The Importance Of Learning Hybrid Rudiments |

After spending the past four years studying Hybrid Rudiments I have found many improvements in my playing, touch, and feel behind the drum set. It’s been a journey that came through a weird concept… Skateboarding. As an early teen not only was I into playing drums to the newest Metallica album at the time, or preparing for all county band, but I was also into skateboarding with my friends after school. This was something that we could all relate to with each other and there was a new challenge each week with new tricks evolving. This sparked our creativity and the urge to improve. Thinking back on it I can see how those sessions closely compare to learning hybrid rudiments, or rudiments in general. Consider this… you have to ollie (skater and board leap into the air) to execute most tricks when street skating. If you do a kick flip then you apply another technique with your feet accompanied by the ollie. There’s a combination! Same with Hybrids. You take a standard rudiment and make combinations like “Cheese” (flam/diddle).

After we had a number of tricks under our belt it became easier to execute more advanced tricks. Also we saw an improvement in our overall technique as we were building our vocabulary. Same thing happens when learning Rudiments/Hybrid Rudiments. We add to our vocabulary, improve our reading, and learn new techniques that make playing certain passages easier. I also feel that it can spark creativity in grooves and fills outside of the rudimental world. You can’t lose because your educating yourself in so many ways physically and mentally! Imagine your ghost notes improving drastically from learning more about stick heights and bounce control, or your fills becoming more creative by adding partials and non traditional sticking patterns.

Four years later I can tell a drastic difference in my overall playing! My hands have become better through learning how to adjust stick heights, fulcrum pressure, and bounce control. My reading has taken leaps beyond where it was with tricky patterns, added partials, and combinations. I have nothing but great things to say about Hybrid Rudiments and I hope that this post inspires you to take that step forward to learning a few hybrids to see where it can take your playing.

Don’t let those words “Hybrid Rudiment” scare you away. The approach is the same as anything else, start slow and work your way up! It’s not a race but a journey and everyone’s journey is different. Below are some answers and tips to help you out if you decide to embark on this path.

Commonly Asked Questions

I’m not a rudimental player, why would I need to learn these?

So you are not a rudimental player… Great! You don’t have to be, there are plenty of creative ways you can use Hybrids on the kit between playing grooves, and fills. Also you have to think about the fact that if you find one you can’t use on the drum set that you are still growing your vocabulary and learning new techniques to improve your hands.

What’s the difference between Rudiments and Hybrid Rudiments?

Hybrid Rudiments are combinations of more than one rudiment. This could be pairing a flam and diddle together on an already prominent Rudiment such as the paradiddle, which would make it a “cheese” paradiddle. Ridiculous name right?

What are the benefits?

Not only are you expanding your vocabulary by learning more rudiments and combinations, but you are also exposing your hands to more techniques and the improvement of applying and releasing fulcrum pressure. Here are a few topics that you will see improvements in over time.

stick heights
doubles
diddles
triple strokes
accents
flams
cheese (flam/diddle)
stickings
develop better fulcrum control
bounce control
improved reading skills

Great Hybrid Rudiments to get started with!

There are some hybrids that aren’t so scary for the beginner that you could easily play them today! Here are a few gateway hybrids that I think can be an easy for the first attempt.

Herta

Cheeselet

Stutter Diddles

Swiss Drag

Should I learn standard Rudiments first before I attempt these?

You should have a decent understanding of standard rudiments to be able to execute most of these hybrids. The following rudiments are a must to know before jumping into the hybrid world.

doubles
diddles
triple stroke
alternating flams
flam accent
paradiddles (single, double, and paradiddle-diddle)

Ready to start the journey?

If you feel that you are ready to dive into the world of Hybrid Rudiments there are plenty that you can choose from. The world of Hybrid Rudiments is always evolving with well over 500 existing today. You can find these online with the provided links below and also look for my Lesson Of The Week where you will find my Hybrid Rudiment Breakdown series. I am also available for Skype lessons where I teach technique, reading, and coach you on the mechanics of Rudiments/Hybrid Rudiments.
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