Four-stroke ruff to a triplet upbeat

The four-stroke ruff is a versatile and useful rudiment. When thinking in triplet-sixteenth-notes, it is fairly easy to play ruffs that land on the down-beat or on the “and” in a straight-time feel.

However, in jazz playing we don’t want to land only on the down-beat, and the “and” of straight time is cool, but not where we usually want to land a fill or lick at slower tempos. So, the idea here is to develop a ruff that lands on the up-beat of a triplet.

To start with just play a pattern accenting the last note of the triplet. Figure A.

Next, double up the first two notes of the triplet to give you a five-stroke roll. Figure B.

Finally, drop the first note of the five-stroke roll, and you have your ruff to the triplet upbeat. Figure C.

It is not as easy as it sounds. Try cycling through the exercises, four bars of each, making sure the accent is landing in the same place each time.

Practice with a basic foot pattern, and with a metronome.

Next, try playing two bars of time and two bars of Figure C. Then three bars of time and one bar of figure C.

Of course, you can voice the figure around the kit in different ways.

The PDF contains two simple ideas, landing the accent on the tom and landing the accent on the cymbal (with the bass drum).

Work slowly and then try to use the idea creatively in your time-playing and soloing.

Have fun. Make music.