How to Do a Flam on the Drums

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By christinevand
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This is what a flam might look like on sheet music.

If you are a drummer, there are a few rudiments worth learning from the start. The "flam" is one of them. Here's how to do it.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Hold a drumstick in each hand.
Step 2

Hold up the right drum stick with its tip about 12 inches above the drum pad. Hold the left drum stick about three inches above the pad.
Step 3

Don't hit them both down at the exact same time. That's actually called a double-stop. With a flam, you want one of the sticks to hit the drum just before the other one.
Step 4

The left stick should hit the pad just before the right. It should not sound like two distinct beats, but more like "flam," with the left stick making the "f" sound and the right making the "lam" sound.
Step 5

Now switch positions, and hold the left stick about 12 inches above the drum and the right about three. Repeat the above steps. You've now executed a left and a right flam.