The pataflafla is one of the drum rudiments that’s most frown upon. Many drum set players perceive it as useless and musically irrelevant outside the realm of snare drumming. If you’re one of them, we hope to change your mind through this free drum lesson. In it, you’ll find four good examples of how to use the pataflafla for coming up with cool sounding and creative drum fills.
The pataflafla used in modern drumming is actually a variation on the one played by the Swiss, which was borrowed from the French military style of drumming. The original pataflafla is four-note long 16th-note pattern. It starts on the “e” of count 1, ends on count 2, and is played as a crescendo–there are no hand-to-hand pataflaflas. The first two strokes are singles (pa, ta) and the last two are flams (fla, fla), hence its name. Now that you know a bit of the pataflafla’s history, we encourage you to learn more about its modern interpretation before giving this free drum lesson a go.
Once you’re done with these pataflafla-based drum fills, check the free drum lesson on the drag ruff. There, you’ll learn how to master the drag ruff and how to use it within drum beats and fills.