Interesting groupings - rudiments around the kit

aboylikedave

Senior Member
I've just learnt to play triplets in groupings of 4 around the kit as paradiddles and it sounds great (sort of implies a 3 over 4 polyrhythm).

Does anyone have any similar groupings of rudiments which I could try out?

Hope this makes sense!
 
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i know what you mean, i love doing that. and also playing around with the accents, eg;


(1) 2 3 1 (2) 3 1 2 (3) 1 2 3

(1) (2) 3 1 (2) (3) 1 2 (3) (1) 2 3

and when playing triplets in groups of 4 around the kit, i play around with doubles on the bass drum etc.

another one i like to do, is play a double paradiddle, followed by a paradiddle, all in triplets. its hard to explain but you get a great polyrhythm feel. Its great if you put your right hand on the hihats and your left on the snare, and create grooves from this;

polyr.jpg


When you go from the double paradiddles so the singles in that example, it actually feels like the bass drum is in triplets and the hands are playing straight. try going between the double paradiddles into the single and back, its good fun. Its great seeing the look on the guitarists and bassists face when you do something like that, they are terrified, haha
 
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I agree that this is an interesting way to develop polyrhythmic feels. You should check out the first 13 exercises in Stick Control to get an idea of different 4 stroke sticking patterns and play those with a triplet feel. For an additional workout, try adding a foot pattern to it like hi hat quarter notes with 1 and 3 on the bass drum. Have fun, these workouts are definitely a trip.
 
When you go from the double paradiddles so the singles in that example, it actually feels like the bass drum is in triplets and the hands are playing straight. try going between the double paradiddles into the single and back, its good fun. Its great seeing the look on the guitarists and bassists face when you do something like that, they are terrified, haha

So where exactly are you playing the bass drum? (Great example BTW)
 
rudiments are a lot of fun around the kit, can make for some cool Ostenato's and interesting fills if broken down or kept short, ever try laying down paradiddle's with hands and feet at the same time? crazy tough, but an incredible melody...

and stick control might be the most open ended book ever written, there is just no end to what you can take away from it...
 
Try accenting buzz, single and double stroke rolls with the parradiddle pattern around the kit.
 
I like playing 16th or 8th notes in groups of 3. It's crazy because it's always turning around. I started approaching this by figuring out how many groupings of 3 will fit into any number of measures. For example if you're playing a measure of 16th notes, you can play 5 groups of 3 and an extra note and then you're back to the one. Eventually, however I just started counting in my head so that no matter for how long i played groups of 3 I always knew where I was in the measure. Basically I'm now able to hear the 16th note syncopation created by groups of 3 in my head now, no matter where I start them or end them or how many groups of 3 I play. I'm super stoked about this, it's my latest drumming development and the coolest thing to happen to me since I learned how to play quarter note triplets :)

One thing I really like to do with this is play those Bonham/Morello/Jones licks but as 16th notes. So there's the one where it's RLRF and i'll phrase it as 32nds with a 16th, or the RFF thing, or also the RLF. So if I'm doing RLF as 16ths the capitals will be the quarter notes. RlfrLfrlFrlfRlfrL that's a measure right there. If you have each hand on a different drum or even move them around it sounds awesome. And it keeps turning around, so it's always different..

Anyway, that's what I got, love the triplet idea, kind of the same idea just with a different subdivision, I'll have to start working on that next, Thanks!
 
So where exactly are you playing the bass drum? (Great example BTW)

Im not actually changing the bass drum, just the pattern with the hands over the top. It makes it feel like the bass drum is changing. It might be worth checking out Simon Phillips. The ostinatos and groupings he uses are amazing.

Thanks

Ash
 
I like playing 16th or 8th notes in groups of 3. It's crazy because it's always turning around. I started approaching this by figuring out how many groupings of 3 will fit into any number of measures. For example if you're playing a measure of 16th notes, you can play 5 groups of 3 and an extra note and then you're back to the one.

I do a similar exercise with 4 groups of 3 which leaves us with 1 group of 4 left over. Then I move the starting point of the accented pattern. For Example:

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

When you get comfortable with these you can start on beat 1 and play this pattern over the bar line and in 3 measures you will arrive with your accent back on beat 1. Play it over a simple foot ostinato to see how the pattern lays against the pulse. Now I have to go and practice.
 
Example:

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

this is cool, makes for some interesting patterns, i never thought of just moving the beat around the count, usually it's the other way around, thanks...
 
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

This is a really good independence exercise if you take a basic rock beat, then play the accented beats with the bass drum. Seems pretty simple, but takes a while to get.
 
This is a really good independence exercise if you take a basic rock beat, then play the accented beats with the bass drum. Seems pretty simple, but takes a while to get.
Nice! And funky too!

Thanks guys - these have all been great. And getting me thinking in good way ..
 
Playing doubles in triplet feel. You have to accent the second double:

rrl Lrr llr Rll

It looks more difficult than it is but it's simply rrll rrll with different accents.
Now play this between floor tom and snare and add the kick while keeping the pulse with HH foot.

I also like grouping of three, played either as triplets or sextuplets. Accent first and last notes with a swinging motion:

Rll rrL

rrL Rll

You get the same rolling motion with the reversed paradiddle. The note coming before the accent is the preparation and you have to anticipate the accent. If you think about it this way, it'll feel much smoother.

Rllr Lrrl

Rlrl Lrlr

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

This kind of exercises should be played with feet under each first note to have a reference, otherwise you won't create that triplet effect.

Also, try to play a rest where you'd play the accent. Takes the same idea into a different direction.
 
I like this one:

RLBLRBB

It's a group of seven. You can play it as 16th notes, triplets... whatever. Once you get the hang of moving a group of 7 notes through various subdivisions, you'll get quite comfy with it. If you'd go really crazy you might try to play it as quintuplets or other artificial note values. A good thing to do with all these is to keep the hihat on all quarter notes to get a nice consistent pulse.

Have fun.
 
I need lessons, I can't understand one freakin post on here. : (
Hey I'm no expert. To keep it simple, play triplets (one-trip-let, two-trip-let etc) RLR LRL RLR LRL accenting the first not of each group(accented notes in bold):

Then play them in exactly the same way but accent every fourth hit:
RLR LRL RLR LRL

Basically it sounds really cool! (Because you are playing groups of three (triplets) with your hands but are accenting groups of four.

And that's the start of it..
 
I like playing swiss triplets with the feet and then kinda soloing with the hands on top. a nice warm up too: ) Happy Shredding
 
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