drum line that wants to grow as an ensemble—or for a more experienced drum line that wants something catchy they can learn quickly.
Click here to download the score and individual parts.
To access all of the cadences, go here: https://www.rudimentaluniversity.com/drum-line-cadences/ Check back daily for the new additions!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #1
Today is the first day of Cadence Week! Each day we will be posting a new cadence. Here’s the first one.
Click “Read More” to listen and download!
CADENCE WEEK, DAY #1
Today is the first day of Cadence Week! Each day we will be posting a new cadence. Here’s the first one. Enjoy!
Difficulty: 1.0 – The cadence’s title “A.D.M.” stands for Acoustic Dance Music — in contrast to E.D.M. (Electronic Dance Music). The rhythms are inspired by something you might hear in E.D.M., except everything is performed acoustically on drum line instruments. The cadence is intended for younger developing groups or as something simple for more advanced groups to learn quickly. Whatever level your group can perform, it’s fun to play and hear!
Click here to download the score as a PDF, and click here to download individual parts.
To access all of the cadences, go here: https://www.rudimentaluniversity.com/drum-line-cadences/ Check back daily for the new additions!
A new cadence section has been created in the Free Stuff section at the top of the page. Check out these new cadences posted for your listening and playing enjoyment. More will be added in the future, but here are three to get you started.
Some of the cadences are free, and some of them cost a little bit. Overall, we want to keep these affordable and accessible for any drum line that wants to play them. Generally speaking, the free ones have a simple structure and are just fun to play. The ones available for purchase are a little more involved and took more effort to create. If you like this site and the music, please consider supporting it through purchasing one of the cadences. Thanks!
Difficulty: 2.5 – This catchy cadence gets faster and faster on each repetition. This requires some control on accented singles, 6-stroke rolls, and syncopated 16th note rhythms. It should be accessible for an average high school or good junior high drum line.
Click here to download as a PDF.
Difficulty: 1.5 – This simple cadence consists of a three-measure groove followed by a four-count solo, each time performed by a different drum line member. The solos here are just examples. They can be easy or difficult. It’s a fun opportunity to show off some improvisation and creativity! The snare line needs to be able to play a basic rock groove, which requires a little bit of independence coordination between each hand, but it should be fairly quick to learn for most percussionists who have been playing for at least a year. This cadence should be accessible for an average junior high drum line. (A high school can also have fun with it by making the solos flashier and harder!)
Click here to download as a PDF.
Difficulty: 4.5 – You may recognize this cadence as the “soundtrack” for many other videos on this site. It starts confidently with a hard-thumping bass groove and showcases some fun feature moments for every section. The snare and tenors need to be able to play their flam rudiments. Flam taps, pataflaflas, and flamacues are just some of the rudiments you’ll encounter. The bass line has split 16th note triplets and 32nd notes, some syncopated 16th notes splits, and double stroke rolls in the top two parts. The recording features five bass drums, but an alternative four-bass part is included with the purchase. (If you have six bass drums, just double the bottom part.) The cymbal part is written for two or more players, but one person can combine the parts if needed. This cadence has drive. It has attitude. It’s bad a$$. This cadence should be accessible for an average college or good high school line.
This fun bass exercise can be played with the snare and tenor exercises posted yesterday, or it can stand alone as a good splitting workout for five players. As the title indicates, there are 12 sections, and each has a specific focus:
Happy splitting!
To view the exercise, click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.
To view the exercise, click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.
To view the exercise, click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.
To view the exercise, click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.
This exercise has been tailored for different bass line sizes—2 players, 3 players, 4 players, or 5 players. (If you have a larger bass line, simply take the version for 5 players and have two players double one of the parts.)
It covers numerous combinations of sixteenth note triplet split patterns, a skill all bass lines must master. The constantly shifting patterns will keep everyone on their toes. I would recommend practicing each two-measure pattern (indicated by the double bar lines) separately at first. Play each two-measure pattern over and over until your whole section has it down. Once you have each pattern down smoothly, practice the entire exercise from start to finish.
When practicing, be careful to maintain correct note spacing. Usually players tend to err on the side of spacing the triplets too tightly (crushing them), and extra care must be taken to space each note evenly. Sometimes players overcompensate and spread the notes too widely, so be careful to avoid the opposite error as well. Use a metronome to help with pulse control. If possible, get someone with good timing to listen to the exercise and give feedback. If your line works it up, feel free to post a video and link to it in the comments section below.
Happy splitting!
To view the exercise, click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.
So far this week, we have had exercises for snare drum and keyboard percussion. They have all been variations on the “Shifting (P.I.M.A.) Paradiddles” exercise. Today we come to the bass drum variation. (It can be played by as few as two people or expanded to work for any size line.) The acronym in the title—P.I.M.A.—stands for:
Paradiddle — Inverted paradiddle — Mill — Alternating quad
Of course, a standard paradiddle has the sticking RLRR LRLL. An inverted paradiddle is like starting on the second note of a paradiddle: LRRL RLLR. A mill (think “single flammed mill” without the flams) is like starting on the third note: RRLR LLRL. Finally, an alternating quad is like starting on the fourth note: RLRL LRLR. (Of course, this final set is like a quadruple grouping of singles, simply alternating the starting note. Hence its name.)
In this variation, two players go back and forth between a basic 16th note check pattern and then split these different P.I.M.A. patterns. The first time through is all on the right hand. On the repeat, it should be played off the left hand. The best way to practice is with a metronome. Take it slowly, carefully subdivide the 16th notes, and focus on playing the rhythms smoothly with an absolutely steady pulse.
Tomorrow we will feature a variation on this exercise for timpani!
