Modulating Drum Licks

Triplets to 16th Note Patterns + Inverted Paradiddle-Diddle Orchestration. Advancing a stock pattern to develop solo concepts.

The focus here is on re-configuring the paradiddle-diddle – RLRRLL or LRLLRR. The simple, familiar sticking pattern will be advanced by substituting the bass drum, switching between “rates” or note values (modulation), inverting the sticking by starting with one of the singles (RLLRRL) and moving the rudiment around the kit.

Modulation is the process of changing from one form or condition into another. In this case, modulation is referring to playing the same pattern across different note values, or, the exact phrase applied across different metrics of time – 8th note triplets to 16th notes, 16th notes to 16th note triplets and 32nd notes, for example.

These patterns have the potential to be used as fills or ideas for solos, to generally push the boundaries of your own sense of rhythm and to eventually unconsciously enter your improvisation vocabulary.

A) These exercises explore various sticking patterns modulated from eighth note triplets to sixteenth notes. An additional 4 single stroke semiquavers fills out the second bar where the pattern modulates from 4 beats (triplets) to 3 beats (semiquavers).

Downloadable PDF : Modulating Drum Licks