Rudiment 35 of 40 · Drag rudiments

Single Dragadiddle

Also called: dragadiddle

The single dragadiddle is a paradiddle with its first note doubled into two quick strokes: RR L R R, LL R L L. PAS writes the double as a slashed sixteenth, two thirty-second notes. Like the paradiddle, it alternates hands each group.

Sticking
RRLRR LLRLL
Accents
The first note of each group.
Family
Drag rudiments
Strokes before it repeats
10, alternating lead hands
Original 26 rudiments
No, added by PAS in 1984
Starting tempo
About 60 BPM

Hear it, then play it

Practice version: every note is four times as long as on the PAS chart, so the fastest notes are eighth notes. Same sticking and accents, easier to read and count while you learn it. Sticking under each note: R right hand, L left; small letters are grace notes.

LR

Press Play to watch the sticks

Lead

Put it in RockBlocks

The practice version on a snare line at 60 BPM, accents and all, to build on or play with your other beats. RockBlocks has no grace notes or sticking, so flams and drags arrive as their main notes.

Play it on the drum kit

Four beats built on the Single Dragadiddle: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.

Open the 4 beats

How to play the Single Dragadiddle

  1. Read the sticking. The Single Dragadiddle is RRLRR LLRLL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
  2. Find the accents. The first note of each group. Start accents high and keep taps low, so the difference comes from stick height.
  3. Play it slowly with a click. Start around 60 BPM, or slower, and play it until every stroke is on the right hand and every accent is in place.
  4. Open, close, open. Speed up a few BPM at a time to as fast as you can play it cleanly, then slow back down without stopping.
  5. Lead with the other hand. Play it starting with your left hand too: LLRLL RRLRR.

Tips

  • Accent the first of the two quick strokes, and bounce the second.
  • Learn the single paradiddle first, then add the double.
  • Keep the first double tight. It should sound like a drag leading into the paradiddle.

Put it on the drum set: Lesson 31: Paradiddle Groove, Lesson 93: Inverted Paradiddle Groove.

Single Dragadiddle questions

What is the sticking for the Single Dragadiddle?

RRLRR LLRLL. R is the right hand and L the left. It switches lead hands every group.

Where are the accents in the Single Dragadiddle?

The first note of each group. With accents marked: >R R L R R | >L L R L L.

How many notes are in the Single Dragadiddle?

The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 10 main strokes, then repeats.

What tempo should I practice the Single Dragadiddle at?

Start slowly enough to play every sticking and accent correctly, around 60 BPM or below. Then practice open–close–open: speed up a few BPM at a time, and slow back down.

Is the Single Dragadiddle one of the original 26 rudiments?

No. The Single Dragadiddle was added when the Percussive Arts Society expanded the list to 40 in 1984. It is rudiment #35, in the drag rudiments.

Sticking, accents and note values follow the Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments (© 1984 PAS). The chart is RockBlocks' own drawing.

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