Nasty Lick #59 explores a simple paradiddle idea that has interesting and powerful results.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with different ways to play 32nd notes on the drum kit. I want to play them with interesting phrasing and dynamics. Incorporating double strokes and/or paradiddles into such ideas can be an important way to accomplish this.
Paradiddles, when played well, are interesting drumming “words” that have dynamics built in. Playing paradiddles well means that the chosen accented notes are loud and the unaccented notes are quiet—almost ghosted.
But just playing single paradiddles as 32nd notes doesn’t do the trick. If I start with two paradiddles and then add two bass drum notes, also as 32nd notes, the resulting ten note lick, when repeated, will move the accents around the bar line a bit. A-ha! Now we have something.
Frankly, I did not dream this up while sitting at home on the couch. Rather, like most of this stuff, I stumbled upon the phrase while working on something else in the practice room.
The result is a lick that I think has real potential to be a keeper. That is why I am happy to present it to you, my fellow drummers, as Nasty Lick #59.
The worksheet included here has 9 exercises: three versions of the lick as one bar ideas, two versions as two bar ideas, and four examples as two beat ideas. The two beat ideas deviate from the “formula” a bit (including paradiddle-diddles), but I think the results are useful.
Here is the PDF for you to download:
He first gained attention as one of the winners of Modern Drummer magazine's very first drum solo contest, judged by Rush's Neil Peart.
He's played with Oz Noy, Will Lee, Alison Krauss, Curtis Stigers, Emily Remler, Joel Hoekstra, GE Smith, Andy York, Marshall Crenshaw, Tony Shanahan, The Drifters, The Marvelettes, Big Brother and The Holding Company, and many other artists.
For more info: onlinesessiondrummer.com
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it would be so nice to be able to hear a short sound clip of the exercises…
Hi Whitney — I know! I am considering a book and DVD with all of the Nasty Licks….do you think that would be helpful?
I have a recording of the page from tonight when I played through it. I played around with the orchestrations but there’s at least one time of each of the nine patterns played as written. It’s pretty raw, as it’s the recording of the first and only time I played it, and there are a few moments you can hear the two beat patterns being worked out. Here’s a link to it if you want to hear it: https://db.tt/yUU0d8FJ
Hey Ryan – Thanks for posting. Whitney — check out this link that Ryan posted….it should be helpful.
MF