Basic Paradiddle sticking

The following sticking is a basic paradiddle. Your first goal is to play it smooth and fast.

RLRR LRLL

Here are paradiddles in musical notation in eighth notes and sixteenth notes.

Paradiddle Phrasing

After you have a certain comfort level, you will also want to practice it by emphasizing the first note of each paradiddle.

RLRR LRLL

Notice I said "emphasize" and not "accent". You can practice using a full accent, but the point of this exercise is to emphasize the first note of each paradiddle with a very slight accent. This gives the paradiddle a certain musical phrasing.

Standard Paradiddle Exercises

The real fun with paradiddles is to apply them to your playing. The key to learning to apply paradiddles to your playing is short exercises. Here are your first paradiddle exercises.

Standard Exercise #1

Standard Exercise #2

Paradiddle Inversions

Paradiddle inversions are just other 4 note sitcking combinations that contain a diddle (a RR or LL). Here are the other standard inversions:

Inversion 1

RLLR LRRL

Inversion 2

RRLR LLRL

Inversion 3

RLRL LRLR

The idea with the inversions is for you to become comfortable with alternate sticking so that you can free up your playing.

Inversion Phrasing

Each inversion has a feel of its own. Remember, the bold letters are emphasized, not accented. Practice both smooth equal sounding and phrased paradiddles.

Inversion 1

RLLR LRRL

Inversion 2

RRLR LLRL

Inversion 3

RLRL LRLR

Paradiddle Inversion Exercise

RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL

RLLR LRRL RLLR LRRL

RRLR LLRL RRLR LLRL

RLRL LRLR RLRL LRLR

Here it is in music notation as 16th notes:

Lesson 3: Double Paradiddles, Triple Paradiddles, and Paradiddlediddles

Double Paradiddle:

RLRLRR LRLRLL

Triple Paradiddle:

RLRLRLRR LRLRLRLL

Paradiddlediddle:

RLRRLL RLRRLL