Percussion Rudiments

Percussion Rudiments

What do I need to know to start percussion in high school?

I curently play clarinet, so I’ve got some ‘band experience’, but I would like to play percussion in the marching band next year. I played piano for 6 years and my dad is a drummer, so I’ve got a few advantages that might help me.

Besides that, what rudiments (etc.) do I need to know? I want to fit in with the other percussionists, lol.
I would like to be in drum line.

Having band experience is very helpful. Most students who end up joining the drumline from another instrument will end up in the pit, especially if you are a proficient reader.
Rhythm reading skills are important, but the majority of battery music is repeated and/or simpler rhythms that are quickly memorized and easy to get everyone to line up on. These rhythms are based off of your basic rudiments about 75% of the time. Many people make it into the battery because they have better music study and memorization skills than others.
The most important aspect of drumline music is “chops” which is a nonsense word meaning the strength and speed of motion to play consistently and correctly in time. You need strong wrists and arms to excell at this, and the best way is, like you already know, to practice rudiments. Most 6th grade percussionists begin learning rudiments right away, so you are a little bit behind in this concern. Luckily for us percussionists, however, we have an EXCELLENT resource on the web for learning and perfecting your rudiments;
http://www.vicfirth.com/education/index.html.
That link is through vicfirth.com, although I linked you directly to the education section. If you scroll down the page to the snare drum section, the first link you will see is “40 essential snare drum rudiments.”
This gives you the layout of the rudiments, what they look like on paper, how to play them, and a recording to listen to. Also, you can up the tempo of the recording to speed up your skills (which builds your chops) and get better and better.
If you master these rudiments and have good memorization skills, you will do great. Repitition is key to solidfying these rudiments to your muscle memory.
Practice hard and have fun, and you will have great success.

Rudiments, Rudiments, Rudiments! $14.99 Finally, there is a professional recording of the 40 International Snare Drum Rudiuments! This CD is an invaluable resource tool for percussion teachers, band directors, and students. This compact disc includes 40 drum rudiments and 6 graded snare drum solo masterfully performed on a Gladstone snare….

Savage Rudimental Workshop: A Musical Approach to Develop Total Control of the 40 P.a.s. Rudiments $18.50 This unique book is a state-of-the-art resource for developing total control of the 40 Percussive Arts Society rudiments with immediate results — and in a musical context. Each rudiment includes a collection of short exercises and solos, allowing the pla…

Rudiment Grooves for Drum Set $11.97 Turn those standard 26 rudiments into mind-blowing grooves, fills, and solos.All that rhythmic sophistication you hear great drummers do can easily be broken down into its basic elements: the rudiments. Rudiments are the drum language; a basic vocabulary of rhythms that drummers arrange and rearrange when they play grooves, solos, and fills. This book shows you how to apply them to the drum set in…

Buddy Rich’s Modern Interpretation of Snare Drum Rudiments $21.53 Buddy Rich’s Modern Interpretation of Snare Drum Rudiments contains a systematic course for the beginner, and is a great value to the teacher and professional who wishes to increase his knowledge of rudiments. In additon to the elementary principles of music, there are eighty-three lessons of exercises and rudiment, twenty-one reading exercises, ten exercises employing rudiments and advanced rhyth…

Savage Rudimental Workshop $19.57 This unique book is a state-of-the-art resource for developing total control of the 40 Percussive Arts Society rudiments with immediate results — and in a musical context. Each rudiment includes a collection of short exercises and solos, allowing the …