Basic Paradiddle Groove With Simple Tom Decoration

In this lesson you will be decorating the Basic Paradiddle Groove learned back in level 2 with some toms. This will create some very cool and complex patterns, the kind that when you listen to them you have no idea how they're done. To do this you will just be re orchestrating some of the exiting strokes, the idea sounds simple but can be quite difficult. This lesson will be much easier if you have covered the linked lesson as it will just involve moving parts of the groove around, I will assume that you have covered the previous lesson through all exercises.

This lesson is presented in several sections. In each section a different tom placement is discussed then various groove ideas are given around it. At this stage all grooves will be in 4/4 common time. I have tried to make the kick parts in the groove examples a bit more interesting, which really means a bit harder. If you are struggling with the given examples it would be worth jotting the hand pattern down on manuscript then writing in some simple level 0 / level 1 kick patterns. Each example will work nicely as a straight groove or as a fill in either a run of paradiddle grooves or any other standard groove in 4/4.


Toms On The Last Double Left

For the first idea you will switch the last 'L L' of the bar from the hi hats to any tom. In this case the left hand will move from a snare to a tom, with a ride in between the two voices. I have shown the hands for this pattern below with a high tom:

The hands for this groove idea

The sticking has been included underneath and the count will be a constant '1 e + a'. As with all more complex patterns, start painfully slow and build up tempo as the movement becomes more comfortable. When you can play this hand pattern at a decent tempo (90bpm+) have a go at some of the kick placement ideas below.

Example 1

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Example 2

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Example 3

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Once you have these grooves nailed, try moving the toms to the equivalent part of the rudiment in the first half of the bar. That would be the 'L L' movement that occurs on the '+a' after beat 2. The movement will be exactly the same, but will create a slightly different sounding pattern. If you can do pull that off you then have the option of playing toms on both 'L L' movements within that bar. You could also throw the decorative toms into the second bar of a two bar pattern.


Toms On All Non Snare Notes In The First Half Of The Bar

This time let's try adding more toms within the bar. For the example you will be using two different toms that will fall on any left hand that doesn't have a snare on it. Using the high tom and mid tom the hands for this idea could look like this:

The hands for this groove idea

As I said for the previous exercise, start slow and build up tempo as the movement becomes more comfortable. Once you can do that, try the kick placement ideas below.

Example 1

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Example 2

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Example 3

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Also as discussed in the previous exercise, you can create another set of grooves by switching the tom placement to the second half of the bar and also by playing the same hand pattern in both halds of the bar. Try constructing some patterns using those new ideas with various kick placements.


A Right Hand Tom Idea

In the previous two examples all toms have fallen on the left hand, let's look at a pattern where they fall on the right. In this example I've used a floor tom on the 'e' after beat 2 and on the 3 to create a bit of a 'suspended rhythm' over the tom. Your right hand might feel a little like it's 'hanging' over the floor tom as I always find it doesn't move as quick as you think it will here. The hands for the idea look like this:

The hands for this groove idea

As I said for the previou exercises, start slow and build up tempo as the movement becomes more comfortable. Once you can do that, try the kick placement ideas below.

Example 1

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Example 2

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Example 3

A paradiddle groove with decorative toms

Also as discussed in the previous exercise, you can create another set of grooves by switching the tom placement to the second half of the bar and also by playing the same hand pattern in both halds of the bar. Try constructing some patterns using those new ideas with various kick placements.


TASKS

  1. Using the Two Minute Rule, learn the grooves given above to a tempo of around 120bpm.
  2. Create further variations on each pattern either by varying the kick part or the tom placement and orchestration.
  3. Experiment with creating short phrases where this idea is used as a groove, fill or both.
  4. Add a left foot count. This will make some of the hi hats open and will add to the complexity of the parts.

Lessons

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