Most flams' grace notes have one flag on the top, like an 8th note. Why do some have 2 like a 16th note? Is this just a stylistic thing or do they have different meanings? I've seen both used within the same piece on several occasions so I'm assuming they have different meanings.

It might just be the little line that separates the eighth note from the grace note appearance. I could be wrong though.

are the 16th note looking grace notes on more/most of the faster flammed rudiments and such? If so, I'd say that explains it. It would be good if some one better described that though.

I'm guessing it's a misprint unless it's a ruff, or the composer has something unique in mind.
The flam in modern percussion has no specific rhythmic value if it's a half note or 32nd note. It used to matter back in the old baroque and classical days, but that really doesn't apply to us.
Greg

Yea, when writing stuff in Finale I'll often try to stick to 8th based graced notes for flams, but if I were attaching it after using a series of 16th notes, I may forget to change the note duration, and it will stay as a 16th.

If you're playing stuff that was written by someone who used Finale to write it, this could very well be the case.

I've seen it in my old book Podemsiki's Standard Snare Drum Method and in some of our concert band stuff. I just remembered it again yesterday when I was looking at that rudiment list that is now stickied, I noticed one or more of the grace notes looked like 16ths instead of 8ths. It always throws me off when I try to sight read something that has a lot of the 8th note kind and then I see one of the others and I freeze. Thanks for the responses.

Are they both slashed ?
Do not forget that is the slash on the grace note that make it loose it's note value.

The french connection,