Dawson Meets Stone

"Redefining Paradiddles" Part II

What is a paradiddle? Is it merely just a sticking (RLRR,LRLL)? Or can it also be the pattern and sound of twocontrasting examples (ABAA, BABB)? I found the later to be very freeing, in that I was not just stuck to a certain sticking. In fact, seeing a paradiddle as two contrasting examples hasdone the following:

• Expand my vocabulary overnight, tenfold, by building variationsderived from my current vocabulary.
• Improve phrasing and understand other drummers phrasing.
• Work on right hand and left hand lead independence.
• Create more interesting fills and solos.
• Give me a musical purpose to execute fills and phrases-Improved memorization of drum fills, beats, and solos.
• Create a more efficient and focused practice time. (There's neverenough time!)

The series will show you a plethora of examples based on (ABAA,BABB). This article will build more on triplet combinations. Take this simple-easy-to-memorize warm-up and use this as a backbone to expand any paradiddle variation. Enjoy!