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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!