How do you play flams correctly?

[HumbleGospelDrummer]

Reason i ask is cause of the comments about this vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW8e2Hmug3s

????????

[j_kay]

This guy said it best: "a grace note should be as close to the main note as possible, without the two notes hitting at exactly the same time. What happened here is the latter. Also, the flams played here were pretty dirty to begin with."

[MENDOZA]

Yo Yo LGM FAM!!!!!!!!

First of all Merry Christmas and I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas.

Ok, As far as flams go.   In the marching world, which I was brought up in when I was younger the flams are suppose to be tight.  So the grace note like Jkay said are to be as close to the main note or primary note as possible, without the two notes hitting at the exact same time also known as flat flams or double stomps.  In the marching world, the grace note should be 1 1/2 inches away from the drum head and the accents should be at 3,6,9,12" etc.  Why do they do this?  So they can have a uniformed looked.  Nonetheless you still get really tight flams.  However, when I was studying to get my degree in Music Education, I studied with alot of different orchestral cats and they all had different philosophies about the flams and grace notes. One professor was animate about having tight flams, while the other was animate about hearing an "open" flam.  When you listen to a violinist place a grace note, it's not tight?  So why do we try to play tight flams?  That was his philosophy.  However, I say be able to do both.  Now I'm just talking about isolated flams not flam taps (like in this clip).   When you start getting into different combinations of flams (flam drag, flam accent, flam mills, etc.) you don't have time to open the flam up because now we are involving different  strokes (full, down, upstrokes, pullouts, etc) and speed.  So there's not much time to "open" and make a flam wide.  However, when you are just doing a flam you are able to manipulate the grace note by it's height.   Here's a test and something that dumbfounded me when my professor showed me in college....When you go home today take your sticks and raise to your shoulder and let's say the left one to your waiste, drop them at the same time, listen to the separation of the grace note and the primary stroke.  Now raise both sticks to the same level and raise the right hand slightly higher than the left and now listen what do you hear?  A tighter flam... Just something to think about.  Take care and God Bless.

Carlito

[BEATBOXERZ]

Yo Yo LGM FAM!!!!!!!!

First of all Merry Christmas and I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas.

Ok, As far as flams go.   In the marching world, which I was brought up in when I was younger the flams are suppose to be tight.  So the grace note like Jkay said are to be as close to the main note or primary note as possible, without the two notes hitting at the exact same time also known as flat flams or double stomps.  In the marching world, the grace note should be 1 1/2 inches away from the drum head and the accents should be at 3,6,9,12" etc.  Why do they do this?  So they can have a uniformed looked.  Nonetheless you still get really tight flams.  However, when I was studying to get my degree in Music Education, I studied with alot of different orchestral cats and they all had different philosophies about the flams and grace notes. One professor was animate about having tight flams, while the other was animate about hearing an "open" flam.  When you listen to a violinist place a grace note, it's not tight?  So why do we try to play tight flams?  That was his philosophy.  However, I say be able to do both.  Now I'm just talking about isolated flams not flam taps (like in this clip).   When you start getting into different combinations of flams (flam drag, flam accent, flam mills, etc.) you don't have time to open the flam up because now we are involving different  strokes (full, down, upstrokes, pullouts, etc) and speed.  So there's not much time to "open" and make a flam wide.  However, when you are just doing a flam you are able to manipulate the grace note by it's height.   Here's a test and something that dumbfounded me when my professor showed me in college....When you go home today take your sticks and raise to your shoulder and let's say the left one to your waiste, drop them at the same time, listen to the separation of the grace note and the primary stroke.  Now raise both sticks to the same level and raise the right hand slightly higher than the left and now listen what do you hear?  A tighter flam... Just something to think about.  Take care and God Bless.

Carlito

Good word Carlito... The one thing I would add to the list is the Swiss Flams. Go study up on that one That is the most fun rudiment, besides the paradiddle.

[HumbleGospelDrummer]

Thanks for the responses, and Beat ill definately look up that one.

[juSe]

Troof

[dude-on-drums]

This guy said it best: "a grace note should be as close to the main note as possible, without the two notes hitting at exactly the same time. What happened here is the latter. Also, the flams played here were pretty dirty to begin with."

Indeed

Good word too Carlito!

[BEATBOXERZ]

Thanks for the responses, and Beat ill definately look up that one.

Yeah, make sure you study up on Swiss Flam.