Ratamaque

Grip & Sticking

Also called ratamacue.

A drag — two low grace notes — followed by short alternating single strokes that close on a diddle, then mirrored with the opposite hand leading. The accents land on the primary stroke right after the drag and on the closing diddle, with the single strokes between kept light. Drag, a short run of singles, diddle: that is the whole idea.

The ratamaque is the roll family's smoky cousin. Softer than a roll, more deliberate than a fill, it belongs to swing and big-band drumming, where drags lead into swung accents, and to quiet ballad endings where a full roll would shout. Drumline writing uses it too, because the alternating lead hands make the phrase bounce.

Clap the rhythm first — da-da-DUM, da da DUM-DUM — then pick up the sticks at 60 bpm against a metronome. The drag stays quiet; only the accent strokes are loud. Work the left-hand-lead version until it feels identical to the right-hand one; a ratamaque falls apart the moment one direction is louder than the other.