New Section for Drum Line Cadences – Downloadable Sheet Music

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!

Great White – FREE

Great White drum cadence

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.

 


Rocky Beat – FREE

Rocky Beat drum cadence

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.

 


Bad bASS – $4.97

Bad bASS cadence

 

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.

Click here to purchase.

Crash Cymbals Exercise: 12 Bucks

Click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.

Today marks the first crash cymbals exercise on Rudimental University!  In just one exercise, the player cycles through a variety of techniques.  This is a really good warm-up for working through some of the most common cymbal effects.  As with all the “12 Bucks” exercises this week, this exercise can be played in individual practice, and it can also be played with other percussionists on other instruments.

The exercise is divided into 12 sections comprised of six “pairs” (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, etc.).  The first time through each section, play with the right hand on top.  On the repeat, flip the cymbals so that the left hand is on top.  Many cymbal players and cymbal lines do not work both hands evenly, but I ask… Why not?  When both hands are equally strong, you have many more options when it comes to performances.

The same rhythmic structure is used throughout the exercise (except for the “tag” at the end).  If you are unfamiliar with extended crash cymbal techniques, there are a few resources online that explain them quite well.  Unfortunately, the terminology varies wildly from instructor to instructor.  I did come across the Oregon Crusaders’ cymbal line packet, and the techniques are all explained quite well in it: http://oregoncrusaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/OCP-Cymbal-Technique-Book-20151.pdf  (Note: what they call “smashes” are what I call “crunches.”  Everything else is the same.)

Here is the breakdown of the techniques:

  • Sections 1-2:  Hi-hat chokes
  • Sections 3-4:  General crashes (you can either push the top cymbal in a downward motion or away from your body—your choice)
  • Sections 5-6:  Taps
  • Sections 7-8:  Dings
  • Sections 9-10:  Clicks
  • Sections 11-12:  Crunches (a.k.a. Smashes)

The tag utilizes crash chokes and sizzle-sucks.

I personally find this a fun exercise to play.  It provides good audio/visual variety, and it keeps you on your toes.  Happy crashing!