09/03/2026
Paradi**le.
I say this word a lot. When I say it to another drummer it is as commonplace as saying "hello", but out of context it elicits all kinds of responses. 😉
"paradi**le" refers to a 4-note pattern of the hands: R L R R (or L R L L).
The term itself amongst drummers is well over 100 years old, and is largely onomatopoetic, imitating the sound it makes on a drum. "pa-ra" is the alternation single notes in the hands and "di**le" is two notes played in the same hand.
It's a very common part of drumming, but with new students I often withhold it for a lesson or two.
Why?
Because within it are the two most fundamental motions of the drummer: singles and doubles.
While many teachers would include the paradi**le in their collection of fundamentals, I think of the paradi**le as a composition; a creative act, as opposed to a fundamental.
I am always thrilled when a beginner student returns to their next lesson with me and shows me what they discovered by practicing singles and doubles. Then they play me a paradi**le, but it's THEIR pattern, not just another one on the list of "stuff you have to know".
This is important because I think it encourages both critical and creative thinking. As they progress they see how even the most complex rhythms and patterns are made up of the fundamentals, and that complexity is within their grasp because they have a creative relationship with the fundamentals.
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