Triple Paradiddle

Learn How To Play The Triple Paradiddle Drum Rudiment!

The next pattern in the “paradiddle” family of drum rudiments is the triple paradiddle. The triple paradiddle is a combination of single strokes with double strokes. If you haven’t checked the free drum lessons on how to play the single stroke roll and the double stroke roll drum rudiments, we highly recommend you do so before going on with this lesson. Since the triple paradiddle is very similar to the single paradiddle and to the double paradiddle drum rudiments, knowing how to play them beforehand will actually make the triple paradiddle a very easy pattern to master.

The word “paradiddle” in the name of a rudiment, means that particular pattern has two single strokes (para) followed by one set of doubles (diddle). Having “triple” before “paradiddle”, means that the “para” is tripled. Thus, we’ll be having four extra single strokes – R (par) L (a) R (par) L (a) R (par) L (a) R (did) R (dle).

The triple paradiddle is mostly played as 16th notes. It naturally alternates within itself; much like the single paradiddle. It’s hard to feel the sequence of strokes in the triple paradiddle at lower speeds, due to the great amount of singles strokes.
Once you can play the triple paradiddle fairly well on a single surface, you can start learning how to apply it to the drum set through a couple drum beats and drum fills. These drum fills and drum beats are a great source of inspiration for coming up with your own triple paradiddle patterns on the drum set.

The first pattern on this free drum lesson is a half-time drum beat where the triple paradiddle is spread between the hi-hat and the snare drum. The left hand is kept on the snare drum playing ghost notes, except for the shot on count 3. The right hand plays the hi-hat at a normal volume, while the bass drum is played on count 1 and on the “and” of this same count.

Beat #2 is just like the previous one. The main difference with this pattern is that instead of having the triple paradiddle being played between the hi-hat and the snare drum, we have it being played between the ride cymbal bow and the snare drum. The bass drum is played on all quarter notes.

Exercise #3 is the first of two drum fills that incorporate the triple paradiddle. This is an awesomely sounding melodic drum fill that shows how far one can get with one of the 40 drum rudiments and some imagination. In the first two counts of this drum fill, the idea is to keep the snare drum notes ghosted with the weaker hand, and accenting the tom strokes with the stronger hand. Once you get to count 3, it all reverses. The ghosted notes are played with the right hand on the floor tom, as the left hand accentuates the toms. Give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed.

The next drum fill is another very cool melodic pattern featuring two triple paradiddles. The left hand on the first one is kept on the hi-tom, while the right hand plays the floor tom, the mid-tom, the snare drum, and the double stroke on the floor tom. With the second triple paradiddle the right hand is kept on floor tom, while the left hand plays the snare drum, the hi-tom, the mid-tom, and the double stroke on the snare drum.

Had enough of the triple paradiddle? If so, then we’d advise you to check the 40 drum rudiments free drum lesson on the single paradiddle-diddle.

Paradiddle Rudiments
Single Paradiddle	Triple Paradiddle	Single Paradiddle-diddle
Double Paradiddle