Rat-a-ma-CUE — the accent waits for the end.
The Rudiment
The single ratamacue is a drag followed by three single strokes, with the accent saved for the last note. Say the name and you hear the shape: the “rat-a” is the drag, and the phrase runs forward to land its weight on the “cue.” One drag, a little run of taps, and a punctuating accent at the tail — then it flips and repeats on the opposite hand. That delayed accent gives the ratamacue its forward-leaning, question-and-answer feel.
Sticking
The single ratamacue is conventionally written as a drag into four sixteenth notes with the accent on the last: llR L R L for the first pass and rrL R L R for the second, alternating. The two lowercase strokes are the drag’s grace notes leading into the first primary; the following singles run to a closing accented stroke that sets up the opposite hand’s drag. Counted in sixteenths, the drag anchors the beat and the accent lands on the fourth partial. Accent placement varies between books, so trust the arc — drag first, accent last.
How to Play
Play the drag as a low, crisp double, keep the first three strokes even and unaccented, then drive the final note as the accent. The musical goal is that build to the “cue,” so resist accenting the drag itself — it should stay quiet and let the phrase point forward. Clean, controlled grace notes and even taps under a strong closing accent make the figure sing.
In Practice
The single ratamacue is a rudimental classic, threading through snare solos and marching cadences with its distinctive tail-accent. On the drum set it becomes a fluid, dragged fill that resolves onto an accented drum, and it anchors a family that grows by stacking more drags — the double and triple ratamacues.