Para-Para-Diddle-Para-Para-Diddle-Para-Diddle. That’s the key to this week’s fill. Check it out:

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Fill Of The Week #41 uses the Double Paradiddle and the Paradiddle to create an awesome sounding fill. If you like this fill, we did something similar on Fill Of The Week #27 with the Paradiddle-Diddle. You might want to check that out too.

Learn The Fill

The key to this fill is the sticking pattern. Let’s take a look at it.

ParaparadiddleParaparadiddleParadiddle. — The Basic Pattern

We’re using two double paradiddles and a paradiddle to create this 16th note fill. I like to think of it as Para-Para-Diddle-Para-Para-Diddle-Para-Diddle. We’re starting with the right hand so the sticking is:

R L R L R R L R L R L L R L R R

Try saying Para-Para-Diddle-Para-Para-Diddle-Para-Diddle to yourself as you play it. Most of the rudiments are named so that you can say them while you play them. You might find it helps to get the pattern into your head and your hands.

Our next step is to add in the accents. All of the single stroke Right hands are accents (any “Pa” or “Ra” on the Right) and the only accent on the left is at the start of the Left double paradiddle on the “&” of 2. Here it is accented:

Adding Accents To The Pattern — Adding The Accents

You may want to think of this as:

PAra-PAra-diddle-PARA-paRA-diddle-PAra-diddle

Try saying this to yourself slowly, accent the syllables in bold upper case and say the other syllables quietly. As always, practice playing it slowly with a metronome.

The final step is to orchestrate the accents around the kit. My right hand just plays down the toms: first two hits on Tom 1, next two on Tom 2, and the final hit on the floor tom. My left hand plays it’s only accent on Tom 1. Here’s the full fill:

Taking It Further

I would encourage you to spend time with this fill and re-orchestrate the accents as you see fit. Here’s some other accent patterns for you to try:

Accent variations for the same pattern. — Move Those Accents

All of these variations use the same sticking pattern, we’re just moving the accents. Learn to play the patterns just on the snare drum first and then orchestrate them around the kit yourself.

I hope you’ve enjoyed fill of the week #41. If you’re in Singapore and you’d like a free trial drum lesson, send us a message on the contact us page.