Definition

A flam is a drum rudiment where a single soft grace note is played a hair before a louder main stroke, so the two hits nearly coincide but do not quite line up.

Example

A flam sounds like a thick "fla-DAP", one hit slightly smeared in width rather than a clean single strike. Snare backbeats in marching music and many rock fills use flams to make the hit sound bigger and more powerful than a plain stroke.

Why it matters

A flam widens and fattens a single drum hit without layering extra samples. For finger drummers it is the simplest way to add weight to a backbeat or accent, and it trains the hand independence needed to place two strikes very close together but not exactly together.

How to play or configure

Map the snare to two pads. Play the grace note quietly with one finger, then the main accent slightly later with the other. The gap should be tiny, just enough to hear the smear. Practise it slowly and consistently; an inconsistent gap turns a flam into a sloppy double. Velocity layers help, since the soft grace note triggers a quieter sample that tucks neatly under the accent.

Further reading

Finger Drumming for Beginners walks through the core rudiments.