disConnect is a pattern for fitting 6-note combinations in order to draw attention to the nuances of finishing out the rudiment and starting it again. Paradiddle-diddles and double paradiddles especially need to be finished strong, but very often the quality and clarity of the final doublestroke are sacrificed for a focus on accents and the beginning of the next repetition of the rudiment. There are many possibilities for what you can fit into this one, but written variations included here are: Doubles, Double Paradiddles, Shirley Murphies, Flam 3–2–1, Flam Paradiddle-diddle, Paradiddle-diddle, Singles, Slurred Six-Stroke Roll, Slurred Ruff, and Swiss Army Triplet.
Invert Motion
Invert Motion works on inverted flam taps—with an optional cheese invert variation—by contextualizing the rudiment with other rudiments that have the same one-handed breakdown: the “invert motion” (two taps followed by a quick upstroke to an accented third note). Pataflaflas and same-handed flam paradiddles have the same one-handed breakdown, although the precise timing of the three notes will vary with the taps’ role as either grace notes or proper taps (within the rhythmic grid).
I pulled this exercise off the cutting room floor of the NC State Drumline exercise packet… I recently found a very early handwritten draft that included several exercises which, despite not making the cut, are actually quite versatile and worthy of study. This exercise was ultimately thrown out in favour of one that focuses more on filling in the breakdowns of the inverted flam tap rudiment; however, the idea for juxtaposing rudiments that have the same one-handed breakdown as each other formed the basis of the Off-Hand Control chapter in the Rudiment Control packet.
Place The Grace 2
Place The Grace 2 is a flams builder that challenges you to keep a consistent pulse on one hand while the other hand plays isolated taps that either serve to fill in the rhythm, to create true flams, or to create flat flams.
Place The Grace 1
Place The Grace 1 is a flams builder that challenges you to experiment with grace-note placement by starting with a rhythmic grid, altering the timing of the rhythmic grid, transitioning to true flams, tightening to flat flams, and ultimately settling on a true flam interpretation.
Grace-Notes Under Pressure
Grace-Notes Under Pressure is an alternative to hardcore gridding as a means of getting comfortable with different grace-note and diddle combinations. It's a basic 7/4 pattern with a systematic walkthrough of flam and drag combinations. The juxtaposition of flam-paradiddle variations with flam-accent variations should challenge you to stay loose and relaxed as you add the "ornaments" (grace-notes and diddles) with variable amounts of fulcrum pressure.
Flam Factorial
Flam Factorial is something to work on flam/cheese inverts in a fun way. As you walk down the number of notes in a bar, the even-time bars have inverts, and the odd-time bars just alternate hands. There is a strong tendency to approach accents and diddles differently when you're having to upstroke quickly, versus when you're playing comfortable, alternating sticking patterns.
There's an extra layer of difficulty, too, in throwing inverted flam-taps or cheeses into an otherwise open and comfortable check pattern... a lot of invert exercises (Susie, for example) allow you to maintain a base level of tension in your hands without noticing how it affects tap sound quality, because it's a lot of inverted flam combinations. Throwing contiguous taps in between the cheese inverts should open your ears to how much the invert motion can cause tension that distorts the tap sound and diddle quality.
Grace Note Control
Grace Note Control requires that the lead hand in a series of same-handed flams crescendo or decrescendo, while the grace-note hand remain steady. This is a very challenging exercise that requires a great deal of control over grace note placement.
Not Hugadigs
Not Hugadigs works on three-beat series that are not hugadigs (the one-handed breakdown of a flam-tap): i.e., the strict accent-to-tap (Rrr) and tap-to-accent (rrR) figures that are the breakdowns of pataflaflas, inverted flam taps, and accented single-stroke figures.
