Paradiddle Independence Exercise

This is a cross limb independence exercise that I often do as a warmup. Many of you will recognise it from that Virgil Donati video in which he pits a double paradiddle with his left side against a paradiddle on his right. This exercise is basically how he built up to being able to do that.

What I'm doing here is playing a paradiddle between my right hand and right foot and then playing all of the possible pattern variations with my left hand and left foot over top of that.

I was first introduced to this exercise and others like it through Marco Minnemann's 'Extreme Interdependence' book. It's basically just taking the patterns and exercises from Stone's 'Stick Control' and pitting them against each other with all of your limbs.

I highlight the sticking of each pattern with an "L" for left hand and "F" for left foot. Keep in mind that this type of exercise can, and should, be done by splitting the pattern up between all of your limbs (hands vs feet, left side vs right, left hand right foot vs right hand left foot etc.).

I still have a little bit of trouble with double paradiddle pattern starting with the left foot. I think I've got a big mental block from watching Virgil play it so smoothly in that video so many times!

Thanks so much for watching! I know it can be boring and tedious by showing every pattern but I wanted to get the point across of what this exercise entails and the work that goes into something like that famous Virgil clip.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Paradiddle
• Independence
• Exercise
• Ostinato
• Layering
• Virgil
• Donati
• Marco
• Minnemann
• Double
• Stroke
• Bass
• Drum
• Matt
• Walker

[spatchycat]

watch your fore finger it is comeing off the stick.....

[mattwalker21]

It might look like it, but it's actually not. My fulcrum is always between my thumb and the first knuckle of my forefinger. The tip of that finger doesn't wrap tightly around the stick.

[joaopich]

michael schumacher?

[mattwalker21]

What about him?:P

[rhett875]

that is one sweeeeeet sounding snare....what brand is it? and what skins are you using? awesome technique by the way!!!!

[mattwalker21]

Thanks! It's a Pearl Virgil Donati signiture snare. I'm using an Evans Coated G1 on the batter and an Evans Hazy 300 on the snare side.

[lukethedrummer06]

sounds awesome. Only criticism is overtones on the Kit (sounds like a digeriedoo is playing lol). but i think your a great drummer! Lots of dedication obviously!

[polock2112]

ugh...need some mics for the drums bro...nice warm up's, floor toms got some nasty over tone :P

[nigelregan]

holy shit! I got dizzy just watching you! I've got a lot to learn

[w9jon]

@spatchycat its ok, this is a recommended technique because it moves the fulcrum to the middle of the hand, allowing more freedom and movement and therefore the drummer has to do less work. Dave weckl uses this technique amongst others 

[jibbythegreat]

no offence man, ur drums sound fecking awful

[DrummerBoyJustin]

now that is some good indepndance.

[DrummerGS]

That floor tom is wayyyy to high.

[bigkahuna355]

Jim Chapin and Dave Weckl among many others promote that method, of not wrapping the first finger around the stick. Moeller method is much easier to use if the first finger is open.

[funkrock94]

i totally agree