From the course: Drum Set Lessons: On the Beaten Path

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The flam

The flam

From the course: Drum Set Lessons: On the Beaten Path

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The flam

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- So, in this next tune Paradise City, Steven Adler incorporates a flam, and a flam makes a sound, a big fat kind of sound that sounds like blam, instead of just bam. Okay, there's two notes that happen real close to each other. So, to play a flam put one stick real close to the drum head, about a half inch or so above the drum head and then put the other stick up in the air. Okay, 'bout a foot off the drum head. And they're gonna hit the drum at slightly different times, okay? But they're gonna be real close together and it's gonna sound like this (hard drum beat) Okay, if you play a flam too tight, too close together if the sticks both hit the drum head at the same time, you're gonna choke the drum, it's gonna sound awful. (harsh drum beat) Okay, and likewise if they're played too open and spread far apart, it's gonna sound like two notes, dot, dot, instead of blah, like this. (consecutive drum beats) So, a good flam the sticks hit the drum real close to each other but not at the…

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