The flam tap, turned inside out.
The Rudiment
The inverted flam tap keeps the sound of the flam tap — a flam followed by a tap — but reverses the sticking so the hands alternate instead of doubling. In the ordinary flam tap the accented hand takes both the flam and the tap; in the inverted version the tap of one flam becomes the grace note of the next, so the sticks weave continuously back and forth. The accents still land on every flam, but the motion underneath is a smooth, rolling alternation rather than a same-hand rebound.
Sticking
The inverted flam tap is built from alternating flams whose taps feed the following grace note: lR rL lR rL, continuing. Each accented primary is flammed, and the low stroke between accents does double duty as both the previous tap and the next flam’s grace. Because the notation for this rudiment varies between sources, the dependable way to hold it is the motion — a flam, an inverted low stroke, and straight into the opposite-hand flam — rather than any single printed count.
How to Play
The whole rudiment lives in the low crossing stroke. Keep the grace notes and taps down near the head while the accented flams pop up high, and let the hands trade in a relaxed, circular motion so the low stroke flows seamlessly from tap into grace note. It is more coordination puzzle than power exercise: get the inverted sticking under your hands slowly, then let the alternation carry the speed.
In Practice
The inverted flam tap is a classic hand-control and independence builder, and its rolling accents make a striking texture in rudimental solos. On the kit the alternating stickpath lends itself to orchestration across the drums, turning the flams and taps into a flowing, accented fill.