Paradiddle-diddle
RLRRLL. Six notes, so it sits naturally in triplets — the go-to fast fill sticking.
RLRRLL
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Paradiddle-diddle
RLRRLL — one paradiddle with an extra double on the end, making a six-note group that lives in triplets.
R L R R L L Diddle rudiments Audio at any tempo
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Generate drum loops with Drumloop AIHow to practise the paradiddle-diddle
- Set the tempo slow — 60 BPM or below to start. Every stroke should be clearly audible on its own.
- Play it for a full minute without stopping, listening for whether both hands sound identical.
- Raise the tempo five BPM at a time. If the evenness goes, drop back to the last clean tempo.
- Once it is solid, move the accents around the kit to turn it into a fill.
How to play the paradiddle-diddle
The paradiddle-diddle takes the standard paradiddle and appends a second double: RLRRLL. That makes it six notes rather than four, which changes where it fits. Six notes sit naturally as two groups of triplets or one group of sextuplets, so the paradiddle-diddle is the sticking of choice for fast triplet fills.
It has an unusual property: because it contains an even number of notes but always starts with the same hand, repeating it does not alternate the lead. RLRRLL followed by RLRRLL keeps the right hand leading every time. That is the opposite of the standard paradiddle, and it makes the pattern very fast to play once learned — you are not switching lead hands under pressure.
The practical use is around the kit. Play the two singles on a tom and the two doubles on the snare and you have an instant fill. Move the right hand to the floor tom and the pattern becomes melodic. Because the sticking is fixed, you can concentrate entirely on where each note lands rather than on which hand plays it. Practise it against the metronome in triplets.
The sticking, note by note
| # | Hand | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right | Accent — loudest stroke |
| 2 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
| 3 | Right | Tap — normal volume |
| 4 | Right | Tap — normal volume |
| 5 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
| 6 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
Frequently asked questions
How is a paradiddle-diddle different from a paradiddle?
It adds a second double stroke at the end: RLRR becomes RLRRLL. That makes it six notes instead of four, so it fits triplets rather than sixteenths, and unlike the paradiddle it does not alternate the leading hand when repeated.
When would I use a paradiddle-diddle?
Fast triplet fills, mostly. The fixed sticking and the two doubles make it quick to play at speed, and splitting the singles and doubles between drums produces a melodic fill with very little effort.
What tempo should I practise the paradiddle-diddle at?
Start at whatever tempo lets you play every stroke evenly — for most people that is 60–80 BPM. Speed comes from repetition at a clean tempo, not from pushing past your control. Use the speed trainer on the metronome to climb in small, automatic increments.
Can I practise this over a real groove?
Yes, and it helps a great deal — playing into silence hides timing problems that a groove exposes immediately. Drumloop AI generates original, royalty-free drum loops at any tempo, and the free loop library is browsable by tempo.
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