Quack, Moo and Paradiddle

Rudiments: "The basic principles or skills of a particular subject."

Onomatopoeia: "A word that is phonetically associated with the word it describes."

Scales are for a violinist as drum rudiments are for the drummer. To master anything one must learn the basic rudiments. Once learned they can be assembled to create something more than the individual parts.

Drum Rudiments are a collection of sticking patterns and bounces that were developed to provide the beginning drummer the skills to play his/her instrument. But why the funny names?

Most of the Rudiment names are onomatopoeiae. They imitate the sound of the rudiment/sticking. They were developed in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the use of onomatopoeia was to help the student memorize them. Since many people were illiterate at the time, this technique was easier than using notation. 

The teacher would say the name of the rudiment and then play it. The student would repeat the name and play it. *

The Paradiddle

The Flam

The Ruff

Rudiments could be built upon each other such as combining the Flam and the Paradiddle producing the Flam Paradiddle but saying the word Flamadiddle.

The Flam Paradiddle or Flamadiddle

Some teachers don't teach the rudiments, either they themselves don't know them or they are biased toward the word 'rudiment'. The rudiments doesn't necessarily mean  'Rudimental Drumming' (think marching bands or drum corps). They provide the student with the fundamentals to play all styles of drumming i.e. Concert, Rudimental, Drumset.

* I spent a year learning Tabla, one of the percussion instruments of Northern India. I would sit on the floor in my teacher's basement facing him and would play just as noted above. My lessons were 45 minutes long then his wife would come into the room with tea and cookies. We spent another 45 minutes with him telling me stories of his childhood in India. That was a great year.