The single paradiddle is one of the finest drum rudiments for coming up with cool sounding drum beats and drum fills. This rudiment opens a lot of possibilities when applied to the drum set, since it enables you to alternate easily between hands. The single paradiddle is mostly played as 16th notes. You can however play this drum rudiment in whatever note value you feel like using. Once you feel competent playing the single paradiddle on a practice pad or a snare drum, you can put it to great use by learning how to apply it drum beats and drum fills.

As you can see above, the single paradiddle is a combination of single strokes and double strokes. You start by playing two alternating singles, and then a double. That’s the first half of the rudiment. Then, do the exact same pattern leading with the opposite hand. When you put it all together – you have a single paradiddle!