If you've ever seen me teach a lesson, you know I'm a huge proponent of building from the ground up. If you go to too fast, too soon, you risk developing poor habits, sacrificing quality for speed or complexity.

For a rudiment like the Flam Five, you see below how it can be broken down into several more basic elements. By using Musical X-rays (Live Lesson #10), we begin by just isolating the single drag on the first and second partial, and then combining them to create a Five Stroke roll. Pay attention to the rhythmic accuracy, quality of sound, and consistency in height. How well you can execute on those items here will directly affect your performance of each subsequent phase.