my paradiddles do not sound like singles. help.

[arhyth]

i dont know why. but it just wouldnt sound the same. i practice them slowly but i cant produce the same sound with my paradiddles as the singles. i tried counting them out loud to see if they're a bit off beat. but they're not. i try to apply the same amount of pressure to every stroke. but they still sound different . i don't know why it's not happening. thanks.

[Boomka]

i dont know why. but it just wouldnt sound the same. i practice them slowly but i cant produce the same sound with my paradiddles as the singles. i tried counting them out loud to see if they're a bit off beat. but they're not. i try to apply the same amount of pressure to every stroke. but they still sound different . i don't know why it's not happening. thanks.

How slowly is "slowly"? Are you using a metronome?

Start very slowly (No! Slower!) and ensure that each stroke is exactly the same height/speed/location.

That said, there is always going to be *some* variation when moving from singles to doubles to compound stickings. Paradiddles will always lay a certain way. We aren't machines.

[Royal]

i dont know why. but it just wouldnt sound the same. i practice them slowly but i cant produce the same sound with my paradiddles as the singles. i tried counting them out loud to see if they're a bit off beat. but they're not. i try to apply the same amount of pressure to every stroke. but they still sound different . i don't know why it's not happening. thanks.

Maybe you're adding an accent.
Be sure that the stick height is exactly the same as you start each stroke.
(I'm no teacher...I sure others can explain it better).

[secondXheartbeat]

Are the sticks you're using worn or broken? When sticks get chipped or crack it can change the sound when you hit the drum, which may be causing the inconsistency that you're experiencing. Also, make sure you are hitting as close to the exact same spot on the drum as possible.

[Tim Waterson]

i dont know why. but it just wouldnt sound the same. i practice them slowly but i cant produce the same sound with my paradiddles as the singles. i tried counting them out loud to see if they're a bit off beat. but they're not. i try to apply the same amount of pressure to every stroke. but they still sound different . i don't know why it's not happening. thanks.
Discipline and HOURS of practice is needed to make any rudiment sound like a single stroke
but WHY
Ive always been taught to accent rudiments so they sound and FEEL like thst rudiment other wise just play singles
IMHO accenting is what makes the sound musical
Tim

[Boomka]

Discipline and HOURS of practice is needed to make any rudiment sound like a single stroke
but WHY
Ive always been taught to accent rudiments so they sound and FEEL like thst rudiment other wise just play singles
IMHO accenting is what makes the sound musical
Tim

Fair point. There are some who might be inclined to say that the entire point of a paradiddle is to allow preparation time for a strong accent. Hence an inverted paradiddle becomes a method of accenting the offbeat, etc.

You've also hit on something bigger - that the usual approach to learning rudiments is to learn a whole pile of stickings and only then try to find ways to utilise them musically. Isn't a more "musical" approach to take a musical idea - say, an accent or rhythmic pattern - and then work out the different stickings that make it easiest to execute?

[mr_hayward_99]

what i have been doing is say

play a paradiddle but say single strokes

then play single strokes then say paraddidle

actualy say rlrl or rlrr lrll not par-a did-dle

get your mind thinking rght stroke and left strke are not what they are

i would sugest try getting doubles wounding like singles first then moving onto paradiddles

[Chonson]

Count the strokes, play equal intensity, play slow. (Use stick control!)

Counting as "paradiddle" versus an alternate sticking of 1&2& sets you up to mimic the accent pattern that takes: PAR-A-Did-dle

RLRR should sound no different than RLRL RLLR LRRL RRRR LLLL etc. count, record yourself, go slow.

Be patient - it takes time.

[Ian Ballard]

i dont know why. but it just wouldnt sound the same. i practice them slowly but i cant produce the same sound with my paradiddles as the singles. i tried counting them out loud to see if they're a bit off beat. but they're not. i try to apply the same amount of pressure to every stroke. but they still sound different . i don't know why it's not happening. thanks.

This is a common problem. I suggest slowly and deliberately adjusting your pattern from RLRRLRLL... to RLRLRLRLRLRL.... It takes time, but eventually your paradiddles will sound EXACTLY like singles.

[diosdude]

practice one hand at a time.

What???? for a paradiddle???

yeah.

Play your right hand on the drumhead and your left hand on your lap or a pillow. Once you've gotten that rhythm memorized, play it as fast as you can with your right hand only without playing your left hand at all. Now do the same with your left hand. Once you've built up speed with both hands playing that rhythm, put them "together" so it sounds like you're playing flams in that rhythm. Now seperate them into a paradiddle.

[arhyth]

im practicing at about 120 bpm (just an estimate. i have no metronome).
anyway, im practicing paradiddles to sound like singles because sometimes i want to execute something but i find myself "stuttering" because my hands have not yet acquired some muscle memory for a certain phrase. anyway, ill just continue practicing with your suggestions in mind. thanks for the input guys.

[Dan Lane]

im practicing at about 120 bpm (just an estimate. i have no metronome).
anyway, im practicing paradiddles to sound like singles because sometimes i want to execute something but i find myself "stuttering" because my hands have not yet acquired some muscle memory for a certain phrase. anyway, ill just continue practicing with your suggestions in mind. thanks for the input guys.

There's your problem, IMO.

20202020

[jazzsnob]

www.metronomeonline.com


:)

now you can check where you're practicing!

