Three drags deep, and still the accent lands last.
The Rudiment
The triple ratamacue closes both the drag family and the standard forty rudiments, and it does so by stacking three drags at the front of the ratamacue figure. Three consecutive ruffs feed the same forward-running taps and the same tail accent, making the longest and most ornamented member of the ratamacue line. It is a culminating rudiment — a full display of drag control leading into that signature accent on the “cue.”
Sticking
The triple ratamacue is conventionally written as three drags leading into the ratamacue figure, with the accent on the final note: a common form runs llR rrL llR L R L, mirrored on the reverse. Each pair of lowercase strokes is a drag; after the three ruffs, the singles run to a closing accented stroke that sets up the next repetition. Counted in sixteenths with the drags as pickups, the accent lands on the last note. Because printed stickings differ, trust the shape — three drags in front, accent at the tail.
How to Play
Three drags in a row is a serious control test: each ruff must be low, crisp, and evenly matched to the others, and none of the transitions between them can rush or collapse. Keep every grace note quiet, run the closing taps even and unaccented, and reserve the weight for the final accent. This rudiment rewards the slowest, most patient practice of any in the family — get all three drags clean and matched before touching the tempo.
In Practice
The triple ratamacue is a showpiece of advanced rudimental snare playing, its cascade of drags building dramatic tension into the tail accent. On the drum set it orchestrates into an elaborate, dragged fill that resolves onto an accented drum. Standing at the end of the forty, it caps the drag family and, with it, the full rudimental vocabulary.