The Flam — Drum Town

A flam is two notes played by both hands so close together that they sound like one thick stroke. The lead hand plays a quiet grace note just before the main hand's full stroke — close enough that you hear "fl-AM" rather than two distinct hits.

Two things make a flam work: height and timing. The lead hand starts low (about two inches from the head); the main hand starts high (six inches or more). Both come down at almost the same instant — the lead hand lands first only because it has less distance to travel. The volume difference is automatic if the heights are right.

The lead hand alternates: a right flam is grace L + main R (the L is the grace because the R is louder); a left flam is grace R + main L. After each flam, your hands are pre-positioned for the next one — the hand that just played the main stroke is now high and ready to be the next main note.

Reading the Notation

The notation below uses real grace notes — the tiny slashed note before each main note is the grace. A lowercase l or r under the grace tells you which hand plays it; the uppercase R or L under the main note is the loud hand. The grace is not on the metronome click — the main note is. Don't try to play the grace "on time"; play it just before time, leaning into the main stroke.

Exercises

1 — A Single R-Flam on Each Beat

4/4 · ♩ = 60

Eight R-flams, one per beat — slow on purpose so the hands can re-set their heights between flams. Listen for 'fl-AM · fl-AM', never 'L-R · L-R': if you hear two equal notes, the grace is too loud. Drop the left hand lower.

2 — Alternating Flams (R-flam, L-flam)

4/4 · ♩ = 60

R-flam on beats 1 and 3, L-flam on 2 and 4 — the hands pre-position themselves if you don't fight it. Pass check: both flams identical in shape. If the L-flam is wider or sloppier, run Ex 1 with the lead reversed until it matches.

3 — 8th-Note Flam Stream (Alternating)

4/4 · 8ths · ♩ = 60

Every 8th note flammed, lead alternating R-L-R-L — the flam stream, a thick texture from marching and orchestral writing. The limit is how cleanly you re-set heights between consecutive flams. If a grace starts disappearing or the alternation slips, drop to ♩=50 and rebuild.

4 — Flam on the Beat, Single on the &

4/4 · 8ths · ♩ = 70

Flam on every quarter, single 8th between: flamR-R · flamL-L · flamR-R · flamL-L. The flam lands on the click; the unaccented same-hand single fills the &. This is a classic flam-tap-shaped pattern — see how the second R is the tap off the rebound from the flam's main note. Lead alternates each beat, so each hand plays one flam-and-tap pair before handing over. This exercise prepares you directly for the next lesson.

Reading the Notation

Exercises

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