[mydreamsmyanchor]

in my opinion, paradiddles aren't supposed to sound the same. they can give a different feel than single strokes would. take for example, steve gadd and how he uses paradiddles to create his unique hi hat grooves. embrace their different sound, use it to your advantage

[ExPLiciT]

hmm... try this exercise play RlrrLrll for about 4 measures then play just the right hand:
R(1)_r(&)r(a)_r(e)
try to make sure all the unaccented notes sounds exactly the same, for about 4 measures. then go back to RlrrLrll for 4 more measures. then just the left hand:
_l(e)__L(2)_l(&)l(a)
this isolates each hand so you can hear and adjust more closely.

make sure your accents are only on the down beat and try to make both R and L accents sound the same. and all the unaccented notes sound exactly the same too.

use a METRONOME and COUNT, this exercise wont be effective you you dont do that.

Sorry fro the rough explanation i was to lazy to take a picture of it written out, ill try and post it later

[arhyth]

thanks for the metronome link. ive measured at how slow i am practicing this and it's actually 40bpm. with 1beat = 1 whole paradiddle. sometimes even slower, when i get a bit frustrated.

[Unevil]

Also, unless you play with your sticks chopping inward to hit the same point, they will pretty much always sound a little different because they are hitting different parts of the drum. But if it is a 'staying in time' thing, then a metronome is your best bet. I guess I got good @ paradiddles through hours and hours of tapping (amazing how that stuff works)...muscle memory is muscle memory whether it is from tapping on a desk in chemistry or drumming on a practice pad, as long as the same or similar motion is made, it will help towards practicing (oh, and dont try to say that tapping paradiddles does not work because I only played them for about 2 seperate 15 minute practice sessions on snare/practice pad, and I don't think I could gain paradiddle mastery that fast 0.0)

[Therma lobsterdore]

Discipline and HOURS of practice is needed to make any rudiment sound like a single stroke
but WHY
Ive always been taught to accent rudiments so they sound and FEEL like thst rudiment other wise just play singles
IMHO accenting is what makes the sound musical
Tim

Couldn't agree more Tim, I want my singles, doubles and diddles to sound different, makes then sound much more interesting.

But yeah as people have said, slow practice with a metronome is the way to go, there are no shortcuts.

[BrutalKid]

If you have the sheet version of paradiddle, you would know that there's accent beat in paradiddle

1 e&a 2 e&a

I like to accent those beat.

It will be easier and more accurate.

[PBW]

Also, make sure you use pitch-paired sticks, otherwise nothing will ever sound truly even!

[Knowbuddy]

I have just really gotten strict on myself about rudiments. I'm practicing them at least an hour a day.

Almost EVERY time I hear the "stuttering" sound you're talking about, is because of this:

Once your paradiddles start getting up to a certain speed (I noticed it most when it felt like the sticks were "floating" in my hands), you will be using the power accented note at the beginning of the paraddiddle to get the diddle on the end. At least that's how it feels to me when i play them. However, sometimes it feels like I'm trying to "squeeze" the first note of the diddle out, and it makes me accent it, which makes it sound the like the paradiddle is stuttering (sp?:p)

Anyway, SLOWWWWW it way down, and make the accented note RIDICULOUSLY accented. Play it really high and try to use the power from it to make the diddle happen (won't be able to do that till the speed gets a little higher again).

Just my 2 cents! :)

~B

[darkcherryfade]

I'm with the "Why make paradiddles sound like singles?" crowd. It definitely does take alot of control to be able to do it, but if you want the sound of singles, why not play singles? Also, what I always found cool about other rudiments is that they DONT sound like singles.

[Cadet311]

There are two schools of thought when it comes to paradiddles - the accented and unaccented versions. The accented version, mainly popular in ancient rudimental drumming, really uses that accent to help drive home the main beats. The unaccented version is meant to allow smooth rhythmic flow (among other things) and provide some variation of sticking and speed in the modern drum corps realm.

That said, if you're practicing your paradiddles with a goal of evenness at 120, you're going too fast. Drop it down to 80-ish or slower. Start at a speed at which you CAN execute them perfectly even. Remember, you're trying to retrain your muscles from years of bad habits.

[rrrob]

play it as triplets so you have to get different parts of the pattern on the beat, then your hands kinda know what it feels like to play it evenly,

[intheruff]

"I'm with the "Why make paradiddles sound like singles?" "

Try playing an inverted paradiddle (rllr Lrrl) instead of rlrr Lrll paradiddle. Do you 'feel' the differnece of the groove? If played correctly you will. I think paradiddles sound best if they DONT sound like singles also.

[grannydrums]

yes do it slow with a metronome-- i do 4 bars of singles and 4 bars of paradiddles, somehow the memory of what singles sound like help with the paradiddles.

I am not that advanced, i cannot see me using rudiments in my playing for a long time, but I practice them to help controll and co=ordintation(and because me teacher tells me I must.) I have found a use for a single paraddidle though, its good at the end of a fill when you hit the floor tom twice--You can do the last two beats with your right hand and then crash with the leftand be ready to go straight into the beat again-- more advanced players probably dont need to do stuff like that --but it helps me.

[johnbe]

IMO, either accented or non-accented is good, as long as it's intentional. I practice my paradiddles in a pattern of 2 measures each of double strokes, single strokes, and paradiddles, returning to the double strokes. I can play it pretty fast right off, but find it more beneficial to build up speed, then slow back down again. Record it if you can. That will tell the real story of your progress. Now play this pattern around the entire kit with the kick on 1 & 3 and the hi-hat on 2 & 4. I recommend you begin practice as slowly as you can stand it. You can't help but build speed as you improve.