The forty standardized rudiments, as presented by such organizations as the Percussive Arts Society, are a generally accepted group of sticking and rhythmic patterns that can be utilized to develop control, speed, endurance, and coordination. While the rudiments certainly go a long way to help attain technical goals, some drummers might consider them to be somewhat limited in scope and depth. For example, many drummers now include quintuplets and septuplets in their everyday playing, yet no single rudiment utilizes either of these two rhythmic groupings. Also, the official rudiments are typically demonstrated by starting on a downbeat in a duple- or triplet-based subdivision. But by practicing each rudiment in both subdivisions whenever possible, and by starting them at different points along the beat, students can better challenge their control, timing, and vocabulary.
