Complete live lesson from 4/9/20
Free PDF here
Let’s talk about Paradiddle Grooves. Paradiddles are one the most powerful creative tools we’ve got on the kit - they are really just mixed singles and doubles, but the voicing possibilities and combinations are endless.
If you’re not familiar with Paradiddle Inversions, here they are
RLRR LRLL
RLLR LRRL
RRLR LLRL
RLRL LRLR
Of these four, the first (RLRR LRLL) is the most common, however each inversion has it’s own unique flavor - so definitely take time to try out each inversion at different tempos and feels. You never know which inversion might bring a whole new life to your playing.
Once you are fluid with all four inversions, start combining them for advanced grooves. Again, just these four inversions can create TONS of possibilities, and each one has something unique to offer. The more you incorporate diddles into your playing, the more naturally you will start to flow between inversions. Paradiddles are great because they can be a musical idea or they can be a SOLUTION to sticking problems. If you’ve got a great groove idea but you can’t execute the sticking, try playing it with a paradiddle pattern!
Lastly, we explore just a few of the infinite ways you can voice diddles on the kit. A very popular voicing is RH on the ride while your LH alternates between hi-hat and snare. This creates a layered and syncopated pattern that sounds difficult but is relatively easy to play. Keep adding little variations and voices to create depth in your playing.
With all paradiddle grooves, the key to making them come to life is DYNAMICS. You have to be able to emphasize backbeats (or whichever beat should be emphasized) while keeping your other notes down low. Without dynamics you’re left with a big pile of notes with no soul. Keep pushing and exploring until you can bring these patterns to life. We will be re-visiting paradiddles very often!
Happy drums to you!
These concepts and much more can be found in the book “Groove Exercises for the Drumset” available for purchase (digital or hard copy) at www.thedrummerbrain.com/store
Download PDF here
Here's a brief selection of our 32nd Note variations playing through just four exercises from Lesson 6 and 7. This is just a demonstration, and its cut short for time purposes - a proper playthrough would be more like this:
Lesson 6 - Alternate Strokes all exercises
Lesson 6 - Doubles all exercises
Lesson 6 - Inverted Doubles all exercises
Lesson 6 - Paradidles all exercises
Then move on to Lesson 7 and run all four stickings.
Again, this is a LOT of exercises, and again: THATS THE POINT. There are some components of drum playing that require thinking and some things that just require REPS and when it comes to smooth and controlled 32nd notes, you need to play them a lot before they flow.
Throw on some good practice music, like hip hop and take your time - you are developing a vocabulary!
Some notes on the stickings: Doubles and Inverted doubles result in double strokes on the snare, but you could split the doubles between snare and hat for an additional challenge!
Here is where Paradiddles begin to show their true power: the combination of singles and doubles leads to some really funky sounding grooves and also conserves a lot of motion - especially compared to alternate strokes. We will have a deep dive on Paradiddle Grooves in the near future.
Beginners: start at Lesson 1, intermediate to advanced: start at Lesson 4, 5 or 6. GO SLOW. Speed is about flow and grace, not brute force. Happy drums to you!
Free PDF here
Let's start to get into some of the more advanced variations you can apply to the lessons found in "Groove Exercises for the Drumset." (available at www.thedrummerbrain.com/store )
We're starting with 32nd Note grooves - 32nd Notes are used a lot in modern drumming, especially in hip-hop, fusion, jazz and metal. You need to integrate them into your vocabulary if you're going to hang with any 'advanced' level of music.
That said, you should treat 32nd notes (and ALL advanced concepts) like a seasoning - to be used in moderation - too much salt will ruin your whole dish, too many fast crazy notes will ruin your groove. MODERATION is always the key, and that comes from experience and listening to other musicians.
Lets get into the exercises: we start with 32nd notes as alternates on our hat, then we move to doubles, inverted doubles and paradiddles. Every sticking has a different feel and a different sound, so explore each one patiently.
A thorough study would mean going back to Lesson 1 and playing every variation through to Lesson 7 - that's A LOT of exercises to play - advanced players may want to skip straight to Lessons 6 and 7. Whatever you do, GO SLOW and focus on lining up your notes.
You should start filling your ears with these subdivisions too - check out some of the masters: Vinnie, Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Tony Williams and the modern day pioneers: Eric Moore, Wotjek Deregowski, Justin Brown, Justin Scott - 32nd notes are a huge part of their vocab!
Happy Drums to You!
DOWNLOAD PDF HERE
Once you've played through all of the Lessons from "Groove Exercises for the Drumset" you can go back and replay any or all lessons with alternate hi-hat patterns.
This is where the possibilities really open up, each variation and groove have their own unique feel and weight - experimentation and listening will help you discover which hi-hat patterns and snare/bass grooves work well together.
Certain variations are trickier than others, especially continual 16th's with the RH and the 'hanging' sixteenth note patterns (1andAhs and 1Eands) but, the trickier variations often lead to the funkiest results once mastered.
This is where beginner students begin to add layers and depth to their playing - it is also where students have to start critically listening to other drummers to hear these types of variations in action. Investing time to explore the infinite subtleties on the kit needs to be coupled with regular listening and watching live music.
These are only the basics! Find out which variations you like the most and incorporate them into your vocabulary. Happy drums to you!
This lesson as well as all previous lessons are from the book "Groove Exercises for the Drumset" available for purchase or download at www.thedrummerbrain.com/store
Groove Lesson # 1: Eighth Note Bass Drum Grooves"
A beginner groove exercise - the goal is to play each exercise 4 times and move to the next without stopping. The bass drum is moving by an eighth note ever measure, we call this sort of exercise PERMUTATION.
Start slow, use Youtube's playback speed if this video is too fast for you. Happy drums!
This exercise is from the book "Groove Exercises for the Drumset.
Available for purchase as a physical copy or digital download with playalong tracks in the store