FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF RUDIMENTAL DRUMMING IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the formation and development of rudimental drumming in the United States from the colonial period to the present. The influence of British military traditions of the 17th–18th centuries on the establishment of the American school is traced. The first document regulating the use of drum signals and marches, which recorded the functions of military drummers, is considered to be the Regulations by F. W. von Steuben (1779). The study analyzes early American manuscript and printed instructional sources (L. Lovering, B. Clark, D. Hazeltine, C. S. Ashworth), which reflect the gradual crystallization of American drum rudiments, the repertoire of military drummers, and evolving methods of notation. During the nineteenth century, rudimental practice underwent dynamic growth: accumulation of didactic materials, expansion and codification of rudiments, and a semantic shift of the term Rudimental, first introduced by Ashworth in 1812. Drum notation evolved from verbal descriptions (von Steuben, Hazeltine) to multilinear and ultimately single-line systems. The decline of the drum’s signaling role by the late nineteenth century led to the spread of rudimental drumming in wind bands and competition practices, which facilitated the expansion of this art beyond military doctrine. Special attention is given to the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD), which in 1933 standardized the Twenty-Six Standard American Rudiments, and to the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), which expanded the list to the Forty International Rudiments in 1984, establishing a global educational standard. The study also notes recent initiatives to preserve and revive European rudimental traditions, such as the Rudimental Codex (2018), integrating the heritage of France, Germany, and Switzerland. The study concludes that modern rudimental drumming reflects a synthesis of American and European traditions, expanding performance horizons and opening new avenues for research and global cultural promotion.