I often find drumming and cooking have a lot of interesting parallels and crossover. Think of sticking combinations like secret seasoning, and as we season our grooves to taste, we want to incorporate just the right amount of sticking, articulations, and space to make it all feel soulful and unique.

Ingredient Breakdown

What is a PARADIDDLE, and why do they matter?

The sticking R L R R and its mirror L R L L are the basic Single Paradiddle. Diddle means double, as in R R or L L. Back to back, they look like this:

R L R R L R L L

Step 1: How about 4 in a row?

R L R R L R L L R L R R L R L L

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Single Paradiddle

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Step 2: Single Accent Variations

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Single Paradiddle - Single Accents Variation

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The Paradiddle family creates fun options for moving around the drums. Use them to enhance a groove, incorporate unique fill ideas, or for soloing motifs. The secret sauce to these is in the way they mirror. Dropping in accents or articulations (diddles, ghost notes, flams, etc.) can take you from sounding like a beginner straight to a seasoned player.

Step 3: Sticking variations

We also use R L R L R R and L R L R L L, called a Double Paradiddle.

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Double Paradiddle

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Triple Paradiddle: R L R L R L R R and L R L R L R L L

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Triple Paradiddle

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Let’s spice things up! My favorite variation is the Paradiddle Diddle. R L R R L L or L R L L R R

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Paradiddle-Diddle

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Step 4: Apply Single Paradiddles To The Drum Kit

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Basic Single Paradiddle Groove

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Now, with a little seasoning:

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Single Paradiddle Groove With Accents

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Now for something fun and slightly challenging:

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Paradiddle Groove By @zakbond

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Step 5: Your Turn!

Hop on Beat Note and create one of your own! Screen record or play along and post it up. Don’t forget to tag us!

Happy Drumming, Z